Unprecedented Good Friday in Kolkata! Livestreaming of special prayers

Kolkata will see an unprecedented Good Friday this year, perhaps the first of its kind ever. A Good Friday live streamed to members of community, so that they feel as close as possible virtually. After all these are trying times and just like Jesus Christ suffered for the good of mankind, the whole world suffers today in the hands of a deadly virus.

With public gatherings banned due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Church of North India (Diocese of Kolkata) has decided to go for live-streaming so that members of the community can join from home the special worship sessions, lined up for Good Friday and Easter.

The CNI has decided on webcasting live-services during the Holy Week. While meetings, seminars, choir practices, which involve large gatherings, have been cancelled, the mass/prayer sessions have to continue and accordingly they have instructed all parish churches under their order to go for webcasting of the holy events.

Special prayers will be held on April 10 (Good Friday) and 12 (Easter Sunday) and all will be streamed live on YouTube from the Bishops House. As A CNI spokesperson told the media: “Services had never been live- streamed in this fashion before. This time we feel the need to make community members feel together.”

On March 29, in a live streaming appeal to members of the community, Bishop Paritosh Canning of CNI, Kolkata asked everyone to be on guard against the coronavirus, “which has intruded into the territories of our state and country, and expressed firm belief that Jesus Christ will save us all from this pandemic.” The special session had also called upon devotees to offer prayers to Jesus to defeat the coronavirus ‘evil.’

The Archdiocese of Calcutta on Friday said mass services during the Holy Week (from April 5 till 12) will be live streamed from the Archbishop’s house.