German priest finds way for worshippers to "attend" church
Worshippers in Germany are being encouraged to follow their Easter Sunday homily online this year amid calls for social distancing.
But a priest in the town of Achern (pron AHERN) has found a way to make it seem like they're there in body, as well as spirit.
Joachim (pron. YO-A-HIM) Geisler asked all his regular churchgoers over the past weeks to send him a digital picture of themselves and their families.
He received about 150 images, printed them out and pasted them to the church pews.
(SOUNDBITE) (German) PRIEST, JOACHIM GIESLER, SAYING:
"It was a bit weird in the beginning. Standing at the altar and looking at the empty pews, only with pictures on them. It's hard to imagine how people watch from home - if somebody does. The closeness and personal contact to people are missing, of course. But having heard the feedback in the past two weeks, this is a good alternative for worshippers that truly includes them in the service."
The priest said seeing the pictures meant he could conduct mass as normal and that local families could still "attend" the Sunday homily online while at home, watching on TVs or computers.
