The civilized life of the rural South's ‘Neanderthals’

BAKER COUNTY, FLORIDA — The biggest shock came Sunday morning at Mass. I sat in the back pew and looked around and saw something I’m not used to seeing at Mass: human faces.

Yes, every other pew was roped off. No, there wasn’t any “passing of the peace” or other handshaking or hugging. Yes, families sat as far from other families as possible, which forced a small overflow crowd into the “cry rooms” at the back of the church. Yes, there was much hand sanitizer. Heck, there was even a touchless holy water dispenser.