8
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 29, 2020
HOUSES OF WORSHIP ACROSS NEW YORK CITY MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS TO CURB SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As small businesses and
nonprofit organizations
throughout the city suffer
economic harm from the
coronavirus pandemic,
religious institutions are
also enduring the same fate
ahead of the upcoming holy
season of Easter, Passover
and Ramadan.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus
crisis, the head of
the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Brooklyn and Queens on
March 16 waived Sunday
Mass attendance obligations
for Catholics in both
boroughs until further notice.
Following Gov. Andrew
Cuomo’s ban on gatherings
of more than 500 people,
which includes houses of
worship, the faith community
has made some adjustments,
such as streaming
their weekend services on
the internet.
Paul Palesty, pastor of
the Greek Orthodox Shrine
Church of St. Nicholas, located
at 196-10 Northern
Blvd. in Flushing, said
their congregants have
been viewing a livestream
of their scheduled services
on Facebook.
“Our concern would
be that everyone is safe
and our seniors especially
because they’re the most
vulnerable,” Palesty said.
“This COVID-19 is a dreadful
thing, but at the same
time it’s bringing blessings
too — families are able to
stay home together, rediscovering
each other, parents
are with their children.
There are positive things
that are coming from this
and am praying that everyone
is safe and free of this
disease.”
St. Nicholas has closed
its parochial school that has
about 600 enrolled students,
Palesty said. Additionally,
meetings at the church
have been suspended and
its athletic programs until
further notice.
As for their Easter
schedule on April 19, which
is celebrated one week after
the western Easter, Palesty
said they’re unsure about
the upcoming Holy Week
The Greek Orthodox Shrine Church of St. Nicholas, located at 196-10 Northern Blvd. in Flushing.
Photo via Facebook/The Greek Orthodox Shrine Church of St. Nicholas
and Easter services.
“We’re very saddened by
these things and it presents
a great financial challenge
to the parish too,” Palesty
said. “Our festival is our
number one fundraiser for
our parish programs and
ministries, and if we’re not
going to have these services,
we’re not going to raise
these monies — just like
restaurants, many people
are suffering economically
and so is the church.”
Brett Younger, senior
minister of Plymouth
Church in Brooklyn
Heights, shared Palesty’s
sentiments.
“It’s going to continue to
be difficult because some
churches are hanging on,”
Younger said. “My church
is not threatened to the level
like some are — they’re
hanging on by the thread
and will be forced to make
choices about what to keep
and what not too. It seems
pretty likely that some
small churches with a limited
budget may be the end
for some.”
The Plymouth Church
school has been suspended
and group gatherings, such
as Bible study, have been canceled
until further notice.
According to Younger,
it’s a painful but interesting
time for churches since
they’re being forced to innovate,
even for those who
have resisted innovation.
“I think that in some
ways, churches have been
behind on technology and
this will push them to catch
up, and this will be a small
gift from a terrible time,”
Younger said. “We’re doing
online worship, and we
have a tiny group of people
worshipping in the sanctuary
and other groups of people
gathered around their
laptops.”
For Younger, the coronavirus
pandemic is a time to
be still and grateful finding
ways to help those that are
in need.
“There will come a time
where we’re past this and
become more of the people
we need to be through this
terrible painful opportunity
to get better,” Younger
said. “There’s going to be a
bunch of things taken from
us that we’re going to be
grateful for, such as getting
a hug from friends, having
dinner at a restaurant,
walking to school, a shelf
filled with toilet paper or
worshipping at a congregation
that you love.”
Meanwhile, the Muslim
Community Center in Manhattan
has canceled its Ramadan
program in April.
It’s a special time during
the month for Muslims as
they gather in large groups
for prayers and dinner, after
fasting throughout the
day.
“Our center has iftar
(dinner) every single night
in Ramadan, the nightly
prayers every single night,
and we always invite a
scholar from out of state
to be with us during this
special month for spiritual
support and knowledge,”
the center said in a
statement to QNS. “As of
now, everything has been
erased and refunded.”
According to the center,
it has been a complete
devastation to the Muslim
community where they all
gather under one roof once
a year for the purpose of a
spiritual connection with
the lord.
“As of today, we are hoping
that remaining at home
can fill the void we are experiencing
being away from
the House of God. We truly
have to turn our homes into
a makeshift mosque with
our family members, so
maybe there’s a reason this
is happening after all,” the
center said.
The center has suspended
all future activities and
prayers until further notice.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
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