COVID-19: Junagadh Church priest conducts mass amid ‘presence’ of regular visitors

With Churchgoers having to skip mass amid a 21-day nationwide lockdown and orders issued to maintain social or physical distancing, Father Vinod, who is serving at a church in Junagadh, has devised an ingenious method of conducting prayers in the ‘presence’ of a considerable gathering of believers.

Junagadh (Gujarat): At a time when several religious institutions have drawn flak for defying physical distancing amid the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, a priest serving at a Church in Gujarat’s Junagadh district has set an example for others to follow.

With the Churchgoers having to skip mass amid a 21-day nationwide lockdown and orders issued to maintain social or physical distancing, Father Vinod has devised an ingenious method of conducting prayers in the ‘presence’ of a considerable gathering of believers.

Father Vinod has pasted stickers on the pews with the names of some of the regular visitors to the Church congregation while he conducts mass every day.

With several religious institutions encouraging mass gathering including the congregation of more than 2,000 people organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, the Ram Navami celebrations across the country, thereby putting several lives at risk, Father Vinod’s unique approach may lead the way.