13 minute read
The Light of Faith in the Darkness of COVID-19
Over 1,200 responses poured in when we surveyed how the coronavirus pandemic impacted people’s faith and religious practices. Here is what we discovered.
Advertisement
By Daniel Imwalle
Isolation and connection. Fear and courage. Despair and hope. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the extremes of the human experience. It sparked an existential crisis at a societal level across the globe and witnessed wildly different approaches from world leaders on how to contain the spread. The eeriness of Pope Francis offering a special blessing in a nearly empty St. Peter’s Square will remain a haunting reminder of how quickly and severely the pandemic’s grip tightened.
The devastation brought on by the pandemic took shape in numerous ways, from the mind-numbing death toll (at the time of this writing, 611,007 in the United States and over 4.1 million globally) to widespread social isolation and a rapid shift to virtual life. Many religious practices continued online but felt drastically different from their in-person versions, and Catholics were certainly no exception in this massive shift in routine and ritual. We at St. Anthony Messenger wanted to find out how the pandemic affected Catholics’ ability to practice their faith and how faith played a role in dealing with the stress and anxiety felt daily during the crisis.
In a survey that generated over 1,200 replies, anonymous respondents provided feedback that shed light on topics from the experience of virtual Mass to changes in prayer practices. Survey takers shared their stories of love and loss, unemployment, working from home, and even silver linings found during dark times, painting a unique picture of faith under fire.
BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACED DURING THE PANDEMIC:
• Answered: 1,203 • Top fi ve listed below
58% Social isolation
54% Communication with friends and family is harder
42% General anxiety about the impact of coronavirus on my life
23% Keeping a regular schedule
12% Adjusting to a remote workspace
HOW MUCH HAS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACTED OR AFFECTED YOUR FAITH?
• Answered: 1,212
HOW DID THE PANDEMIC IMPACT YOUR FAITH?
We wanted to open the survey up to some fi rsthand accounts of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted people’s faith. How respondents’ faith was aff ected varied, but it’s clear that certain spiritual practices remained crucial. One person wrote: “We “My faith in took our fi rst Bible study class. God did not It was off ered by our parish waver. But my and livestreamed. We streamed daily and Sunday Mass and found we could concentrate more without being distracted. I think we found more peace faith in the Catholic Church has suffered. There was no with the silence of our home.” outreach for
Another respondent off ered: those of us who “Th ere has been an intense are elderly and deepening in my spiritual alone.” life—especially around trusting God—which has led me to a completely new place in my life (literally), strengthened friendships, and improved mental health. I have welcomed the ways in which restricted access to churches have led to a lot more domestic spiritual practice, to the benefi t of individual households and the wider neighborhood.”
Th e divisiveness among people of faith one person witnessed was a source of dismay and frustration. Th e person stated: “I was incredibly disappointed to see so many Catholics push against general public health measures. Where is our sense of community and solidarity? We talk all the time about how the Church is not a building, but I heard people say things like, ‘If you don’t come to church, you’re not a faithful Catholic,’ ‘We can’t let fear run our lives,’ or ‘It only aff ects the sick and old.’ It was very disheartening.”
MASS ON A SCREEN
One of the most noticeable ways the pandemic changed how we practiced our faith was the rapid transition to virtual Mass (along with other online versions of gatherings such as sacraments, prayer groups, and Bible studies). Many responded with their observations on the experience of virtual Mass, what they enjoyed (or didn’t), what surprised them, and what they missed from the live version of worship. “I really enjoyed fi nding diff erent parishes and priests and joining their communities,” one person stated. “It was sad that our parish didn’t broadcast during the fi rst lockdown. I was watching daily Mass at one point during
29%
14% 24%
33%
Very much
Somewhat
A little
Not at all
the fi rst lockdown, but I got into bad habits of watching in a dressing gown with a cup of coff ee!”
