
在寻常的复活节圣周,华盛顿特区的纯洁之胎国家圣殿都会接待约5万名访客。在基督教最重要的节日期间,圣殿作为北美最大的罗马天主教教堂,是美国最大教派基督教的观礼焦点。今年复活节首次恰逢圣殿的百年华诞,但圣殿却将访客拒之千里之外。
圣殿院长蒙西格诺·沃尔特·罗西牧师说:“今年,圣殿变得冷冷清清。”仅有少数参与者(没有个人到访观众)获准在圣殿大堂内庆祝大斋节的结束。他说:“像美国的众多教堂一样,我们转向了社交媒体、电视和现代技术。”蒙西格诺·沃尔特·罗西将这类工具称之为“伟大的祝福”。
新冠疫情的肆虐迫使美国各大教堂、犹太教会堂以及其他礼拜场所重新考虑仪式举行方式。在复活节和逾越节来临之际,天主教、新教和犹太教则开始转而采用新技术来庆祝先祖们的信仰。今年的节日可能是有史以来科技含量最高的节日,其方式从传统的电话联络、电视广播一直到更加创新的方式,例如互联网现场直播、“免下车”服务,以及虚拟逾越节家宴。
尽管美国全境几乎都处于隔离状态(或可能因为这个原因),但今年必将成为宗教仪式的一个重要年份。从天主教有线电视台永恒之语电视网络的弥撒直播,到YouTube和Facebook的现场视频流或上载内容,Mary’s Shrine教堂的服务已经揽获了100万的观众,而这还只是圣枝主日的观众数量。
自上而下的指引
上个月,有鉴于当前不同寻常的疫情,梵蒂冈发布了一道指令,要求教堂调整或取消某些仪式。例如,起源于《新约全书》的圣周四洗脚礼便被下令“省略”。在耶稣受难日,在十字架前跪拜将取代亲吻十字架。在复活节,志向远大的天主教徒的洗礼也将被推迟。
旧金山大主教管区掌仪司主任劳拉·伯通说:“当人们观看现场视频或电视时,他们会感到非常惊讶。焰火怎么没有了?队伍哪去了?我们进行了简化,是日常仪式的精简版。”
美国天主教主教协会执行总监安德鲁·蒙克牧师表示,对于追求场面感的人,他们非常有可能观看在梵蒂冈举行或由高级别主教举行的仪式;对于那些喜欢亲密感和熟悉感的教徒来说,当地的郊区和教士将广泛地为他们提供流媒体服务,“即便制作水准欠佳也无伤大雅”。
不同的神职人员有不同的技术才干和资源,有一些教士在线上沟通方面要做的更好一些。
神父加布里尔·“加吉特”·吉伦说:“我必须承认,几个月前我做的有点过头了,在我购买多个能与移动设备相连的无线麦克风之后,我基本上没怎么使用过。”加布里尔此前是华尔街的一名股票经纪,负责Dominican Friars基金会。(因其对电子产品的热爱,他的侄子给他取了个科技意味十足的昵称)。吉伦称,然而自那之后, “我们在华盛顿特区圣犹大玫瑰圣殿每日举行的三次现场视频流中,一直使用所有这些奇妙的装置。”他在该圣殿担任主管一职。
接触关键群体
其他基督教教派也于今年做出了一些改变。
随着各州签发居家隔离令,美国30多万所教堂中的大多数都相继关闭。已关闭教堂的数量出现激增,纳什维尔福音派基督教研究团体Lifeway Research对400名新教牧师进行的调查发现:3月1日至15日,举行集会的新教教堂从99%降至64%。一周后,也就是3月22日,11%的教堂依然开放,再过一周后,仅有7%的教堂开放。仅有极少数集会(在某些情况下最顽固的教徒)仍在进行。
Lifeway的执行总监斯科特·麦康奈尔称,最大的惊喜在于,大多数教堂都异常迅速地采用了虚拟技术。仅8%的受调教堂表示在3月没有制作任何视频。麦康奈尔称,这个数字着实令人惊讶。他还表示,“有很多教堂以前从来没有制作过视频,如果不是新冠疫情,它们甚至可能都不会考虑制作视频。”
但教堂关闭令也激发了教堂的创意才干。例如,得州阿灵顿的Tate Springs Baptist教堂使用微软的视频游戏《Minecraft》举行了一场复活节彩蛋搜寻竞赛。得益于与活动赞助商全美电子竞技协会的合作,任何人都可以参加这场竞赛。

《Minecraft》彩蛋搜寻竞赛可谓是寓教于乐。当前正在建造的虚拟世界将建有三个与复活节相关、来自于圣经的场景:十字架场景、耶稣石墓以及一个象征耶稣复活的空墓。
