Churches find ways to gather together ‘in spirit’
GREENWICH — Churches in lower Fairfield County are canceling, rescheduling and livestreaming their services to encourage parishioners to stay home and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
As the coronavirus spreads through Connecticut, houses of worship, schools and other places where large groups of people gather are closing to help mitigate the spread. The tactic is called social distancing, one that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Although gathering together is an essential part of faith life, churches are trying to find other ways to bring the faithful together in spirit.
At Noroton Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Greg Doll said that in Christian sacred scriptures, nothing refers to an actual building called “church,” but rather, “the body,” wherever it assembles, is the church.
“We are gathering as best we can in the circumstances we are in right now,” Doll said.
The church has livestreamed its services for two years, for travelers and people who are homebound, but this will be the first time he and a few assistants will be completing a service without any parishioners physically there.
Quite a number of churches reached out to his church asking for guidance on live-streaming, Doll said.
“I think a lot of churches are trying to do some kind of virtual service or pre-recorded message for Sunday,” he said.
Christ Church Greenwich is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely, consulting regularly with the bishops, and attending to the advice of local and state authorities.
“Our first priority is the health and safety of our community, especially those most vulnerable,” Rector Marek Zabriskie said.
Based on the consensus advice of healthcare experts, Christ Church Greenwich is canceling communal gatherings. All worship services and all programs and services at Christ Church Greenwich will be canceled at least through March 27.
Neighbor to Neighbor’s food pantry distribution services, located at the church, will remain open. For more information, visit ntngreenwich.org.
Zabriskie said the church will search out those in need and tend to their needs.
“Please let us know if you, or anyone you know, needs food, prayer or pastoral care,” he said.
Christ Church leadership will continue to follow developments and will provide further updates in the coming days, he said. During this uncertain season, Christ Church will seek to bring the Gospel and pastoral care to parishioners and the community in novel and appropriate ways.
“We will discover new ways to be the Church — to worship, learn, and care for one another as a community,” Zabriskie said. “We will learn new ways to pray, both in solitude and perhaps together in ‘virtual’ communion.”
Bethel AME Church in Stamford will continue with services, but the Rev. Robert Jackson is asking people who feel sick, as well as immune-compromised people and their caregivers and pregnant women to stay home and watch their live-streamed services on Facebook.
“We believe in being prayerful, but careful,” Jackson said.
On Friday, the Diocese of Bridgeport announced that it has temporarily suspended the Roman Catholic obligation to attend Sunday Mass.
The temporary lift lasts from March 14-15, the third Sunday of Lent, through the March 28-29, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said in a letter.
The bishop said he took the action “so that anyone who may be fearful of becoming ill or of spreading illness, especially healthcare workers, caregivers to the elderly or infirm or parents with young children, may have peace of mind in knowing that, with this provision, they do not commit mortal sin if they choose not to attend Sunday Mass.”
Caggiano said that those who decide to refrain from attending Mass on the Sundays during the next three weeks should “treat the Lord’s Day with the honor it deserves and try, to the best of their ability, to view Mass online or to make time to read the Scriptures for the day.”
The public Mass schedule of parishes will continue. Pastors, administrators and lay parish coordinators will be required to follow any ordinances or mandates published by legitimate local authorities, who have been entrusted to protect the community at large.
“Hopefully what that will do is thin out the masses on Sunday, and we’ll be able to have the personal space recommended,” said Paul Cappiali, a trustee at St. Roch Catholic Church in Greenwich.
Cappiali said the church had considered livestreaming services before the coronavirus outbreak, but with more people homebound due to quarantine, getting that capacity up to speed took on a renewed sense of urgency.
“We just need an extra camera hooked up,” Cappiali said. “It was easier that we thought, and we’re speeding that up, because of this outbreak.”
The bishop urged that non-liturgical, social events scheduled to take place in the weeks ahead at parishes or diocesan institutions, especially those at which the elderly may be inclined to participate, be postponed or canceled.
Beginning Friday, all diocesan schools and academies were also closed for two weeks.
All parish confirmations that were scheduled to take place before Easter Sunday will be rescheduled to a later date.