One of the most common—but painful— issues that came with virtual Mass attendance was not being able to physically participate in the Eucharist. “At fi rst, we signed in when Mass was scheduled to begin, but then we learned we could watch whenever we wanted to, which made us lazy again,” one person wrote. “And if I can’t receive the Eucharist, I am still hungry aft er Mass. It wasn’t fulfi lling.”
And like many aspects of the pandemic, the reaction to virtual Mass tended to range from one extreme to another. “I hated it and stopped at Easter,” wrote a respondent. “I go to Mass [in person] a couple times a week now. We’ve had outdoor, in-person Masses for some time at my parish.” On the other hand, someone else said: “I absolutely love attending Mass virtually. Th ere are less distractions, and I watched Mass televised from various places all over the world. I am reminded that we are all one faith community.”
Daily Weekly Monthly Every so often Holidays only Did not attend
GUIDING LIGHTS AND PILLARS OF STRENGTH
Depending on whom you ask, the answer to the question of who helped you carry on during the pandemic could range from the very personal to popular spiritual fi gures of today to saints from hundreds of years ago. Some of the responses included: “my husband and children,” “Father Richard Rohr,” “Relevant
PRIOR TO AND DURING THE PANDEMIC, I ATTENDED MASS OR CHURCH SERVICES
• Answered: 1,207
Prior to Pandenic
During Pandemic HAVE YOU STARTED OR INCREASED ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PRACTICES DURING THE PANDEMIC?
• Answered: 1,149 • Top fi ve listed below
60% Watching or listening to religious programming
56% Reading Scripture on my own
54% Praying the rosary
31% Praying the Divine Mercy chaplet
24% Praying together in a group (family, friends, coworkers, fellow parishioners)
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING HAVE YOU ATTENDED VIRTUALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC?
• Answered: 1,197 • Top fi ve listed below
93% Mass
26% Prayer group
25% Bible study
19% Parish ministry or outreach
14% A sacrament (e.g., a Baptism or wedding)
HOW WORRIED HAVE YOU BEEN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON YOUR PARISH OR FAITH COMMUNITY?
• Answered: 1,212
12% 18%
41%
Very worried
Somewhat worried
A little worried
Not at all worried
GOING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC HAS MADE MY FAITH:
• Answered: 1,203
28% 43%
23%
Very strong
Somewhat strong
Somewhat weak
Very weak
No change
Radio,” “a friend who is a Franciscan nun and Pope Francis,” “Dr. Anthony Fauci,” “St. Anthony of Padua,” and, simply but poignantly, “God.”
Another person speci ed a wide assortment of sources of strength: “Pope Francis, Bishop Robert Barron, a friend I’ve prayed with daily, my parish priests, our government and the UK’s National Health Service, the success of the vaccine program, ministers from other Christian Churches, various Twitter accounts, Jim McManus of Public Health Hertfordshire, and the Guild of Health.” e physical presence of other human beings—even in a masked, socially distanced setting—helped many keep their spirits up, such as the individual who wrote, “For me, it was friends and family who I was still able to see and simply being around other people (at the grocery store, my fellow teachers at school, helping with sack lunches for the homeless).” at sense of group connection extended to those living in religious community as well. One religious sister said: “I drew strength from my religious community—how we responded to the needs of people and also to our elder sisters. One of my sisters did her chaplaincy program online and taught our elder sisters how to use Zoom so they could work with her! I also have looked to Pope Francis as a model of prayer and concern for the global community.”
LESSONS LEARNED IN DARK TIMES
Apart from an exercise in survival, the pandemic was an opportunity to derive some wisdom from living through a global health crisis. For many, those lessons came in the form of a more developed, robust faith. “Totally rely on the Lord,” one person wrote. “ ere were a lot of times I was alone and had no one around.”
Another respondent said: “I focused on my relationship with God, not the Church. I’m open to exploring worshipping in other Christian faiths and only coming to the Catholic Church for the Eucharist.” For another individual, religion and science went hand in hand in regard to how to power through the crisis: “Do not stop praying, and remember God has this! And believe in the science!” e pandemic brought home the Gospel teaching that we are all a part of the body of Christ for one respondent, who stated: “We all belong to each other. At the end of the day, borders and nations have little importance. What a ects one a ects us all. e principle of solidarity is incredibly important and also lacking in our Catholic Church in places.”