然而,一些传统主义者对这一活动表示反对。彩蛋搜寻的一名组织者杰瑞德·威尔曼说:“有时候人们会对彩蛋搜寻的明智与否表示质疑,这是任何文化活动都会遇到的情况”,例如圣诞节的圣诞老人。“有一种声音认为‘活动有创意,很不错!’,说这话的既包括传统的教徒也包括开明的教徒。也有另一种声音说,‘这是异教徒行为,很糟糕。’”
最终,威尔曼希望这一举措能够传播复活节的信息,尤其是面向较为年轻的受众。教堂计划在虚拟活动中提供资源,这样,参与者便可以在活动之后与其当地的教堂联络。
用汽车鸣笛代替“阿门”
由于人们对于数字科技的采用有着很大的分歧,而且在教徒所在地与教徒会面十分重要,因此在今年的圣周期间,并非所有的创新都集中在线上。一些教堂则通过一些巧妙的方式来开展这种面对面的聚会。
例如,休斯顿斯普林伍兹卫理工会教堂便利用了“露天”电影院这种复古形式;在过去的多个周日,斯特凡·阿灵顿牧师便在其教堂的停车场进行了布道。
上周末,130人坐在约75辆车中于室外进行了集会,车与车之间至少保持了6英尺的距离,以遵守社会区隔规定。这些车围成了一个半圆形,面向牧师。

阿灵顿说:“这个场景有点类似于电影《变形金刚》。”他说,只不过这些车辆并未组成一个用于抵抗外星人的巨型机器人,而是围出了一片朝拜净土。他说自己最喜欢的部分在于,人们会用汽车鸣笛代替“阿门”。
阿灵顿还说:“如果说烈酒商店是为了精神健康而开设,那么在我看来,停车场的天国应该在周日为我们开放。” 他指着当地的快餐连锁店,开玩笑说道:“如果警察和治安官的副手来了,那么我们就说我们正在排队,因为这里是街对面Whataburger的集结等候区。”
冲动是魔鬼
尽管包括天主教、伊斯兰教、摩门教以及犹太教分支在内的众多宗教信仰的领袖已经关闭了教堂大门,并敦促人们参与线上活动,但并非所有人都会遵守隔离规定。
在大型聚会禁令颁布之前,60名歌手曾齐聚华盛顿州斯卡吉特威利进行合唱彩排,这个聚会最终夺走了一些成员的生命。坦帕一个大教堂的牧师最近因为违反居家隔离令、集结教众罪名而遭到逮捕。在纽约密集的哈西德派犹太人社区,悼念者们不顾社会区隔规定,参加最近身亡人员的葬礼,而警方也在忙着驱散这些人群。
通过教众聚会来寻求精神超脱的冲动为个人的健康带来了风险。美国最大的犹太教分支犹太教改革联盟会长里克·雅各布拉比称,任何宗教的极端主义分子都可能将限令看作是对其信仰表达的阻碍。雅各布说:“我们的传统非常明确:保护教众群体的健康和福祉是头等大事。”
为保守派犹太教联合会堂提供顾问服务的犹太会堂主管詹妮弗·斯托弗曼提到了其团队在最近的逾越节为拉比和其教众开发的在线资源库。这些材料包括使用Zoom软件举行虚拟逾越节家宴的指南、一个可供下载的哈加达(犹太律法中的轶话——译者注)、假日圣言文本以及按照犹太教规定制作食物的窍门。
雅各布拉比说:“如果你为了保障个人和家人的安全而不得不对假日礼仪进行调整或简化的话,便可以像我们这样做,而且此举不会让个中体验发生任何变化。”
他还说:“这个假日被称为自由节日,而且我们看到人们在节日表达和庆祝方面有了更大的选择自由度。”他将其称之为“创意与变革的源泉”。
庆祝复活
所有的迹象表明,与前几年相比,这个假日季将是一片宁静,而且在一定程度上充斥着忧伤。
但教堂领袖们已经在思考今后该何去何从的问题。旧金山大主教管区的伯通说:“明年我们将再次点燃盛大的焰火,通常会异常壮观,也十分有趣。今年,我们可以否定自己,简单行事,然后在明年通过举办一场盛事加以庆祝。”
与美国其他众多朝拜场所一样,Mary’s Shrine教堂在复活节假日期间也将迎来不同寻常的庄严肃穆氛围。
罗斯说:“我希望,在这一切过去之后,前来参加礼拜的教众数量会恢复。”(财富中文网)
译者:Feb
在寻常的复活节圣周,华盛顿特区的纯洁之胎国家圣殿都会接待约5万名访客。在基督教最重要的节日期间,圣殿作为北美最大的罗马天主教教堂,是美国最大教派基督教的观礼焦点。今年复活节首次恰逢圣殿的百年华诞,但圣殿却将访客拒之千里之外。
圣殿院长蒙西格诺·沃尔特·罗西牧师说:“今年,圣殿变得冷冷清清。”仅有少数参与者(没有个人到访观众)获准在圣殿大堂内庆祝大斋节的结束。他说:“像美国的众多教堂一样,我们转向了社交媒体、电视和现代技术。”蒙西格诺·沃尔特·罗西将这类工具称之为“伟大的祝福”。
