Coronavirus: Faith leader adjusting to life -- and death -- under stay-at-home order

DAYTON — Area congregations adjusting to deal with new ways to worship this Easter also are finding it especially tough to deal with a coronavirus-related death within their church families.

It's all because of the state's stay-at-home and social distancing orders. Even though religious groups are exempt from the former, officials from Gov. Mike DeWine down the line to mayors and county public health officials are imploring faith leaders to cancel in-person gatherings because of concerns about the latter rule.

The combination can be off-putting for faith leaders and their flocks.

"Grieving in this time for families and for our congregation and people is brutal," Father Satish Joseph, Immactulate Conception Church in Dayton, told News Center 7's Sean Cudahy on Thursday. " That's the only word I can use. Brutal."

Father Joseph, who also leads St. Helen's in Riverside, posted to social media that one of his congregations this week lost its first member to COVID-19.

He has performed other funerals during the state-at-home order, but the rule that limits visitation for the sick and restrict how many can gather for funerals seemingly worsen the suffering.

"I mean the person I'm going to bury on Monday, their family could not go into the nursing home to see their mother. They saw them from the window. What do you say to them? Except God never lets anyone die alone. That God is there with them, if we cannot be there, God is there with them."

The atmosphere the rules create -- Father Joseph said he'll deliver his messages for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter via livestream -- can test people's faith.

He has chosen to echo DeWine’s suggestion for funerals, which is to have smaller gatherings now and larger celebrations when the state of emergency because of the coronavirus expires.

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