Charlotte houses of worship adjust spring holidays to COVID — with more hope this year

For a second consecutive spring, houses of worship in Charlotte are once again adjusting to the pandemic — reimagining Passover, Easter and Ramadan rituals replete with face masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer.

Despite the constraints, clergy say this year is more uplifting, as the COVID-19 vaccines infuse holidays with a richer, timelier message of renewal.

Last year, religious space sat empty, as sweeping lockdowns meant mostly virtual Zoom services, aside from the spiritual leaders who stood before eerily vacant pews or tables. Isolation will now be replaced with some restored semblance of community, at festive meals, drive-up ceremonies and even a high school football field.

”It’s going to be joyful. It’s going to be hopeful,” said Father Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte. “It’s going to be assuring that we’re reaching a different moment of this pandemic, and all of those themes align with the theme of Holy Week.”

Processions can only occur in churches large enough to accommodate social distancing. Priests will don personal protective equipment for the reception of the Eucharist. On Good Friday, the faithful might bow their heads during the Veneration of the Cross or use some other contactless gesture, instead of kissing the wood.

People who feel vulnerable or concerned about the virus can watch Mass live-streamed from the comfort of home, Winslow said. Clergy say pews will be roped off to accommodate families and quarantine bubbles — a sight that may feel just as foreign as last year’s solitary practices.

“An empty pew — are you kidding?” Winslow said, laughing at the oddities this Easter Sunday will bring, instead of the typical traffic jam and packed seating. “Keeping these safety precautions in place, it is daunting. Nonetheless, it is a labor of love, and it hits at the heart of who we are.”

If possible, outdoor and small gatherings are still the safest options for worshipers, said Rachel Graham, a coronavirus researcher and assistant professor at the Gillings School of Global of Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill.

On Easter Sunday, St. Matthew Catholic Church will hold an outdoor mass at Charlotte Catholic High School’s Keffer Stadium.

Masks should continue to be the norm at private family gatherings, including when vaccinated grandparents reunite with their unvaccinated grandchildren, Graham recommended.

“It’s very, very tempting to say that we’re out of danger and in the clear,” Graham said. “But it’s very, very important to to maintain the precautions. We want to make sure that we limit the transmission of those (coronavirus) variants as much as possible.”

Passover, Ramadan in Charlotte

Passover celebrations are already underway, with many people and congregations turning to another round of virtual seders — or limited in-person gatherings for the festive meals — last weekend to commemorate the Israelites’ exodus from Egyptian bondage.

But there were also innovative, COVID-conscious ways to celebrate the festival, in addition to virtual sing-alongs and services. Earlier this month at Temple Beth El, for example, a parking lot Passover event allowed congregants to drive through the steps of the seder — and the synagogue’s Zoom seder connected families and their own unique traditions strewn through dozens of tiny squares.

“Passover is all about liberation — it is all about freedom,” Cantor Mary Rebecca Thomas said. “By and large, it’s a holiday that even in a non-pandemic year, many people observe in their homes. It’s actually an adaption that we, as a synagogue, are inside people’s homes for Passover, and it’s tremendous.”

The holy month of Ramadan, which is observed through daytime fasts, starts on April 12.

Jibril Hough, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Charlotte, said this year will feel like a true spiritual and family reunion.

People still cannot pray shoulder to shoulder, but coming together in a shared space is a welcome reprieve from last year, a “kind of isolation Ramadan” done alone at home, Hough said. Iftar meals to break the fast at sunset will also be served at the center, with coronavirus protocols in place.

“When you share food with someone, it helps get to know them better. It softens the heart ... it helps strengthen friendship, and family, and community,” Hough said, likening the meal to Thanksgiving. “During Ramadan, we’re blessed to do that every night.”

Health officials urge residents to stay vigilant in the coming weeks, as holidays, spring break travel and relaxed coronavirus restrictions could unleash another COVID-19 surge. After weeks of progress, Mecklenburg County’s positivity rate and daily caseload are rising.

Michael Thompson, associate chair of the Public Health Sciences department at UNC Charlotte, said choosing to attend in-person worship services builds upon an important social and religious contract of keeping others safe.

People who feel sick should stay home, and vaccinated people should continue to wear masks to mitigate any chance of unknowingly spreading the virus, he said.

Some families may opt to still celebrate from home, especially if relatives have health conditions that put them at greater risk. It takes just one infected individual at a large gathering to trigger a super-spreader event, health experts warn.

“You need to think about the family unit,” Thompson said. “The chain is only as strong as the weakest link. You need to think about who’s most vulnerable in your group and go from there.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 10:18 AM.