新冠疫情的肆虐迫使美国各大教堂、犹太教会堂以及其他礼拜场所重新考虑仪式举行方式。在复活节和逾越节来临之际,天主教、新教和犹太教则开始转而采用新技术来庆祝先祖们的信仰。今年的节日可能是有史以来科技含量最高的节日,其方式从传统的电话联络、电视广播一直到更加创新的方式,例如互联网现场直播、“免下车”服务,以及虚拟逾越节家宴。
尽管美国全境几乎都处于隔离状态(或可能因为这个原因),但今年必将成为宗教仪式的一个重要年份。从天主教有线电视台永恒之语电视网络的弥撒直播,到YouTube和Facebook的现场视频流或上载内容,Mary’s Shrine教堂的服务已经揽获了100万的观众,而这还只是圣枝主日的观众数量。
自上而下的指引
上个月,有鉴于当前不同寻常的疫情,梵蒂冈发布了一道指令,要求教堂调整或取消某些仪式。例如,起源于《新约全书》的圣周四洗脚礼便被下令“省略”。在耶稣受难日,在十字架前跪拜将取代亲吻十字架。在复活节,志向远大的天主教徒的洗礼也将被推迟。
旧金山大主教管区掌仪司主任劳拉·伯通说:“当人们观看现场视频或电视时,他们会感到非常惊讶。焰火怎么没有了?队伍哪去了?我们进行了简化,是日常仪式的精简版。”
美国天主教主教协会执行总监安德鲁·蒙克牧师表示,对于追求场面感的人,他们非常有可能观看在梵蒂冈举行或由高级别主教举行的仪式;对于那些喜欢亲密感和熟悉感的教徒来说,当地的郊区和教士将广泛地为他们提供流媒体服务,“即便制作水准欠佳也无伤大雅”。
不同的神职人员有不同的技术才干和资源,有一些教士在线上沟通方面要做的更好一些。
神父加布里尔·“加吉特”·吉伦说:“我必须承认,几个月前我做的有点过头了,在我购买多个能与移动设备相连的无线麦克风之后,我基本上没怎么使用过。”加布里尔此前是华尔街的一名股票经纪,负责Dominican Friars基金会。(因其对电子产品的热爱,他的侄子给他取了个科技意味十足的昵称)。吉伦称,然而自那之后, “我们在华盛顿特区圣犹大玫瑰圣殿每日举行的三次现场视频流中,一直使用所有这些奇妙的装置。”他在该圣殿担任主管一职。
接触关键群体
其他基督教教派也于今年做出了一些改变。
随着各州签发居家隔离令,美国30多万所教堂中的大多数都相继关闭。已关闭教堂的数量出现激增,纳什维尔福音派基督教研究团体Lifeway Research对400名新教牧师进行的调查发现:3月1日至15日,举行集会的新教教堂从99%降至64%。一周后,也就是3月22日,11%的教堂依然开放,再过一周后,仅有7%的教堂开放。仅有极少数集会(在某些情况下最顽固的教徒)仍在进行。
Lifeway的执行总监斯科特·麦康奈尔称,最大的惊喜在于,大多数教堂都异常迅速地采用了虚拟技术。仅8%的受调教堂表示在3月没有制作任何视频。麦康奈尔称,这个数字着实令人惊讶。他还表示,“有很多教堂以前从来没有制作过视频,如果不是新冠疫情,它们甚至可能都不会考虑制作视频。”
但教堂关闭令也激发了教堂的创意才干。例如,得州阿灵顿的Tate Springs Baptist教堂使用微软的视频游戏《Minecraft》举行了一场复活节彩蛋搜寻竞赛。得益于与活动赞助商全美电子竞技协会的合作,任何人都可以参加这场竞赛。
《Minecraft》彩蛋搜寻竞赛可谓是寓教于乐。当前正在建造的虚拟世界将建有三个与复活节相关、来自于圣经的场景:十字架场景、耶稣石墓以及一个象征耶稣复活的空墓。
然而,一些传统主义者对这一活动表示反对。彩蛋搜寻的一名组织者杰瑞德·威尔曼说:“有时候人们会对彩蛋搜寻的明智与否表示质疑,这是任何文化活动都会遇到的情况”,例如圣诞节的圣诞老人。“有一种声音认为‘活动有创意,很不错!’,说这话的既包括传统的教徒也包括开明的教徒。也有另一种声音说,‘这是异教徒行为,很糟糕。’”
最终,威尔曼希望这一举措能够传播复活节的信息,尤其是面向较为年轻的受众。教堂计划在虚拟活动中提供资源,这样,参与者便可以在活动之后与其当地的教堂联络。
用汽车鸣笛代替“阿门”
由于人们对于数字科技的采用有着很大的分歧,而且在教徒所在地与教徒会面十分重要,因此在今年的圣周期间,并非所有的创新都集中在线上。一些教堂则通过一些巧妙的方式来开展这种面对面的聚会。
