In a year-long joint project by the University of Chester and Manchester Metropolitan University, researchers held focus groups with hundreds of members of the public and clergy about their perceptions of religious life during COVID-19.

"Rituals - regular weekly worship, funerals, baptisms, festival celebrations, and the like — have been exceptionally difficult for most participants and leaders during the pandemic," Dr Josh Edelman, Reader at Manchester Metropolitan and lead researcher, said.

"During this crisis, people have found meaning, stability and community in participating in the rituals of their faith."

"Digital technologies have made that possible, even during social distancing, and that's been a great benefit. But the experience of worshipping online is different than the experience of worshipping in person. While there have been some very exciting developments, the sense of community that comes from face-to-face gathering is hard to beat," Edelman continued.

"We hope this project will help religious leaders think through the possibilities and challenges of digital technology, so that when they're used, it's in a helpful, humane way that broadens out and opens up religious life, rather than shutting it down."

Researchers conducted their study in three parts: a survey of 604 religious leaders and congregants; an action research group to respond to the findings comprised of clergy and lay leaders from various faith communities; and 15 case studies with different religious groups, including:

• Birmingham Mosque
• Catholic churches
• Orthodox Jewish online women's prayer group
• Specific events such as Remembrance Sunday
• Clergy and lay leaders from various faith communities.

The report notes that there is "a tremendous appetite for religious ritual online", and that online services are "particularly inviting for those who are seeking out new communities, experiences, and modes of worship".

It observes: "While the disembodied nature of online practice could make some rituals feel distant or inauthentic, the ability of worshippers to join communities far from their homes has nevertheless been perceived as a significant positive development that is likely to continue.

This is especially for people with disabilities, for those who do not have a local congregation that serves their religious needs, or for members of faiths whose numbers in the UK are relatively small."

Alana Vincent, Professor of Jewish Philosophy, Religion and Imagination at the University of Chester and researcher on the project, said: "The pandemic has accelerated a move towards digitisation which was already highly likely - but it has also made people more aware of what cannot be digitised."

"The challenge for religious communities going forward will be to maintain the good things, such as increased accessibility, while also providing the sense of community and connection that people crave," Vincent concluded.

Sources

• Church Times
• University of Chester

The Welsh bishops' conference website says about 1300 people viewed the Palm Sunday Mass at St Mary's Cathedral.

This is three times the normal congregation for that service.

There has also been a vast increase in daily Mass attendance in the diocese.

Where 20 people usually attended daily Mass, over 300 are logging in. One weekday Mass had a congregation of 914.

Those attending the online Masses include families, and people of all ages from their mid-twenties to their eighties.

A similar pattern emerged over the Easter Triduum, with 529 people, double the usual number, attending the online Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Cathedral.

On Good Friday, 379 people joined Bishop Peter Brignall (pictured) in a meditation on the Seven Last Words, compared to around 20 people in other years.

The surge in attendance is also reflected in other online prayer services.

The diocese has reported a sixfold increase in the number of people taking part in Exposition.

Furthermore, up to three hundred people are participating in Compline in the bishop's private chapel.

Traffic to the diocesan website has also increased by 320 per cent in the past fortnight.

Brignall says the sense of community in the small diocese is deep.

"People are keen to maintain connections online during these unprecedented times."

Although he says the raw data needed to be analysed and interpreted, he Brignall hopes the growing congregations is a sign that online services are helpful.

"The Church is nourished and discovering afresh a living and robust faith that will bring us through this crisis. It is now not just the case of a glass being half full or half empty, it is the discovery of the desire for a bigger glass," he says.

Source

• The Tablet
• Image: BBC