Pre-pandemic community meals were the lifeblood of the parish. They came together to celebrate at the “Restaurant of the Lord” - an opportunity to eat, embrace, socialize, and sometimes even dance together.
The multi-cultural, multi-lingual parish was forced to adapt their routines as the pandemic tore through New York. “It’s against my personality, upbringing, and ministry to not be with the people - for us to not be together,” laments Fr. Juan.
A text message chain was quickly developed so that urgent information could ripple through the congregants. It was a way to keep people in touch with the many resources that parish would continue to provide, albeit in an adapted fashion.
Provided with a grant from Episcopal Ministries of Long Island’s COVID-19 Frontline Funds, Fr. Juan began purchasing and distributing groceries to congregants.