例如,休斯顿斯普林伍兹卫理工会教堂便利用了“露天”电影院这种复古形式;在过去的多个周日,斯特凡·阿灵顿牧师便在其教堂的停车场进行了布道。
上周末,130人坐在约75辆车中于室外进行了集会,车与车之间至少保持了6英尺的距离,以遵守社会区隔规定。这些车围成了一个半圆形,面向牧师。
阿灵顿说:“这个场景有点类似于电影《变形金刚》。”他说,只不过这些车辆并未组成一个用于抵抗外星人的巨型机器人,而是围出了一片朝拜净土。他说自己最喜欢的部分在于,人们会用汽车鸣笛代替“阿门”。
阿灵顿还说:“如果说烈酒商店是为了精神健康而开设,那么在我看来,停车场的天国应该在周日为我们开放。” 他指着当地的快餐连锁店,开玩笑说道:“如果警察和治安官的副手来了,那么我们就说我们正在排队,因为这里是街对面Whataburger的集结等候区。”
冲动是魔鬼
尽管包括天主教、伊斯兰教、摩门教以及犹太教分支在内的众多宗教信仰的领袖已经关闭了教堂大门,并敦促人们参与线上活动,但并非所有人都会遵守隔离规定。
在大型聚会禁令颁布之前,60名歌手曾齐聚华盛顿州斯卡吉特威利进行合唱彩排,这个聚会最终夺走了一些成员的生命。坦帕一个大教堂的牧师最近因为违反居家隔离令、集结教众罪名而遭到逮捕。在纽约密集的哈西德派犹太人社区,悼念者们不顾社会区隔规定,参加最近身亡人员的葬礼,而警方也在忙着驱散这些人群。
通过教众聚会来寻求精神超脱的冲动为个人的健康带来了风险。美国最大的犹太教分支犹太教改革联盟会长里克·雅各布拉比称,任何宗教的极端主义分子都可能将限令看作是对其信仰表达的阻碍。雅各布说:“我们的传统非常明确:保护教众群体的健康和福祉是头等大事。”
为保守派犹太教联合会堂提供顾问服务的犹太会堂主管詹妮弗·斯托弗曼提到了其团队在最近的逾越节为拉比和其教众开发的在线资源库。这些材料包括使用Zoom软件举行虚拟逾越节家宴的指南、一个可供下载的哈加达(犹太律法中的轶话——译者注)、假日圣言文本以及按照犹太教规定制作食物的窍门。
雅各布拉比说:“如果你为了保障个人和家人的安全而不得不对假日礼仪进行调整或简化的话,便可以像我们这样做,而且此举不会让个中体验发生任何变化。”
他还说:“这个假日被称为自由节日,而且我们看到人们在节日表达和庆祝方面有了更大的选择自由度。”他将其称之为“创意与变革的源泉”。
庆祝复活
所有的迹象表明,与前几年相比,这个假日季将是一片宁静,而且在一定程度上充斥着忧伤。
但教堂领袖们已经在思考今后该何去何从的问题。旧金山大主教管区的伯通说:“明年我们将再次点燃盛大的焰火,通常会异常壮观,也十分有趣。今年,我们可以否定自己,简单行事,然后在明年通过举办一场盛事加以庆祝。”
与美国其他众多朝拜场所一样,Mary’s Shrine教堂在复活节假日期间也将迎来不同寻常的庄严肃穆氛围。
罗斯说:“我希望,在这一切过去之后,前来参加礼拜的教众数量会恢复。”(财富中文网)
译者:Feb
During a typical Easter Holy Week, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., also known as Mary’s Shrine, welcomes roughly 50,000 visitors. As the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, the shrine serves as a focal point of observance for the largest Christian denomination in the U.S. during the religion’s most important holiday. But for the first time ever this year, coinciding with the shrine’s centennial anniversary, no outsiders will be allowed in.
