The daily news is filled with stories about people, organizations and businesses doing their part to help those in need during the ongoing coronavirus health crisis.
The same thing is happening in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland as parishes, priests, deacons, religious sisters, schools, health professionals, individuals, Catholic Charities and other diocesan organizations and entities think outside the box and step out of their comfort zones as they assist others during this unprecedented time.
Many people are struggling financially as businesses remain closed or have reduced staff and/or pay. And this is the first time some of the people have had to ask for help to feed their families, get needed medication and pay for other essentials like housing.
Children abruptly left their teachers, friends and the familiarity of their school environment and now are adapting to online distance learning, while parents struggle to work from home and monitor their children.
Pastors are trying to stay connected with their parishioners, teachers with their students and organizations with their members and constituencies.
In short, our lives have been up-ended by this crisis. And we’re all in it together.
Both locally and globally, people are rising to the challenge and finding new ways to do things. That includes the Church, which is evolving and embracing technology as a way to minister to the faithful.
Here is a look at some of the things going on in the diocese. We’ll share more in upcoming stories.
Drive-by Stations of the Cross – St. Raphael Parish, Bay Village
Churches were closed through most of Lent, Holy Week and Easter and remain closed until at least early May. However, St. Raphael Parish in Bay Village found a way to take one of the most-loved Lenten traditions to a broader audience by setting up drive-by Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 10 on parishioners’ front lawns in Bay Village, Westlake and Avon Lake.
The parish provided a map, promoted the event through social media and through other churches. People could drive by, read the station to those in the car and look at the scene.
One person who participated described it as “awesome.”
Although there is no way to track how many people visited the stations, more than 100 people commented or shared it on social media.
Birthday parade – St. Bede the Venerable Parish, Mentor
How do you celebrate the pastor’s birthday when churches are closed, large gatherings are prohibited and the state is under stay-stay-at-home and social distancing orders? Parishioners at St. Bede the Venerable in Mentor got creative and organized a birthday parade for their much-loved pastor -- Father Tim Plavac -- on his big day, April 19.
He’s not a Facebook user, so they promoted the event on that platform. One parishioner said they were hoping for 30-50 cars, but about 200 turned out. “You could tell how much we all miss being together,” she said.
The parade was led by two Mentor police cars. Father Plavac was surprised and very moved by the event.
Sending greetings – Diocesan Social Action Office
Staff members at the Diocesan Social Action Office, which has branches serving the eight-county diocese in Cleveland, Lorain, Akron, Wooster and Wickliffe, is asking people to share messages of hope and encouragement.
Diane Zbasnik, director, Diocesan Social Action Office, said since many of their programs are suspended by the pandemic, seniors and people with disabilities are at home and feeling isolated. “We are asking for you to send us positive and uplifting messages of hope that we can share with them. It can be a handwritten letter, card, picture, or any other creative idea you might have,” she said. Send them to Diocesan Social Action Office and they will be shared with people who need to know they’re not forgotten.
Helping to protect – Lake Catholic High School
It’s well-known that certain types of personal protective equipment used by frontline health care providers are in short supply.
With schools K-12 closed for the rest of the academic year, Lake Catholic High School in Mentor found a way to help some local health professionals by donating some of their science lab equipment. School officials gathered goggles and boxes of gloves from labs and Mark Crowley, Lake Catholic president, dropped them off at Jennings Center for Older Adults. Jennings provides a continuum of care with housing and services for older adults at three locations: Garfield Heights, Brecksville and Chardon.
Allison Quick Salopeck, Jennings president and CEO, is a Lake Catholic alumna and the mother of a senior.
Jennings also accepted a donation of face shields at cost from Lake Catholic junior John Olenik. Through that connection, so far 3,000 face shields will be provided to other Northeast Ohio senior living organizations in order to protect the health of this vulnerable segment of the population.
Lighting the way – Holy Trinity Parish, Avon
On Holy Saturday, April 11, drivers passing by Holy Trinity Parish on Detroit Road in Avon couldn’t help but notice the dozens of luminaries that ringed the spacious parish property. A group of about five parishioners – some school parents and some youth group parents – placed the luminaries (candles secured in sand inside bags) around the parish property, including the church, school and rectory. It was part of an effort to unite the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
They started lighting the luminaries about 8:30 p.m., as darkness fell, and extinguished them about 10:30. The luminaries returned last Saturday, April 18, and it may become a parish tradition. Others are encouraged to join in by lighting luminaries on their property or turning on their porch lights on evenings when the church luminaries are lit.
Continuing recovery – Catholic Charities Addiction Recovery Services, Summit County
Those with struggling with substance abuse issues rely on regular meetings and peer support to maintain their sobriety. But with churches closed, restrictions on public gatherings, social distancing guidelines and the state’s stay-at-home order, it’s tough for the support groups to meet.
Knowing how important it is to provide ongoing support for their clients, recovery coaches are working to find alternative ways to stay in touch and offer the needed assistance.
One example is Catholic Charities Addiction Recovery Services in Summit County, which continues its services through telehealth technology. Recovery coaches based out of St. John the Baptist Recovery Outreach Center in Akron, continue to work with clients to come to the emergency departments at Summa Akron City and Barberton hospitals.
Share your story
Is your parish, school or organization doing something unusual to help others during this health crisis? Send the details, a photo and your contact information by email to ckovach@dioceseofcleveland.org for consideration in a future story.