BRAINTREE -- There will be no pews crowded with people attending midnight Mass this Christmas. With this in mind, parish staffs are working hard to find ways to enable the celebration of Christ's birth while adhering to state and archdiocesan protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Christmas and Easter are the two occasions in the Church calendar that see the highest Mass attendance. But that may be difficult at a time when every other pew is taped off, people who are not of the same household must sit six feet apart, and many parishes are having people register before coming. People who do not attend weekly Mass may not be familiar with the protocols in place.

In Massachusetts, houses of worship are still required to limit occupancy to 40 percent of permitted capacity, and social distancing must be observed. Additionally, a curfew was established in early November, requiring people to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., with exceptions for necessary errands.

Given these circumstances, the archdiocese's leadership put a great deal of thought into making it easier for parishes to safely celebrate Christmas.

In a Sept. 25 blog post, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley reported having discussed Christmas vigil Masses during a meeting of the Presbyteral Council. He said they talked about the possibility of allowing vigil Masses to begin earlier than usual. A Dec. 11 message from the archdiocese to priests confirmed that, for this year only, Masses on Christmas Eve may be held as early as 1 p.m.

"This would give parishes an opportunity to schedule the additional Masses that are likely to be needed because of reduced occupancy requirements. That idea was supported by the priests, so I was happy to approve it," Cardinal O'Malley said in his blog.

The cardinal is leaving the decision of whether to hold in-person Christmas Masses up to pastors, who may opt to hold all Masses virtually.

Bishop Robert Reed, pastor of the Watertown Catholic Collaborative of Sacred Heart and St. Patrick, said there is "some anxiety" about Christmas in light of increasing coronavirus cases and tightening restrictions.

"No one knows for sure what to expect," he said in a Dec. 15 interview.

On Dec. 13, the Watertown parishes had an outdoor event to bless the life-size Nativity scene set up in front of St. Patrick Church, where people can see it as they walk or drive down Main Street. Bishop Reed said the display is a means of evangelization.

"Anticipating the fact that Christmas was going to be challenging and different this year, we decided we wanted to have an outdoor public display of the real reason for the season," he said.

St. Patrick Church and Sacred Heart Church will each have three Masses on Christmas Eve. There will be two Masses on Christmas morning. One Mass will be live-streamed on Christmas Eve and another will be live-streamed on Christmas Day.

"Even though the word is out that registration is necessary, there is a concern that some people might show up and there might not be any room in the inn. But hopefully, God will help us and provide for us," Bishop Reed said.

Turning people away at Christmas is "the last thing you want to do," said Bonnie Rynkowski Dec. 14. She is a cantor at the Beverly Catholic Collaborative, which consists of the parishes of St. John the Evangelist, St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Mary Star of the Sea.

"Everyone is doing the best that they can under the circumstances to try to still have a meaningful Christmas," Rynkowski said.

During the pandemic, the Beverly Catholic Collaborative has been having people register for Masses by calling or emailing the parish office. Additionally, they are using the EventBrite online system for people to register for the Christmas Masses.

"We worked very hard on trying to come up with a good schedule for Beverly. We have to spread ourselves over three parishes, so we certainly couldn't increase the number of Masses that we offered," Father David Michael, the pastor of the collaborative, said Dec. 11.

They took advantage of the cardinal's permission to schedule an earlier Christmas Eve vigil Mass. Rynkowski said that when registration opened for Christmas Masses, the 3 p.m. vigil Mass immediately filled up.

Speaking about restrictions on Masses and musical events, she said, "It's a big, huge challenge, no matter how you look at it. But it's either follow the rules and try to get through the restrictions and the challenges, or don't do anything at all."

St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish usually holds Lessons and Carols during Advent, which is attended by between 50 and 100 people. This year it will be live-streamed on the collaborative's Facebook page, so people can watch it live or afterward.

Patrick Valentino, the music director at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, said that their Advent Lessons and Carols event is usually an opportunity for people to "recenter" during a typically busy season. Although the circumstances are different, he thinks that kind of recentering is "even more necessary this year."

"We're very happy to be able to have the personnel willing to make it happen, and then also to have the technology to bring it to people," Valentino said.