“This year the shrine is going to be empty,” says the Rev. Monsignor Walter Rossi, the shrine’s rector. Only a few participants—and no in-person audience—will be permitted inside the basilica’s halls to celebrate the conclusion of Lent. “Like a lot of churches throughout the country, we’ve turned to social media and television and modern technology,” he says. Monsignor Rossi calls such tools “a great blessing.”
The ravages of the coronavirus pandemic have forced churches, synagogues, and other places of worship across the country to rethink their rituals. In time for Easter and Passover, Catholics, Protestants, and Jews have begun turning to new technologies to celebrate ancestral faiths. With practices ranging from old-school telephone outreach and television broadcasting to more innovative methods, like Internet live-streaming, “drive-in” services, and virtual seders, this year’s holidays may be the most technologically advanced ever.
And despite the near-national quarantine (or maybe because of it), it’s also bound to be a big year for religious observance. Between Masses broadcast on the Catholic-themed cable station Eternal Word Television Network, and recordings either live-streamed on or uploaded to YouTube and Facebook, services at Mary’s Shrine have already garnered half a million views—and that was just on Palm Sunday.
Guidance from on high
Last month the Vatican issued a decree directing churches to adapt or abandon certain rituals given the unusual circumstances of the pandemic. For instance, the washing of feet, a Holy Thursday practice harking back to the New Testament, was ordered to be “omitted.” On Good Friday, genuflecting in front of the cross will replace kissing it. On Easter, baptisms of aspiring Catholics are to be postponed.
“When people watch the live stream or on TV, they’ll be very surprised. Where is the fire? Where is the procession?” says Laura Bertone, director of the office of worship at the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “We’re simplifying. It will be a stripped-down version of what we normally do.”
Instead, people seeking a grander event will most likely tune into ceremonies conducted at the Vatican or administered by high-ranking bishops, says the Rev. Andrew Menke, executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. But for worshippers who prefer more intimate familiarity, he says, local parishes and priests will be streaming far and wide, “even if the production value isn’t so great.”
Technical aptitude and resources vary across the clergy, and some priests are more prepared to commune online than others.
“I must confess I thought I overdid it a couple of months ago after purchasing several wireless microphones that connect with mobile devices, because I was barely using them,” says Father Gabriel “Gadget” Gillen, a former Wall Street stockbroker who heads the Dominican Friars Foundation. (His nephews gave him the techie nickname due to his affinity for electronics.) But since then, Gillen notes, “we have been using all these contraptions with the three daily live streams” at the Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude in Washington, D.C., where he serves as the director.
Reaching a critical mass
Other Christian sects are also making changes this year.
As states have issued stay-at-home orders, most of the country’s more than 300,000 churches have, one by one, closed their doors. The drop-off has been precipitous: Between March 1 and March 15, the number of Protestant churches convening congregations dropped from 99% to 64%, according to a survey of 400 Protestant pastors conducted by Lifeway Research, an Evangelical Christian research group based in Nashville. A week later, on March 22, 11% remained open, and in another week, only 7%. Only the smallest congregations—and, in some cases, the most defiant—are still meeting.
Scott McConnell, Lifeway’s executive director, says the biggest surprise is how quickly the vast majority of churches have gone virtual. Just 8% of the churches surveyed said they had not done any video in March, which is pretty astounding, McConnell says. “There were a lot of churches who had not done video before and who probably wouldn’t have even considered it” were it not for the coronavirus, he adds.
