Coronavirus forces US churches to offer Easter Sunday services unlike any before
- Easter Sunday masses in the US were held online, on television and even in car parks to maintain social distancing during the pandemic
- Creative ideas to safely celebrate Holy Week include an Easter egg hunt for children on online video game Minecraft
For the world’s largest Christian population, the coronavirus pandemic has meant observing an Easter Sunday unlike any Americans have lived through before.
“Today as we hear the Easter bells as a call to solidarity among all the members of our community in the face of the pandemic, we might respond to witness to the power of the Resurrection, the power of love that is stronger than death, and faith in a provident God who can always bring good out of evil,” Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley said in his homily on BostonCatholic.org.
Governors and health authorities across the United States have broadly asked residents to avoid gathering in large numbers, leading to the closure of schools, businesses and churches.
The Covid-19 respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus has claimed more than 21,300 lives across the United States and infected more than 525,000 people.
Major US religious institutions, including Roman Catholic dioceses and Protestant churches, have found alternatives to safely celebrate the holiest day on the Christian calendar.