The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
THE raging coronavirus pandemic, which continues to affect every corner of the globe, will once again shape this year’s Easter celebrations.
There are fears the holiday could lead to a spike in cases if health guidelines are not followed. The essence of the Christian faith mainly lies in communal sharing through gatherings, which was not possible last year.
There were no pilgrimages, open services or mass. But the situation has slightly improved this time around. Special gatherings for church services, among others, are now limited to 50, while funerals are not allowed to have more than 30 people. This comes after local fatalities significantly declined owing to the ongoing lockdown and the successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
Caution
The Government, however, continues to be watchful.
“Government is doing all it can to avoid a third wave. A lot has been done to make sure the public adheres to Covid-19 rules and regulations as stipulated by the Ministry of Health (and Child Care) and the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.
The war against the pandemic is far from over. In 2020, authorities managed to flatten the coronavirus curve around October and November.
However, cases surged during the festive period, resulting in rising infections and deaths during and after the holidays.
Festivities associated with the Easter holiday raise the spectre of another future catastrophe.
“This is a pilgrimage which most, if not all, congregants would want to be part of, hence limiting numbers to 50 or less will definitely be tough. We might be forced to focus more on the issue of regular washing of hands, masking up, sanitising and social distancing as numbers balloon,” warned Glen Norah Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) minister-in-charge Reverend Gibson Botomani.
“Church authorities need to be strict in controlling the numbers and ensuring that Covid-19 regulations are adhered to.”
House of Refuge International Ministries founder Pastor Partson Machengete is playing it safe.
“Partaking the Holy Communion is usually the highlight of our Easter, but this year we will forgo the rite.
“However, we need to remind our congregants that God has a way of compensating us for the seasons that were suspended because of Covid-19, hence we have our theme ‘Compensation’,” said Pastor Machengete.
Holy Week, which commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ, is one of the most sacred on the Christian calendar.
This year’s Easter is running from April 2 to April 5.
The Easter Holiday opens with Palm Sunday, with families praying and singing procession songs, including carrying palm fronds, which most of them will do in their homes or around their yards.
Rev Botomani said they will have a revival service from Friday through to Sunday before hosting a men’s braai on Easter Monday.
He expects some of his congregants to spend the day (Good Friday) at church before converging again on Resurrection Sunday for Holy Communion.
“Men are suffering more due to lockdown considering that they are heads of families and are expected to provide for the families no matter the situation.
“Because of that, we felt the need to have a braai to motivate, discuss and help empower each other on issues of finances and faith,” he said.
The harsh reality brought by the Covid-19 pandemic has left many clerics fretting.
They feel Easter has lost meaning if huge gatherings and rituals synonymous with the holidays are not duly observed.
For Zion Christian Church (ZCC), Easter is the largest gathering attracting thousands of pilgrims from all over the world.
Senior Government officials have in the past been guests at the church’s shrine in Mbungo, Masvingo, during the celebrations.
But this year, the church has since announced it would be following Covid-19 rules and regulations through conducting virtual services.
However, they consider the situation “awkward”.
ZCC’s Easter theme “Year of new the thing”: “Gore rechinhu chitsva” sums it all up.
“This is God saying I am doing something new altogether as there will not be any of those huge services that we are accustomed to,” said Bishop Nehemia Mutendi’s spokesperson and son, Mr Sanctions Mutendi.
“Bishop Mutendi is expected to conduct virtual Easter services while congregants worship from their homes.”
Arrangements have been made for special gatherings.
“We are observing Covid-19 guidelines, so there will be no gatherings of more than 50 people for our local parishes and cell groups. The church also has a presence outside borders and we will follow coronavirus regulations in those countries,” said Mr Mutendi.
“There will be social distancing, hand sanitising, temperature checks, wearing of masks and disinfection, where possible. However, this all gives a whole new feeling towards the festivities.”
City of God Apostolic Church priest, Rodrick Chiriya, bemoaned the death of traditional Easter ceremonies, which afforded the opportunity to partake Holy Communion.
Apostolic sects traditionally hold week-long camp meetings, but this time around they are prioritising safety.
Virtual services, Chiriya added, were out of the question for them.
“For us, Easter used to be a time for renewing relationships with God and celebrating the renewed bonds by partaking the Holy Communion,” he said.
“Last year we were not able to gather like we used to and it will be the same this year. It is tough and we feel lost as humanity. Due to a number of reasons that include financial constraints, we cannot have virtual services.”
Hope
The Roman Catholic Church’s Lent theme this year is “A Time for Renewing Faith, Hope and Love”.
Catholics reckon there is need to be vigilant in fighting the pandemic. However, the Harare Catholic Diocese will celebrate the holiday under a local theme “Protecting Healthcare Workers in Our Institutions”.
“Usually during this period, the Catholic Church donates goods to the underprivileged. But this year, they will be contributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline workers,” said Roman Catholic Church vicar-general Father Kennedy Muguti.
“Services will be virtual and the message is tailor-made to help our healthcare workers by praying for them as we battle Covid-19.”
Father Alexander Kaliyanil, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, recognises the need to change formula.
“This is the time to renew our personal faith and that of our families to keep our spiritual being alive.”
He urged congregants to spend more time in prayer, fasting and conducting family liturgy. Although the United Methodist Church feels dispirited by the pandemic, they still feel Christians need to maintain hope.
“Our Easter theme is ‘Be still and know that I am God’, which was derived from Psalms 46:10. The message is meant to raise hope in believers during the Covid-19 times and heal those who lost their loved ones to the pandemic,” said Chitungwiza and Marondera district superintendent Reverend Godknows Risinamhodzi.
The church will lay palms in their cell groups in celebration of God’s entry into Jerusalem.
“Jerusalem, in this case, is our home then we proceed into the Holy Week running into Good Friday. Congregants will gather in sanctuaries on Easter Friday and Resurrection Sunday in small numbers — observing the strict lockdown rules,” he said.
Some of their services will be conducted virtually. Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) will, like last year, hold their national Easter conference online under the theme “Christ Our Passover”.
However, they have given the nod to cluster-level celebrations.
AFM Chitungwiza (St Mary’s) assembly will run under the sub-theme “Season of supernatural abundance” coined from Psalms 65 verse 11.
“We are going through a tough time, what congregants need is assurance that God has not forsaken them and to pick positives out of this gloomy situation,” said Pastor Batsirai Denga.