But shutdown orders have inspired churches to get creative. For instance, the Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, is hosting an Easter egg hunt using the Microsoft-owned video game Minecraft. Thanks to a partnership with the National Esports Association, which is helping to sponsor the event, anyone will be able to join during the hunt.
The Minecraft egg hunt is intended to be as educational as it is entertaining. The virtual landscape, now under construction, will feature three Easter-related scenes from the Bible: the site of the cross, Jesus’s stone-covered tomb, and an empty tomb, signifying Jesus’s Resurrection.
However, some traditionalists object to the activity. “Sometimes there are questions of whether egg hunts are wise or not, like when it comes to any cultural thing,” such as Santa Claus for Christmas, says Pastor Jared Wellman, one of the egg hunt’s organizers. “We’ve had people on both sides of this saying, ‘This is creative, good job!’ And the other side saying, ‘This is pagan, bad job.’”
Wellman's hope is, fundamentally, that the effort gets the Easter message out, especially to younger audiences. The church plans to provide resources within the virtual event so participants can connect with their local churches afterward, he adds.
Honk for Jesus
Just as the digital divide is wide, and it's important to meet churchgoers where they are, not all the innovation in this year's Holy Week will be online. Some churches are finding clever ways to keep up their congregations in the flesh.
The Spring Woods United Methodist Church in Houston, for instance, has turned to the retro-tech of “drive-in” theaters, and over the past several Sundays, the Rev. Steffon Arrington has delivered sermons in the parking lot of his church.
Last weekend 130 people convened in about 75 cars outside, all spaced at least six feet apart to comply with social distancing guidelines. They parked in a semicircle facing the preacher.
“We’re like the Transformers movie,” Arrington says. Except instead of forming a giant alien-battling robot, like Optimus Prime, the cars form a place of worship, he says. His favorite part, he says, is when people honk their horns in lieu of saying “amen.”
“If a liquor store is opened for mental health, I look to it as God’s house on the parking lot should be open on Sunday for us,” Arrington continues. “If the police and sheriff’s deputy show up, then we’ll just say we’re waiting in line, that this is the staging area for Whataburger across the street,” he jokes, referring to a local fast-food chain.
Church and state, separated by six feet
While leaders of many faiths, including Catholicism, Islam, Mormonism, and branches of Judaism have closed their doors and urged people to participate online, not everyone is complying with quarantine.
Before prohibitions on large gatherings were announced, 60 singers gathered for a choir rehearsal in Skagit Valley, Wash., a meeting that proved fatal to some members. A megachurch pastor in Tampa was recently arrested on charges of assembling worshippers in defiance of stay-at-home orders. Police continue to break up crowds at funerals for recently deceased members of New York’s tight-knit Hassidic Jewish community as the mourners flout social distancing measures.
The impulse to seek spirituality in the proximity of peers puts lives as risk. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the biggest branch of Judaism in the U.S., says extremists in any religion can be dismissive of restrictions viewed as impeding the expression of faith. “It’s deadly,” Jacobs says. “Our tradition is very clear that preserving the health and well-being of the communality is paramount.”
Jennifer Stofman, director of synagogue consulting for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the other major Jewish sect, points to a repository of online resources her team developed for rabbis and their congregations this recent Passover. Among the materials are guides for using Zoom software to host virtual seders, a downloadable Haggadah, the holiday’s sacred text, and tips for making one’s kitchen kosher.
“If you have to make adjustments or simplifications of holiday observances to stay safe and keep your family safe, that’s what we do,” Rabbi Jacobs says. That should not take anything away from the experience.
“This holiday is called the festival of liberation, and we’re seeing a lot more freedom of how people are choosing to express and celebrate the holiday,” he adds, calling it a “wellspring for creativity and change.”
Celebrating the Resurrection
By all indications, this holiday season will be a quieter affair—and in some cases a somber one—compared to years prior.
But church leaders are already thinking of what's ahead. “Next year we'll go back to having a big fire, which is normally so spectacular and fun,” says the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Bertone. “This year we can deny ourselves, do it simply, and then have the big opulence next year and celebrate.”
Like many other places of worship nationwide, Mary’s Shrine will also endure an atypical bout of solemnity over the Easter holiday. But its principals are optimistic about a rebounding interest in faith, once the pandemic clears.
“I’m hoping that after all of this is passed, we will see a resurgence in church participation,” Rossi says. “It’s like anything else. Once you don’t have it, you miss it and you want it.”