Celebrating mass with a difference

Don Giuseppe Corbari, a priest in the parish of Robbiano di Giussano, a small centre in Brianza, has celebrated mass with a difference. Seeing that his parishioners cannot attend church due to the total lockdown in the village, he asked them all for a selfie or photos of their families. He then proceeded to dot the church with these pictures, and so he could feel less lonely while celebrating mass in the empty chapel.

“Being at the altar and looking at the empty pews, gave me a feeling of loneliness and sadness, in contrast to the celebration of love and community commemorated during holy mass.” Said Fr Giuseppe. So after some thought he sent an email to his parishioners, sharing his feeling of solitude, and asking them to send portraits of themselves and their loved ones, which he then proceeded to print and tape onto the benches in the chapel. “I will obviously put the children at the front and around the altar, with the adults at the back, making sure to keep a meter distance between the pictures to maintain the current health regulations. If you’re in, please send your pictures!”

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