St. Dunstan's Marks Pandemic's End with Icon and Service
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in Atlanta commemorated the COVID-19 pandemic's impact with a special service and a 4-by-5-foot icon featuring pandemic-related images, blessed by Bishop Robert Wright. The service, planned by Rev. Jonathon Jensen, marked the congregation's collective experience over the past five years.
The service incorporated tactile and sensory elements, with about 20% of the congregation participating in anointing with oil. It began with clergy and choir wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, a powerful reminder of the pandemic's ongoing effects. After the offertory, masks were removed, and the choir returned to their usual place near the altar.
Rev. Jensen, in his sermon, reflected on preaching to an empty nave during early online worship and the various losses people experienced during the pandemic. The service included readings about illness and loss, prayers for healthcare workers and the deceased, and funeral music. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, the Rev. Geoffrey Royce marked the fifth anniversary of the pandemic's start by reading the Gospel while wearing a mask at Calvary Episcopal Church.
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably shaped the past five years, driving a wedge between Americans, according to a Pew survey. Services like the one at St. Dunstan's serve as a poignant reminder of the collective experience and a chance to reflect on the losses and changes wrought by the pandemic. The memorial icon, created by Libby Lehman, stands as a tangible record of this period.
