Parish Finds Strength, Growth Through Pandemic Innovation

Clergy Commentary by Rev. Dr. Stephen Fichter

On March 12, 2020, I made one of the most peculiar decisions of my priesthood – I canceled the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation on 123 eager teenagers. All the usual preparations were in place for our annual massive and very joyful community celebration. The bishop was going to come in just two days, but at that very moment the entire world came to a grinding halt. The pandemic was an astonishing moment in time.

As pastor of a Roman Catholic parish in suburban Bergen County, New Jersey comprised of 3,400 families (which equaled roughly 11,000 individuals), I knew that we needed a plan to draw close as a community. I called an emergency staff Zoom meeting — the first of many. I asked each of the 17 staff members to take 200 names from our parish roster and to call every single household. The task was simple: ask if anyone needed help. The result of these calls buoyed my spirits. Only a few of our elderly needed food or medicine, which we could easily handle because for every person who expressed a need there were at least 20 who said that they would be happy to do anything for any fellow parishioner.

Pandemic and Technology

The challenge of how to keep our parish together resolved itself with the gift of modern technology. A year prior to the pandemic, we had installed a camera to allow those family members who could not attend weddings, baptisms, or funerals due to illness or distance to join us via livestream. It immediately became apparent that livestreaming would be the spiritual life preserver for our entire faith family.

We broadcast five times each weekday streaming the two morning Masses at 7 and 9 a.m., the Angelus and a 10-minute catechetical session at noon, a Holy Hour at 3 p.m., and the Rosary at 7 p.m.. All weekend Masses were livestreamed. In addition, we uploaded to our website my weekly video message with parish updates. This was accompanied by a parish-wide email blast sent every Monday morning to all our families.

Those were very difficult days. As some parishioners became ill and succumbed to the virus, there was a poignancy for us as clergy (covered from head to toe with protective gear) as we anointed them on their deathbeds. In some cases, we weren’t allowed to be with them in their final hours due to hospital and health facility restrictions. The times when we could get in to anoint them were tense. The funerals and burials were downright bizarre as government officials said that only one or two people could attend.

Brené Brown says that vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change. At that time, we were all vulnerable to unprecedented conditions, which pushed us as a staff to get creative with how to lift everyone’s spirits. Using funds from our savings and monies donated online, we gave our parishioners hope for the future as we built our beautiful Daily Mass Chapel during that period. We had planned for this construction before the pandemic and then followed through with it despite it. Our Monday website videos pivoted from coping to looking ahead to better days. Everyone could follow from the safety of their homes the construction of the chapel and experience first-hand every phase of development.

Five years later, we’re stronger than ever as a community. We now number more than 12,000 individuals. Our in-person attendance has surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, and the financial support of the parish has been unwavering. We have never stopped livestreaming and continue to improve our broadcasting skills.

Communication was essential. Remaining in touch with our parishioners and being part of their everyday lives allowed us to survive those very strange days. We prayed together and took care of each other. We kept Jesus’ commandment to love one another at the center of all our efforts. That shared experience remains in all our hearts. Our families know that with God’s help all things are possible and survivable.

Besides serving as pastor of Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Parish (an 12,000-member congregation) in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Father Stephen works as a research associate for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.