TV, Livestreams For Good Friday, Easter And Passover In NC

NORTH CAROLINA — With most of the country on pause amid the ongoing new coronavirus crisis, residents in North Carolina are preparing for a different kind of Easter or Passover celebration.

The coronavirus outbreak may stop people from attending church or temple in person and celebrating with extended family, but technology has provided a different way to observe the religious holiday: livestreams.

Pope Francis is providing livestreams of his celebrations throughout Holy Week, including his services for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The pope celebrated his Palm Sunday Mass within Vatican City.

The pope will livestream Easter morning Mass at 11 a.m. in Rome, which is 5 a.m. ET. You can watch the livestream through the Vatican Media YouTube channel.

Pope Francis’ Vatican Livestream

You can also watch the pope’s Easter service on the YouTube channel at a later time.

For those who understandably don’t want to wake up quite so early, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City also offers a running livestream of all its services, including Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral Livestream: Schedule below:

• Monday-Friday at 7 a.m. to watch Mass live
• Saturday Easter Vigil Mass at 8 p.m.
• Easter Sunday Mass at 10 a.m.

All Masses will be placed in the St. Patrick Cathedral archives for viewing at any time; all original airing times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Here are the churches offering livestreams of Easter Sunday Mass in the Charlotte metro:

• St. Gabriel Catholic Church, 10 a.m.
• St. Matthew Catholic Church, 10 a.m.
• St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 9:30 a.m.
• St. Ann Catholic Church, 10:30 a.m.
• St. Therese Catholic Church, 10 a.m.
• Calvary Church, 9:45 a.m.
• Christ Community Church, 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Matthews United Methodist, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
• Myers Park Baptist Church, 10 a.m.

Additionally, local television stations are broadcasting Easter services in the metro area:

• WAXN 64, 11 a.m., First Presbyterian Church
• WHKY, 11 a.m., Viewmont Baptist Church, Hickory

The beginning of April is also a holy period of time for Judaism — Passover — which ends April 16.

For those interested in watching services from the safety of their homes, the Central Synagogue in New York City provides a livestream for its congregation.

The Central Synagogue is one of the largest Jewish congregations in North America and the oldest synagogue in New York City still in continuous use, according to its website.

Central Synagogue’s Livestream: Schedule below:

• Friday Night Shabbat Service: 5:45 p.m.
• Saturday Morning Shabbat Service: 9:15 a.m.
• Passover Seventh Day (Yizor) April 15: 9:30 a.m.

The Seder is the traditional meal each night of Passover, and many families are also turning to technology to help celebrate the dinner together. Apps such as FaceTime, Zoom and Google Hangouts are options to let families see one another without being in the same room.

Also, for people looking for a Seder to join, just Google “Zoom Seder,” and you will get options including guides on starting your own.