Paul Bickford/NNSL photo
Rev. Francis Delaplain has taken to the Internet to provide spiritual support to his parishioners since the Covid-19 crisis closed St. Andrew's Anglican Church in mid-March.
And that has caused Delaplain to reflect on one of the well-known sayings of Jesus Christ.
"He said, 'Wherever two or more of you are gathered in my name I am there present with you,'" noted the minister of the Hay River church. "But then the question is, did he mean online?"
Delaplain answers that question in the affirmative.
"I think that the hope that he's giving there is that, when we in faith respond to him, he is present," the priest said. "I believe that he is present by the Holy Spirit with all of us and we can turn to him."
Delaplain said he has found that, in his own personal reflections, turning to Jesus Christ helps him to understand the suffering of people at this time.
"Because it becomes a participation in the life of Christ," he explained. "And I think that's what I try repeatedly to communicate to people is you don't need to feel hopeless and alone and isolated in this time."
Delaplain has been live streaming prayers and words of encouragement on Facebook, and has placed pre-recorded messages on YouTube, like a reflection on The Psalms with Bishop Joey Royal of Iqaluit.
"It seems like people tune in more for the live stream," said Delaplain. "You get a good interaction when it's live."
Although he can't talk to parishioners while live streaming, he can read their comments.
"It just tells you who's on," he said. "And so it's nice to see people in the church coming on."
Delaplain does not offer a full service online.
"I do some prayers and then a homily, like a brief reflection," he said.
The minister offers the messages via a laptop on a small table near the altar of his church.
"It's an odd feeling to be here in the empty church," he noted.
Delaplain has focused on The Psalms during the Covid-19 crisis.
"They cover the breath of human emotions," he explained. "So there's a lot of dealing with anxiety, dealing with fear, dealing with discomfort in The Psalms. So I've been turning there, hopefully connecting with people and the situation they're going through. I'm hoping people are finding something of comfort in the message."
Delaplain is thankful that technology is available to stay connected with his parishioners during these times, but he recognizes it is not ideal to talk to them via the Internet or by telephone.
"It's all you can do," he said. "My prayer is that people are finding hope in the words spoken."
On April 4, St. Andrew's Anglican Church also began collecting food for the needy because the Hay River Soup Kitchen has been closed because of the Covid-19 crisis.
Delaplain noted the foyer of the church will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
"People can drop things off," he said. "We obviously ask that people, if you see someone taking something in, wait so that we practise social distancing."
The containers of the non-perishable food items will be sanitized and then boxed up for delivery.
Those who would like to receive food can leave messages on the church's Facebook page or by calling 874-6365, and boxes of food will be delivered by people practising social distancing by not actually entering residences.