The New York Times - USA (2020-11-15)

4 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020

Tracking an Outbreak

N

St. Agatha’s Church
Sunset Park, Brooklyn

At St. Agatha’s, parishioners recite
prayers by memory because all the
prayer books — Spanish, English
and Mandarin — have been re-
moved from the pews. There are no
processions or recessions, and dur-
ing Holy Communion priests do not
serve sacramental wine. Congre-
gants no longer hold hands during
the Lord’s Prayer or greet each
other during the Exchange of
Peace.
St. Agatha’s had to close again af-
ter the March shutdown, on Oct. 9.
The governor placed it in a “red
zone” because of an increase in co-
ronavirus cases in nearby neigh-
borhoods — although there had
been only one known case in the
parish in the previous month. The
building was allowed to reopen two
weeks later.
“It has been like riding a roller
coaster with a blindfold on,” said
Father Do.
The congregants of this predomi-
nately Latino parish struggled at
times to get used to the openings
and closings and safety measures,
said Father Do, but the church has
been able to provide its members
solace and support.
At least for now. As the infection
rate climbs in the city, the church’s
members fear more restrictions
and closings are still to come.

The Jewish Center

Upper West Side, Manhattan

This modern Orthodox synagogue
didn’t wait for the state — they
closed down a week before the
March shutdown went into effect,
and didn’t restart services until Au-
gust.
“In Judaism, the preservation of
life is of the highest priority, and
that has to come before all other
considerations,” said Rabbi Yosie
Levine, who has served at the syna-
gogue since 2004.
The sanctuary at The Jewish
Center accommodates more than
500 people but only 60 are now al-
lowed inside at a time. Attendees
must preregister online, answer a
coronavirus exposure survey and
have their temperature taken at the
door.
When weather permits, short-
ened services are held outside on
the rooftop.
While individual prayer is impor-
tant, Judaism elevates worshiping
with others, said Dr. Michael Wolfe,
a gastroenterologist who attends
the daily morning minyan at the
Jewish Center.
“I missed the communal aspect
of praying together,” Dr. Wolfe said.
“Reopening enabled me to continue
the activity that I have been doing
every morning for the last 30
years.”

Dar Al-Dawah

Astoria, Queens

Attendance has been limited to 64
people at this Queens mosque, and
attendees bring their own prayer
rugs that they set up in designated
spots, six feet apart.
Since June, the mosque has add-
ed extra sessions on Friday of
jummah, the most important pray-
er of the week, so that all who want
to can pray in person.
At the door, temperatures are
checked and hand sanitizer is dis-
pensed to the congregants, who
must also wear masks.
Muslims pray five times a day,
and they can do so at home, said
Sheikh Akram Kassab, Dar Al-
Dawah’s imam. Being closed in
March was difficult, he said, but
safety came first.

“In our religion, we have to keep

our soul and our body healthy,”

Sheikh Kassab said. “We have to re-

spect the religion and we have to re-

spect our neighbors and keep them

safe, whether they are Muslim or

not.”

Hindu Temple Society

of North America

Flushing, Queens

Priests wearing white robes, surgi-

cal masks and plastic face guards

continue to perform services, cere-

monies and rituals at the Hindu

Temple Society of North America,

also known as the Ganesh Temple.

Only 30 people are allowed inside at

a time, and only for 15 minutes each.

At the door they are scanned by a

wall-mounted infrared scanner that

checks their temperature and

whether they are wearing masks.

Worshipers are no longer allowed

to touch the shrines of deities, and

offerings cannot be directly handed

to the priest. Since March, services

have been also live-streamed daily.

Though the digital experience is

better than nothing, said Dr. Uma

Mysorekar, the president of the

temple, it is lacking. And the cur-

rent in-person restrictions — while

essential for safety — are not ideal

for worship, she added. But at least

people are able “to see the deities,

have their services done and expe-

rience the energy that happens in

the temple.”

The Christian

Cultural Center

East New York, Brooklyn

Nineteen members of this Brooklyn

megachurch have died from Covid,

and hundreds more were infected,

including the pastor, Dr. A.R.

Bernard, who said he spent a week

in the hospital in March “with every

symptom imaginable.”

After a month of quarantining at

home, Dr. Barnard returned to

work, broadcasting services on

YouTube and Facebook that are

viewed by tens of thousands of con-

gregants.

Like many other large, predomi-

nantly Black churches in New York

City, the Christian Cultural Center

has not reopened its building since

March because of deep concerns for

the safety of congregants, Dr.

Bernard said.

The virus has hit Black and Lati-

no people in the city particularly

hard, with their rate of death twice

as high as it is for white people.

“We witnessed the inefficiencies

and inequities in health care when it

came to certain communities,” he

said.

The church plans to broadcast

services through the end of the

year, Dr. Bernard said. And, since it

first began the giving recorded

services, they have evolved into “a

much better interpretation of our

worship experience,” he said.

Different parts of the Sunday

service are recorded during the

week, with four cameras and even

sometimes a smoke machine. In-

stead of a sermon, Dr. Bernard

holds a conversation with his son

Jamaal Bernard, connecting bibli-

cal passages to current events. The

edited service is then streamed

three times on Sunday so partici-

pants can ask questions or com-

ment and exchange greetings in a

live chat room.

An additional daily prayer con-

ference call attracts about 1,

people every morning.

“We are still doing community,”

Dr. Bernard said. “Isolation is anti-

thetical to our sense of purpose. The

building is closed, but church is

open.”

NEW YORK CITY

Staying Apart, but Praying Together

Astoria’s Dar Al-Dawah mosque added extra Friday prayers.

Emilio Artea, the beloved longtime deacon at St. Agatha’s, a Ro-

man Catholic church in Brooklyn, died from Covid-19 on Good Friday

this year. It was not until 10 days later that just a handful of priests and

nuns were able to mark the occasion by reciting a single prayer over

his coffin, in the middle of 49th Street.

“It was so painful,” said Rev. Vincentius Do, the church’s pastor.

“They brought the hearse in front of the church, we came out, said a

prayer, sprinkled holy water and off he went.”

Like many other houses of worship in New York, St. Agatha’s has

reopened, with clergy and congregants a bit battered. They’ve

adapted their centuries-old traditions in order to worship safely.

Religious services were shut down by the state at the end of

March and weren’t allowed to resume until June. Since reopening,

churches, synagogues and mosques throughout the city have man-

dated masks, limited the number of people in each service, employed

strict cleaning regimens and abbreviated the length of services.

Those efforts, however, may no longer be enough. As the infection

rate in the city rises, new restrictions may soon be put in place.

SUNSET PARKSt. Agatha Roman Catholic Church had to close early last month amid a resurgence of cases in the neighborhood.

UPPER WEST SIDEThe Manhattan Jewish Experience, left, gathering outside; The Jewish Center, right, allows 60 people inside.

EAST NEW YORKThe Christian Cultural Center, a predominantly Black megachurch in Brooklyn, has lost 19 members to Covid.

ASTORIAAt the Dar Al-Dawah mosque, attendees must bring

their own prayer rugs and set them up six feet apart.

FLUSHINGThe Hindu Temple Society of North America, at left

and above, allows 30 people to enter for 15 minutes at a time.

Photographs and Text by JAMES ESTRIN