By Chris Lewis | Mar. 11, 2021
Mount Pearl’s ministerial community has gathered together to spread positivity and fellowship in the face of last month’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Noting that students and staff at Mount Pearl Senior in particular were facing a bit of a backlash from some people because much of the outbreak seemed to be based in the city, Mount Pearl’s ministerial community set out to put a balm on the negativity with some spiritual guidance and words of compassion.
Rev. David Burrows of the Anglican Parish of the Ascension said the leaders of the city’s eight different congregations tend to get together as a group around this time each year to put together a joint service for the annual Frosty Festival. The pandemic, of course, has nixed large social gatherings. But after seeing what was happening to the students and staff at MPSH, the church leaders became determined to find a way to move ahead, and so they recorded an online service that anyone in the community can attend “virtually.”
“We wanted to offer some prayer, some reflection, and a piece about hope for the high school community, and the whole of the city as well. There’s virtually nobody in Mount Pearl who has not been affected by this in some way,” Burrows said.
The nearly 20-minute video includes contributions from a number of figures in the city’s religious community as well as a handful of special appearances. Some of the participants include Burrows himself, Rev. Barbara Boone of the Parish of the Good Shepherd, Father Wayne Dohey of St. Peter’s Parish and Mary Queen of the World Parish, Salvation Army Major Morgan Hillier, and Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker, all bringing words of kindness and positivity in their own way.
The video can be found via YouTube, titled “Ministerial Prayer Service.”
The goal, Rev. Burrows said, was to lift people’s spirits during a time when many are feeling the negative effects of lockdown. He noted that even during a pandemic, and perhaps especially so, he and the province’s other religious leaders need to stand as people of hope.
“With various mental health issues and anxieties going on during this pandemic, people can sometimes find themselves in a state of hopelessness or depression,” Rev. Burrows said. “So, we wanted to reach out to folks during this time and say ‘Yes, this is bad, but there are always things that we can be hopeful about.’”
Rev. Burrowns said he hopes the words in the video serve to remind people that, despite how it may feel to some, this pandemic is only temporary.
“Unfortunately, this can be a pretty dark and chaotic time for people if they choose to wallow in it, but I think, even when we can’t do things that we once used to do, there are so many things that we can do. (This prayer service) is about being appreciative of the small things in life that we may not have paid attention to in the same way before the pandemic,” said the minister.
