NJ Worshipers Urged To Honor Holy Week At Home Amid Coronavirus

TRENTON, NJ — For Christians across the world, Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days of the year. It marks the day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, ahead of his crucifixion, ahead of him rising from the grave.

But Sunday morning, when they would be receiving palm fronds as they enter church to commemmorate that event, Christians across New Jersey will be at home. Instead of receiving communion, they will tuning in to watch priests celebrating Mass or ministers delivering sermons before empty pews via livestreams on the internet.

It's a solution New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is urging congregations across the state and in every religion to adopt as this holy time coincides with an outbreak of the new coronavirus that is on the rise and may be reaching the point of critical stress on the state's health care system.

"We know this is hard but we beg you to stay away from each other," Murphy said Saturday at his nearly daily news conference on the impact of and efforts to respond to the outbreak that has sickened more than 34,000 New Jersey residents and has killed 846 as of Saturday.

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"I know that staying apart is really hard," Murphy said Saturday, "but right now we have no choice. It is what we need to do, it is what we must do."

Murphy's message wasn't delivered only to Christians; he spoke to the Jewish community and the Islamic community, and to other faiths as well, urging all to stay at home to mark their important religious holidays over the coming days.

"Everyone needs to stay home," Murphy said.

It's a solution that is difficult to accept for those who are deeply commited to the ideal rites of their faith.

Palm Sunday kicks off an intensely penitent, solemn week for Christian families, marking the time from when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to when he was crucified and later rose from the grave. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Passover, which begins April 8, overlaps with one of the most important celebrations in the Christian faith. It marks the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, including how God "passed over" Jewish homes while first-born Egyptian children died.

Ramadan, an important month of penitence in Islam, also starts shortly.

All emphasize the gathering-together of family and of faith for common worship.

Churches and synagogues across New Jersey have closed their doors as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, urging congregations to participate in video-based services instead.

The Diocese of Trenton has repeatedly reminded congregants that its churches are closed for Mass as part of efforts to halt the spread of the illness — a move that has been matched by congregations around New Jersey.

That move has been a difficult change for some groups that do not embrace technology. For members of the Hasidic community, the shift has met with some resistance. But continuous messages demanding that members of the community avoid gatherings for passover aim to counter that resistance.

"I know it's not easy," Murphy said Saturday. "We plead with you to stay home and stay away from each other.

Murphy thanked leaders of the faith community for their efforts to meet the spiritual needs of their congregations "while also ensuring social distancing" in the midst of the outbreak, an effort he said he hopes will continue in the coming days.

"Our desire clearly is to come together, that's only natural; we are humans," Murphy said. "Our need and our mandate is to find a way to observe and celebrate separately."

"Consider it social solidarity," he said. "By being apart we are actually working together."

"Exercise your faith at home," Murphy urged.

Note: This article was updated to clarify that Christians of all denominations hold Holy Week sacred. An attempt to draw a distinction between how Catholics honor this week and how Protestants mark it has been removed. Patch regrets the offense caused.

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