Pittsburgh religious leaders gather to mark one year of pandemic,
Out of grief and sheer frustration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Karie Charlton of Third Presbyterian Church in Shadyside admitted that she cried herself to sleep at several points throughout the past year.
In sharing her story of grief and vulnerability, Rev. Charlton said she hopes others may feel inspired to make themselves vulnerable to their loved ones as well during such a difficult time.
“My hope is that by being a little vulnerable to God and to you, you might have the courage to do the same,” Rev. Charlton said. “Because being vulnerable is scary, but it’s the only way to be truly known. Being truly known and loved brings healing.”
Rev. Charlton’s remarks came during a virtual interfaith service hosted by Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life synagogue on Thursday night, to memorialize the over 525,000 Americans who have died due to the virus.
Representatives from Tree of Life, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Hindu-Jain Temple of Monroeville — among others — offered prayers and words of encouragement and comfort for those in
mourning or reeling from the effects of the pandemic.
Some — like Som Sharma of the Hindu-Jain Temple and the Rev. Vincent K. Campbell of Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District — offered prayers or readings of passages from holy books. Others, such as the Rev. Matthew Hawkins of St. Benedict the Moor and St. Mary Magdalene parishes, gave comforting remarks about the strength of love and community.
There were songs and hymns performed as well: Rabbi Myers performed a rendition of Mi Sheberach, a Jewish prayer for healing, while a chorus from Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside chanted a Psalm reading in Latin.
Gov. Tom Wolf also made an appearance via a prerecorded message, saying that although it is hard to imagine things will get better after such a devastating year, the recent arrival of vaccines is a reason to hope.
“Healing is possible, and hope for a brighter future is on the horizon,” Mr. Wolf said.
Yet along with offering words of comfort, Rev. Campbell also took the opportunity to speak about inequalities in our culture that the pandemic has laid bare.
The virus has done more than take the lives and caused the suffering of so many, Rev. Campbell said. It has helped open many eyes to the racial injustice that still pervades much of our society, he said.
“Many communities, much like my own community, were disproportionately affected by all aspects of this pandemic,” Rev. Campbell said. “And so America’s soul has been laid open again to show racial disparities, racial inequalities, rise in hate crimes, that there’s so much that we must all come together to overcome.”
Rev. Campbell ended with a reading of “Still I Rise,” a poem by Maya Angelou.
Rabbi Myers likewise offered a strong condemnation of the rise in hate crimes and incidents against Asians and Asian Americans, especially in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings on Tuesday that left eight people dead, the majority of whom were of Asian descent.
“We stand with the Asian and Asian American communities in their grief in the wake of the Atlanta shootings,” Rabbi Myers said. We know the pain and stinging loss produced by hate-fueled violence, and offer our friendship and support in this terrible moment. We are firm in our resolve and commitment to building bridges of understanding so that we may work together to end all forms of racism, xenophobia and bigotry.
“We grieve the loss of life and pray that those who mourn will be comforted. May the memories of those lost be a blessing.”
Near the end of the service, Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh gave some closing remarks.
Bishop Zubik said the past year is a reminder that no matter our personal faiths, we are called upon as a community to love each other, to love our neighbors and to build a just society where even the poor and the stranger have hope.
“If we were people without hope, the past year could have left us in the depths of despair … yet we have hope, not a distant hope, like a light at the end of a tunnel,” Bishop Zubik said. “We have hope in the here and now, amid the confusion, isolation, fear and rancor that we experience every day.”