WIDESPREAD GRIEF
We can’t talk about the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic without recognizing the sheer number of deaths it has le in its wake. Many experienced an odd sort of numbness when the death toll went from 100,000 to 200,000, then 400,000 to 500,000, and eventually over 600,000. Time and again, however, this form of emotional detachment quickly crumbled as the personal stories of grief and loss were shared in the news and on social media. Many respondents to our survey bravely wrote about their experiences.
In answering the question “Have you lost someone due to COVID-19?” one woman living in religious community wrote: “Yes, many of my religious sisters. It’s been di cult not to be present at our regular rituals around death. And when one sister in our retirement center died, I worried so much that the virus would travel, and more would die.”
For thousands of people, not being able to be there with a loved one who was dying was a deeply traumatic experience. In describing the loss of her husband, one woman wrote: “It was an awful experience, especially since I was not allowed to be with my husband in the hospital a er the ambulance took him there. e next time I saw him he was in a co n.”
Even though this individual responded “No” to the question, the specter of death was disturbingly close. “No, but my brother-in-law was hospitalized for 75 days with COVID-19 and could have died,” the person said. “ is made the pandemic very close and real.”
SILVER LININGS AND STEELY FAITH
Despite the overwhelming bleakness of the coronavirus pandemic, there were some welcome bright spots that ultimately carried people through trying times. Even a healthy sense of humor was apparent in one person’s answer to the question “What have you gained during the pandemic?” “Weight” was the person’s single-word answer, followed by a winking emoji.
For some, spirituality provided the fuel to persevere. “I gained a stronger relationship with the Lord. I am making di erent choices
and trying to decide in prayer what I want back in my life and what I want to change,” one respondent reported. Others viewed science with renewed admiration, such as this person, who wrote, “I have a higher regard for scientists and medical professionals, and a greater recognition of the diff erence intelligent, concerned leadership makes.”
For a good number of survey respondents, a healthier lifestyle came out of their pandemic experience and included a stronger spirituality, improved family relationships, and better physical and mental health. “I resigned from my job to pursue my own business,” recalled one individual. “I prayed, read Scripture, and developed a daily gratitude practice. My marriage is stronger than ever, and together we are working on a healthier lifestyle.”
Another person off ered: “I made healthier lifestyle choices, enjoyed extra family time, and took a much-needed breather, for starters. We were so ‘go, go, go’ before. I would say our faith was already strong—we already read Scripture and prayed nightly together—but our faith still grew in sweet ways.”
‘CALLED TO ROW TOGETHER’
From our own personal experiences during the pandemic and as the survey responses refl ect, it was a harrowing time punctuated by the stinging loss of loved ones, bitter division in families over politics and the role of science, and daily life in a hushed bubble of isolation. But faith was strengthened for many, relationships salvaged or improved, and exciting new paths in life and career boldly taken. God was there with us all along, and, even if at an awkward distance, we were there for each other.
Early on in the pandemic and not knowing how far into the future we would need to persevere, Pope Francis spoke these words of encouragement during an evening “urbi et orbi” blessing in an almost empty St. Peter’s Square: “We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”
Daniel Imwalle is the managing editor of St. Anthony Messenger magazine.
How the Survey Was Conducted
WE SENT THE SURVEY to a list of 101,777 email recipients (a list composed of subscribers to St. Anthony Messenger and other print and online Franciscan Media materials) via SurveyMonkey and received 1,218 responses, making the margin of error about 2.8 percent at a confi dence level of 95 percent. Coming from a wide range of ages, about 73 percent of survey takers were women, while 27 percent were men. All responses were anonymous. Thank you to all who took the time to share their perspective and their personal stories of life and faith during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DURING THIS PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, HOW IMPORTANT HAS PRAYER BEEN IN YOUR LIFE?
• Answered: 1,149
