Pain and hope

Easter and Passover rituals, traditions change amid pandemic

Just hearing the question made the minister tear up.

That’s how the Rev. Ginger Brasher-Cunningham, who heads the First Congregational Church of Guilford, responded when asked whether there was something that could make up for what her congregants could not do: gather together in worship.

For Brasher-Cunningham, a profound sense of loss accompanied her church’s shift to virtual services three weeks ago, when concerns about the spread of the coronavirus

made social distancing necessary for the sake of public health.

The minister noted “the lack of being able to look at each other” in church, shake hands with fellow worshipers and feel “that wonderful, joyful spirit rise up and fill the sanctuary.”

With Easter and Passover on the horizon, Brasher-Cunningham is among legions of the faithful in Connecticut to notice what’s missing.

Catholics can’t receive the Eucharist or watch a darkened sanctuary light up during the Easter Vigil candle lighting. Christians of other denominations face similar loss of kinship, important rituals and services.

Seder dinners will be limited to small family units, and in some cases, individuals. It’s a jarring contrast from the busy celebrations that often bring together dozens of people.

“Passover for so many people is about connection,” said Rabbi Brian Immerman of Congregation Mishkan Israel in Hamden. “It’s going to be really painful for a lot of people.”

Heading online

But despite the pain, there is good to be seen, as religious communities across Connecticut mobilize to create meaning during Easter and Passover.

Religious leaders are coming up with creative ways to engage theologically. They are broadcasting services over Zoom and have increased email correspondence with congregants.

Congregants and rabbis alike are working their hardest to make sure everyone has the necessary ingredients for Passover Seder. They are delivering those ingredients to folks who cannot leave the house.

Trinity Lutheran Church in Shelton placed a table of sanitized palms outside its door on Friday, encouraging members of the congregation and the community to take palms over the weekend since the regular Palm Sunday service was canceled in person.

The church plans to still offer live services on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, but virtually, on Zoom. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday’s services either will be live on Zoom or sent out as pre-recorded services to the congregation. They will all include pre-recorded music.

Faith Church in New Milford also is going the digital route, building on the already numerous weekend services available on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Easter service will be more interactive with “motion picture”-type videos the congregation’s media team is putting together. Good Friday’s service will celebrate communion as “the meal that heals,” said the Rev. Frank Santora.

“We’re going to do a stripped down, organic Good Friday service,” he said.

And while there is nothing like a pandemic to dampen holiday spirits, religious leaders have pointed out that Easter and Passover provide something people need now more than ever: messages of hope.

Community under quarantine

Cantor Penny Kessler of the United Jewish Center in Danbury spent her week working on a virtual presentation to walk people through the Seder, she said.

People in the UJC community have also been reaching out to each other to make sure they have food and supplies, according to Kessler.

“I think it really points out the resiliency of the community,” she said.

Kessler shared her own wish: that at Passover Seder next year, people will sit around the table and talk about how they persevered through this one.

And while people may be limited now in where they can go and who they can see, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t reaching out to others.

Members of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, New Haven have made hundreds of phone calls, checking to make sure people have the necessary components of a Seder, like matzah, a Haggadah, bitter herbs and wine or grape juice, according to Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen.

“It [the pandemic] has given us a real impetus to connect with other people,” Tilsen said. “It’s just all the more important.”

For people who have struggled to obtain those ingredients — maybe because they are elderly, or because they rely on public transportation — Tilsen’s congregants have organized deliveries, he said.

Meanwhile, Abel Caterers in Woodbridge — which, according to owner Meredith Abel-Berei, has faced a huge loss in revenue due to the cancellation of weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events — has been working around the clock to provide kosher meals for Passover.

The orders differ from other years. Instead of preparing meals for dinners with numerous attendees, the team is making portions that will serve between one and four people, Abel-Berei said.

“Everyone’s just kind of doing a much smaller version in their own home. … I think it’s just a little uncomfortable and a little sad,” she said, adding that she is “happy to be essential and happy to be working every day.”

With virtual Seders in store, Tilsen’s congregants have been offering technical support to folks who need help with video applications such as Zoom, according to Tilsen.

And the rabbi hasn’t been idle.

Easter

Leaders in the Christian tradition also face challenges.

Stamford’s Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church made the fortunate decision to begin broadcasting services not long before quarantine began, according to the Rev. Dr. Robert A. Jackson Jr.

While just one or two people would tune into the services remotely before they went completely virtual, viewership has since skyrocketed, with some videos attracting up to 700 audience members, Jackson said.

That’s even more than a typical in-person service — active membership at Jackson’s church numbers around 250 people, he said.

Of course, church members miss not being able to gather and hug or shake hands with other congregants, but the social isolation is necessary because of the seriousness of the pandemic, Jackson said.

Like in other religious communities across the state, Jackson’s team is upping their email and phone correspondence with members to keep everyone connected.