When Father Rico Passero says mass in his empty Grimsby church, he can still see the faces of his parishioners — literally.

The pastor of St. Joseph Parish is now livestreaming masses in front of pews filled with photos of members of his congregation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I wanted to really help people to understand that you're still here," he said. "While you're not here physically, that people could be here spiritually."

Last Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency in the province which prohibits all organized public events with more than 50 people — including within places of worship — to help stop the spread of the virus.

Passero said he prayed to God, asking for an idea on how to keep his congregation of 3,000 families in St. Joseph together.

The answer came from an article he later read online about Italian priest Giuseppe Corbari, who asked parishioners to send him photos and selfies that he could tape to pews after masses were suspended in the Lombardy region.

St. Joseph already had a parish photo directory with more than 400 pictures of families. Passero and church staff taped those photos to pews where people normally sat.

The response was overwhelming after he posted what they had done on Facebook and started livestreaming prayers last Wednesday.

He said people were texting, calling, emailing and messaging, telling him how much the gesture meant to them. Many sent in their selfies and Christmas photos asking that they be added to the pews. There are now 500 pictures.

People are also participating in prayer, with his videos drawing hundreds of views.

"It's way better than I had intended," Passero said. "My intention was to make our people feel at home at St. Joe's. What this is doing now is creating a sense of hope in many places."

He's now training priests from across the diocese on how to film their masses live through Facebook accounts and on YouTube channels.

He said his goal is to provide hope.

Passero said people need to be praying for people who have the virus and their families and for the medical professionals on the front line who are placing their own health at risk.

They also need to rally together as a community.

He said if individuals are feeling alone, they can know his prayers online are being celebrated with many other people, providing a greater sense of belonging and community.

"The church isn't just the building. The church is actually the people who worship in a particular building and that is so, so, so key."

Karena.Walter@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1628 | @karena_standard

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