Churches reopened in Fermanagh this week bringing much comfort to those parishioners who had to worship from home during the Covid19 lockdown over the past 15 weeks.

And it was some relief to members of the clergy, too, to return to some normality.

“It is so strange to see life again in our beautiful Cathedral and may I say speaking now from experience you the people make the Cathedral even more beautiful,” Dean Kenneth Hall told parishioners, including First Minister Arlene Foster, at St. Macartin’s Cathedral on Monday which was one of the first churches to reopen in Northern Ireland.

“Today, we may not have our great organ or our marvellous choir but we are back in action. It is better to be slow, steady and sure, and get this right. Bit by bit we will get some degree of normality returned,” he said.

Meanwhile Father Jimmy McPhillips reopened Holy Cross Church, Lisnaskea after 128 days

“While there was a little apprehension, numbers returning were small, but a great army of volunteer ushers made the those returning welcome, and safely guided them through the liturgy,” he told this newspaper.

This weekend Masses at Holy Cross are “by ticket only” and the congregation are asked to wear a mask or face covering to ensure their own safety and that of others.