Interfaith COVID Remembrance Service Set for Sunday, October 3

Area residents are invited to participate in an interfaith COVID remembrance service scheduled for Sunday, October 3, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Willimantic’s Jillson Square.

The gathering will include non-sectarian prayer, opportunities for communal and individual expressions of loss, and music by the E.O. Smith Chamber Singers and local artist Bruce John. It will also offer an opportunity for participants to thank front-line workers.

Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz, a member of the event planning committee, said the service will acknowledge both the grief and loss associated with the pandemic and the mutual support community members have demonstrated throughout.

“It will recognize the pain and sorrow area residents have experienced and affirm the remarkable demonstrations of humanity and kindness that have brought our communities together,” he said.

The service is sponsored by the Windham Region Interfaith Working Group, the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry (WAIM) and the towns of Bolton, Coventry, Mansfield, and Windham.

Resources will be available for those dealing with the trauma of the pandemic. In conjunction with the gathering, a contest for a commissioned memorial sculpture is being planned.

Covid protocols will be observed; masks are required. In case of rain, the service will be held via Zoom with access through the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85180600548

The Meeting ID is: 851 8060 0548