The faithful will have to forego gatherings on Palm Sunday on April 5 but they can celebrate the Holy Week through webcast and livestreaming.

The Ranchi Archdiocese “following recent instructions from the Holy See and directives from our governments”, declared on Monday that the “Holy Week celebrations will not be offered publicly”.

“The seriousness of coronavirus, which has enforced lockdown makes it infeasible, at least at the moment,” said the directive issued by Archbishop Felix Toppo and Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas.

There will be no public celebrations of Palm Sunday and of the Sacred Paschal Triduum (a period of three days’ observance), the directive stated.

The priests were invited to celebrate privately at churches where they live but “behind closed doors and without presence of people”, it added.

Not only Palm Sunday, none of other important events during the Holy Week will be celebrated publicly, the directive clarified, advising the faithful to pray at home, also “for a swift end to the coronavirus pandemic”.

Archbishop Toppo will celebrate privately at the Cathedral Church that will be webcast. The timing and the link will be informed later.

“The webcasting will be arranged in the morning of Palm Sunday (April 5), Thursday evening the same week, afternoon of Good Friday (April 10) and Holy Saturday evening,” Bishop Mascarenhas said.

It will be available at dioceses across Chhotanagpur.

Most of the nearly 20 churches in Jamshedpur and outskirts have also opted for livestream of the coming Sunday service.

“We are abiding by the government directive for maintaining social distancing and have opted for live streaming of church services. We have advised members to do the rituals at home,” said Father David Vincent, director schools, Catholic Diocese of Jamshedpur.

The members have been advised to subscribe to the channel. They will get the notification to attend the service.

“The church service would begin in the usual time and members can join using the link and subscribing to the channel and listen to the religious discourse during Palm Sunday, Passion Week, Good Friday and Easter,” said Pastor Manoj Charan of Beldih Baptist Church.

Almost all the churches belonging to denominations such as Catholic, Baptists, Gossner Evangelical Lutheran (GEL) and Churches of North India (CNI) in the city are opting for live streaming to connect with believers.

“It is a global pandemic and we had not expected that it would reach such propositions even in India. The government has gone for a lockdown till April 14 and we do not know if it would be extended or not. However, during this period we would like to connect with our members and counsel them to have hope and faith in Lord Jesus Christ midst such difficult times while adhering to the government directive. Live streaming is the best available option and we would like to have optimum advantage,” said Reverend Deepak Anil Jojo, the parish priest of Bistupur-based St George’s Church, the oldest church in the district established in 1916.

St George’s Church comes under Chotanagpur diocese of the Church of North India and the Jamshedpur pastorate looks after functioning of CNI churches in Sonari, Kitadih, Tuiladungri, Mango, Rahargora, Shankerpur (Parsudih), Sitaramdera, Bagunhatu and Birsanagar.