Attending Easter gatherings in person is prohibited at the moment, so a diocese has come up with a new way to hold services this year.
Bishop Christian Riesbeck will be conducting services at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception and they will all be live-streamed on the Diocese of Saint John Facebook page.
“I would have never imagined a few months ago, that a few months into my new appointment here as the new bishop of Saint John that I would be celebrating the Easter triduum, the Easter liturgies without the physical presence of the faithful,” he said.
Riesbeck said because of the circumstances limiting physical contact due to COVID-19, they’ve had to get creative. He said notices have been posted on web pages and sent to parishes. Some pastors are also calling parishioners check in on people and emails and letters have also been sent out.
“We’re able to live stream these liturgies on Holy Thursday at 7:30 pm, Good Friday at 3 pm, Holy Saturday the Easter Vigil at 7:30 pm, and then on Easter Sunday at 10 am,” he said.
Riesbeck said Easter is the highlight of the year for Christians and they wanted to do something special as a measure of consolation to the parishioners. He said a number of people have mentioned to him they are disappointed to miss the in-person liturgies but they understand, given the circumstances.
“I guess my heart is heavy in a sense, deeply saddened that I’ll be presiding with empty pews in the church when they’re normally filled at this time of year but it’s understandable. We’re trying to make sure that the safety and the health of our people are paramount,” he said.
Riesbeck said he’s working on ideas for plans to hopefully include those who don’t have access via the internet in the future.
The Saint John Diocese serves Roman Catholic churches from Sussex to Saint John to St. Stephen and Grand Bay-Westfield.
