MANY facets of life have had severe changes over the past year, including an important part of life in Fermanagh: religious life and community involvement.

Two members of the local clergy spoke about to The Impartial Reporter about their experiences of the past 12 months, how the pandemic affected them, and how they adjusted to meet the needs of their respective communities.

Canon Dr. Ian Ellis, Rector of Rossorry Parish Church, said: “Last year was like none other – all the norms of life were swept away, as social distancing, hygiene rules and Covid protocols ruled our lives.

“Parish work became much more difficult, with home visits ceasing unless in dire emergency. Visits to hospitals and nursing homes could not take place except in end-of-life settings, and that was only comparatively recently."

Speaking personally, Canon Ellis said: "What I missed most was regular contact with parishioners, and not being able to have our family to visit us at the rectory."

Looking at how the parish was impacted as a result of Covid-19, Canon Ellis said: “Covid has impacted every aspect of parish life – in-church worship ceased, meetings of parish organisations were cancelled, and the parish hall closed for more than a year.

"I think that schoolchildren and the elderly have been impacted the most by the pandemic.

"Instead of a vibrant range of activities taking place around our church buildings, a great silence has descended."

Canon Ellis described the difficult pastoral work he has had to carry out.

He said: “Undoubtedly, routine pastoral work has been challenging; the revised funeral arrangements were particularly difficult.

"We feel a great sadness for those who lost loved ones during the pandemic, especially in the early part of the lockdown, when families could only have graveside funeral services with a small number attending.

"This was a very harsh and cold experience to try to mediate.”

Unlike many churches in Fermanagh, Rossorry does not have a webcam for services, so Canon Ellis had to find new ways of connecting with his parishioners.

He said: “Churches have had to adapt, and many have done so in very creative ways. In Rossorry, we have been posting recorded services on our Facebook page, which achieved well over 1,000 views weekly – more than would be in church on a Sunday!”

He continued: “We also produce an audio CD each week, and this is mailed out to about 25 parishioners who are not on the internet.”

The issues and difficulties raised by Canon Ellis were also echoed by Monsignor Peter O’Reilly, of St. Michael’s Parish, Enniskillen, as he reflected on the past 12 months.

He said: “It’s been challenging. How do you minister to a congregation that you cannot see or meet?

"It was a year deprived of the pleasant distractions – the chance meetings, the cups of tea and coffee.

"I haven’t had as much of my own company since I was in training to be a priest, more than 40 years ago.”

Despite having a webcam in the parish church, adjusting and adapting to the new reality still has to be made, as Monsignor O’Reilly explained.

“We already had the webcam in the parish church since 2012, but little did I think it would one day play such a key role.

"Very quickly, we developed a schedule of daily devotions and prayers [using the webcam], which helped lend structure to a situation where one day just blended hazily into another.

“Clergy are not naturally used to speaking to an inanimate camera without another soul present in person!

"However, we persisted, and we have a sense, through the occasional messages of support and goodwill, that we have a significant group of people uniting in prayer regularly over the internet.”

Monsignor O’Reilly was able to harness technology to pray with his congregation, he added.

“Another significant difference is the use of face-to-face video communication. We began using this as a safe and risk-free way to pray with folk, and, again, it seemed strange at first.

"But I quickly realised that it was a very valuable means of ministry. The Gospels have instances where Jesus himself offered healing to people without being physically present to them.”

Echoing a similar point also raised by Canon Ellis, Monsignor O’Reilly described the past 12 months as “a year when the life of the church moved beyond the building”.

He reflected on how sacraments have changed in the past year spent in the shadow of Covid-19.

“Baptisms, funerals, weddings and Sundays were all affected; funerals probably the most.

"Bereavement is always a mix of communal support and personal work. Usually, the communal support comes first, and then later the personal work of grieving. This is all reversed, at present.”

Speaking on how the church and the community have changed, Monseigneur O’Reilly said: “Parish life is always a combination of community and home; of company and fellowship of the wider community, along with individual responsibility and duty, particularly towards our family.

"In the longer term, the connections will restore, but we are missing them right now."

Reflecting on the impact of the virus on his congregation, Monsignor O'Reilly said: "In terms of Covid-19 itself, we had very few cases that led to deaths in the parish, at first.

"However, in more recent times, this has changed. The virus is very real.

"The percentage of those vaccinated is well under 40 per cent, and until vaccinations are more than double that figure, I think restrictions will remain."