If this was a typical Easter weekend, Roman Catholic priest Rectorino Tolentino would have near-capacity crowds for mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought a new reality to religious gatherings all over the world and instead of packing the pews for Easter services, parishioners are staying home and tuning in to their computer screens to watch webcasts from empty churches.
"We are doing all the Holy Week and Easter celebrations the way we have done it traditionally in the past but with the modification that there are no congregations during these gatherings and we livestream it so we give opportunities for those who want to join us in the convenience of their homes," said Rectorino.
"It's very different to pray in front of the camera. But at least we are doing this with the hope that we are reaching out to our congregation. We respect what the government is asking of us to not have public gatherings. That's why we resulted to this and so we hope that through that we are helping to minimize the spread of the virus."
During the first week of the crisis he was allowed to let in a maximum of 50 people into the church for mass, but now all public gatherings have been banned by the provincial health officer.
To prepare his congregation for the webcast Easter services , Father Rector, as he's known to church members, recorded a video telling them what to expect. All of his Holy Week liturgies with Bishop Stephen Jensen are webcast live and are posted on Sacred Heart's Facebook site, available on demand.
"This is hard for regular churchgoers," said Rectorino. "I'm referring more to our elderly people who developed certain routines in their days and Sundays, now they are being told, church is closed and you can't come.
"Even though we cannot gather publicly we want to communicate that church is always in prayer and the church will always be with its people."
Father Rector has heard of some priests or ministers in other churches taping cutout faces of parishioners to the pews so they don't feel so alone, and he can relate to that.
"I miss the physical presence of the congregation, especially on Sundays," he said. "You can greet them face-to-face, shake their hands and converse with them briefly and that's absent at the moment. We pray together and I know that they are there. That is what I am missing."
Sacred Heart and the three other Catholic churches in the city are still open for confession, on Mondays and Wednesdays afternoons. Individuals first have to make an appointment before they come to the church.
"Confession is one of the sacraments of the church, that they ask for forgiveness for sin," said Father Rector. "We listen to people's confessions and I know people take advantage of that."
Through the pandemic, he said priests will continue to administer to sick people and pray for them, in their homes or in hospital, is that is possible. Funerals are limited to the immediate members of the family and the priests will continue to provide graveside service. Larger funeral gatherings will have to be delayed until the threat of the virus subsides.
At the suggestion of one of his parishioners, on Easter Sunday at 9 a.m., Father Rector is encouraging all Christian churches to ring their bells in solidarity as a tribute to those affected by the coronavirus and to show support for frontline health-care workers and first responders. Motorists are being encouraged to honk their horns at 9 a.m. to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, at 887 Patricia Blvd., sits on a bluff which overlooks the eastern part of downtown Prince George and the sound of the church bells will carry across the downtown core.
"We have four Catholic churches in the city, I just don't know if they are all equipped with bells, but I we have many churches in Prince George," said Father Rector. "We hope the news spreads."
He plans to ring the Sacred Heart bells four times on Sunday, at 9 a.m., noon, 3 and 6 p.m. to remember those who are working on COVID-19 research and honour those who have died from the virus.
"The message of Easter is, if Christ conquered death and evil then he will also conquer this coronavirus pandemic, we just need to trust and believe in his words," he said.
