BANGOUR — Easter is special for many, but it was even more special for this priest when he saw the church filled to capacity.
At St. John’s Catholic Church, the 10:30 a.m. service on Easter Sunday was packed and there were no seats left. Father Andrew Dubious said he was happy to see so many people present.
“People still feel that call to come back and recommit to the Lord. I think the things that are happening in the world right now, especially with the war in Ukraine and Russia, have inspired people to come back,” Dubious said.
He said nearly 300 people turned out for the service on Sunday morning.
“There’s something about Easter Sunday and coming out of the pandemic, I think people have a feeling of new life and there’s new life,” Dubious said.
One worshiper said being of service brought him peace.
“Two important things that my dad and mom told me were faith and family. We put them together and it all worked out great from there,” said Tom Alan.
Dubious said he has seen more people attending church since the pandemic.
“We understand that people are hesitant to come back, but over the last six to seven months we’ve seen numbers slowly increase,” he said.
He said that unlike other services, at Easter people come to church.
“I think deep in our hearts we all face sin, death and other issues in our world, when we know and believe in the resurrection of Jesus, we know there are hope,” Dubious said.
Alan’s daughter said it was lovely to be able to attend.
“I love seeing my family here and all the people I think are great,” said Abby Alan.
