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Religion Title: 1 Churches adjusting to online Holy Week observances Palm Sunday is arriving for Catholics and Protestants. But the sixth Sunday of Lent on the ancient liturgical calendar is also the third Sunday of coronavirus shutdowns. So it’ll be anything but a typical Palm Sunday, when church members would be singing triumphant hymns like “All Glory, Laud and Honor” while children, choristers and sometimes even entire congregations march in procession, waving palm branches to commemorate the gospel story of Jesus’ final entrance into Jerusalem. But with most churches now getting used to the concept of livestreamed worship, they’re now turning their attention to how to commemorate the most solemn days of the church year without coming together in person. Trinity Lutheran Church in Connellsvile has one idea for starters: “Want to be part of our virtual palm procession this Sunday?” asks a posting on its Facebook page. “Send a picture of you/your family holding a branch - any branch!” At least one local posted a link to a site with a downloadable coloring page with the outline of a palm frond. The user can print it out and color it green. Calvary Episcopal Church plans to have a blessing of palm fronds, which members can pick up any time during the week. The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is listing various Holy Week services it will hold during the week, as are many parishes. Since the first Sunday of the month is often communion Sunday at Protestant churches, many will be conducting these rites virtually. “God is omnipresent (everywhere), so wherever we are God is,” says the Facebook page for Baptist Temple in Homewood. “We can commune with God, together, even while in different locations, as members of the Body of Christ. So beloved, to partake in Communion, please carefully and reverently prepare your own reasonable substitutions for the communion elements (bread and wine/juice or something like them), in order participate in Communion from where you are/will be.” Similar postings can be found on many other churches’ sites. Most churches are planning to commemorate events later in Holy Week online as well. Churches would also normally be holding communion services and foot-washing rituals on Maundy Thursday of this week, when Christians believe Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as an act of humility and instituted the practice of communion at his last supper before crucifixion. On Good Friday, church groups normally would have an outdoor procession or solemn services to commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be distributing a series of YouTube videos for pastors’ Holy Week use, including for daily devotionals, Good Friday and the Easter vigil. The shift in worship practices is as abrupt as the changes in many other parts of American society during the coronavirus shutdowns. A survey of Protestant ministers nationwide by LifeWay Research found that 99 percent of their churches met for worship on Sunday, March 1, but only 7 percent did so four weeks later after civic leaders urged or required an end to large public gatherings. While last fall about 40 percent of Protestant pastors said they hadn’t put any video worship content online, the vast majority were now doing so by the end of March, either with livestreamed or recorded content, LifeWay reported. Almost half of churches have canceled Easter services for next Sunday and most of the rest are considering it. The Catholic and Episcopal dioceses of Pittsburgh have already canceled in-person Holy Week and Easter services. Nationally, only 3 percent of pastors said their churches plan Easter services. “The rapid adoption of providing video content has been just as abrupt as ceasing in-person meetings,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of the Nashville-based LifeWay. “Churches who never would have considered offering a streaming or video option, have quickly done so. Their pastors were compelled to stay connected and to continue to provide spiritual guidance during this trying time.” Eastern Orthodox churches, which have a different liturgical calendar, will observe Holy Week and Easter a week later than their Catholic and Protestant counterparts. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread |
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