KEEPING THE FAITH
Deacon Eric Gurash says the Archdiocese of Regina is retooling its ministry in a time of physical distancing due to COVID-19. It’s an adjustment all faiths are making.
If we are not offering our prayers at mosque, it does not mean we are away from God. We don’t need to go to the mosque. Naveed Iqbal, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Regina
The namesake of Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood has largely been silent on Sunday mornings.
When the Archdiocese of Regina moved to close churches and parishes in mid-march because of the public health order restricting gatherings, the bells stopped ringing during their typical time slot.
“Without having a congregation present, there’s no one to ring the bells,” said Deacon Eric Gurash, director of communications and evangelization.
Ringing bells have been heard at Easter and once during a 7 p.m. salute to essential front-line workers.
In a rapidly changing world, the tolling bells of the Holy Rosary Cathedral on 13th Avenue were a small consistent comfort in the neighbourhood.
COVID -19 is set to plunge Canada into recession — if we aren’t currently in one — and some closed businesses may not reopen as evaporated income and looming bills push others to the brink. On May 8, Statistics Canada reported an unemployment rate of 13 per cent.
Financial uncertainty has hit the archdiocese as well, but no parish has had to close, according to Gurash. Parishes in smaller communities often operate close to the wire, but Gurash said the community is finding its way forward.
And that includes applying for federal relief.
In the immediate flurry of midmarch, as public health orders and a state of emergency was declared, an institution oft-described as thinking in terms of centuries was forced to react in a matter of hours.
Gurash said it was an interesting transition away from traditional services.
“It’s been a spiritual challenge for all in the archdiocese,” said Gurash.
For any member of a church or faith losing the communal nature of prayer, the traditions linked to gathering and observing have been a struggle.
“It’s been a huge loss,” he said. The inability to gather during Easter was a blow to many of the faithful. “Nobody can recall having this kind of real kind of spiritual loss and suffering during this time of year.”
The closest analog to the current pandemic would be the Spanish Flu. Restrictions were put in place on gatherings as the spectre of pestilence hung over the world.
“I mean, prior to that you’d have to go to the Black Death in Europe,” said Gurash.
For Naveed Iqbal, a missionary with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Regina, missing the communal celebrations of Eid and the observance of Ramadan has not been much of a struggle.
“We are eager to meet,” he said. “But we are not away from all people. We are more connected.”
Iqbal said the community adheres to the orders in place by the government and suspended worship in March. Since then, the community has opted for online broadcasts and Whatsapp conversations with family.
“If we are not offering our prayers at mosque, it does not mean we are away from God,” said Iqbal. “We don’t need to go to the mosque.”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held a virtual Ramadan celebration on May 10 with Muslims all over Canada.
Technology and faith have an interesting relationship.
Publishing the Gutenberg Bible in the 15th century was made possible through the new technology of movable type and contributed to the Reformation. The internet has had a revolutionary impact on aspects of our daily lives and Gurash said it has offered a way for ceremony to continue uninterrupted.
Mass is now being streamed to homes across the city, pastors hold Facebook Live events for different devotions, and Gurash himself completed a virtual retreat for members of the dioceses.
“Being in isolation from those extended neighbouring families and friends is not just a social loss and an emotional loss, but from a Christian perspective it’s a profound spiritual loss,” he said.
The reality is that mass itself is, in a tangible way, not possible. The physical contact and sharing of a chalice presents a unique struggle for the church.
For Rabbi Jeremy Parnes not being able to gather at the Beth Jacob Synagogue has been a difficult transition. As he sees it, meeting in person as a community is an important aspect not only for the faith but also as people.
“Being able to gather together, face-to-face in community, I think satisfies a basic need in all of us,” said Parnes.
Like the churches and parishes, Parnes said the synagogue is not currently in any financial distress. But the indefinite timeline of the virus could change that.
On Sabbath, Parnes has taken to Zoom meetings to deliver sermons. He learned early in his time establishing himself in Regina that he should start his services on time. It was important to honour those that made the effort to be on time. Recently, that’s changed. Parnes said that on average, things have been starting 10 to 15 minutes late.
“The reason why is because when people get there, they want to visit a little bit with each other. They may have not seen each other all week,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to reconnect and for me, that’s actually starting the service on time.”
Parnes said the wine, candles and Sabbath bread brought into homes and set on kitchen tables now sit next to phones and laptops. The conversations run long before and after things get underway.
“It’s been a challenge,” he said. “But I’ve got a lot more people coming into my home on Sabbath.”
Unexpected additions to their weekly remote gatherings were the faces and user names of members of the Regina community that had moved elsewhere.
“It was so wonderful,” he said. People from northern Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta have joined in the weekly calls.
Iqbal and Gurash both said that being away from church and mosque has led to a greater appreciation of worship outside the congregation.
“It’s really opened up that God is a lot bigger than sometimes our small imaginations try to make him,” said Gurash.
He said the plan is to keep to the guidelines, eventually bringing in 10 people at a time to places of worship. But he knows that even when restrictions are lifted, there may be a reticence to return to the old ways.
“Our hope is we’ll all grow more confident and relearn how to be together. We’ll do it gradually with the safety of each other in mind,” said Gurash.
He suspects the first celebration POST-COVID-19 restrictions will rival any Easter celebration.
As people hope for a return to normalcy, the timeline is unwaveringly uncertain. The virus could exist indefinitely in communities or a vaccine could spell the end of its grip on the world.
The old institutions will continue to adapt to the new problems the world, all the while maintaining their faith in a better future.
Our hope is we’ll all grow more confident and relearn how to be together. We’ll do it gradually with the safety of each other in mind.