One of the most extraordinary aspects of lockdown during Covid was that it entailed the closure of churches. Catholics could not pray in churches even when they were empty because churches were put in the same category as beauty salons, pubs, cinemas and hairdressers as places where social distancing would be difficult. As a result, priests celebrated Mass in churches alone while their congregations, if they could, watched livestreamed Masses at home. Similar restrictions were imposed on Catholics in Ireland, across the US and elsewhere.