Grimsby priest tapes parishioner photos to pews as he gives mass via live stream

Father Rico Passero doesn't have a church full of people for mass these days, but he's managed to keep them together in spirit — through taping photos of them to the pews.

Passero and his staff printed off 400 photos of parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Grimsby and addresses the photos during mass while the people they represent watch a live stream of the service from home.

The church, like most, has stopped in-person services over fears of COVID-19.

Other Christian denominations, as well as Jewish and Muslim faith leaders in the Hamilton Niagara area, are all finding innovative ways to stay connected with and help their congregations.

Passero and his parish staff taped the photos to the pews where the attendees would normally sit, so he can give mass while looking out at his usual crowd.

Passero got the idea from Father Guiseppe Corbari from Italy's Lombardy region, the centre of that country's coronavirus outbreak.

"Now when I celebrate Mass, I get to keep all our people in the pews as they gather online and from home," Passero said on Facebook. 

The question, he told CBC News, was "how do I keep them in the pews without them feeling distant from God, and from the church? So I decided to do the same thing, giving him props and credit for the idea."

This way, "when I look out and am offering mass for them, I'm also seeing them, and they're also in the church constantly. Without being in the church physically, they're also spiritually here with us."

The reaction, Passero said, has been positive. "Where's Dad, in the choir, reading or serving?" one attendee asked on Facebook.

"He is on the serving chair — to the right in this picture," Passero responded. "God bless."

Passero said for people of faith, the church is important right now. The St. Joseph community has been helping each other with errands, grocery shopping, and even just words of encouragement.

"What's important is we stay together as family to bring a positive message of Jesus at a time when people are overbuying, overspending and most likely afraid," he said.

"We are a St. Joseph family, and our family isn't just parishioners, but anyone."

Religious leaders across Niagara and Hamilton are getting creative in how they deliver services.

Passover starts on April 8, said Gustavo Rymberg, CEO of the Hamilton Jewish Federation. That's a time when Jewish families come together for festive meals and song. Now they're faced with a unique challenge: how do they celebrate without actually getting together?

Volunteers are preparing special Passover baskets for families who need them, he said. About 200 people rely on the federation's kosher food bank, and they're cut off from that too. The local Jewish community has formed a Facebook group, he said, where rabbis are sharing songs and stories, and people are supporting each other. 

"For me," he said, "the most challenging part is how we're explaining to the little ones why they're not going to school, and why Passover is going to be different than any other year."

The Muslim Association of Hamilton is also looking at live streaming, said president Javid Mirza. Some Muslims pray five times a day, and every mosque in the city is closed.

"It is very unsettling, especially with some of the seniors, the ones that are most vulnerable," Mirza said. "They're very attached to the mosque. They come regularly every day for the morning prayers, then meet at Tim Hortons down the street before they go back home."

Churches in the Niagara Anglican diocese are live streaming and doing pastoral visits by phone, said Bishop Susan Bell. "It's been amazing listening to all the creative ideas come in." 

"In these extraordinary times — and they truly are extraordinary, almost dystopian in some ways — we are called to embody our call to love our neighbours and whatever actions we can take to reach out to people," Bell said. 

"There's a lot of anxiety about. People are unsure of the future. Many people are unsure of their next pay cheque and how they're going to feed their families and and pay their rent. It is our job to be the face and hands of Christ to each other and to try and calm the anxiety and do what we can in practical ways to support folks."