Understanding the Effects of Pandemic on Church Services and Religiosity: A Research-Based Inquiry

Authors

  • Victoria PARAGGUA Philippine Merchant Marine Academy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7497053

Keywords:

church services, pandemic, religiosity

Abstract

This qualitative study that used interview in gathering data was aimed to find out the effects of COVID-19 on the religious services offered by the parish amidst the pandemic and their impact on the religiosity of parishioners. Results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected both the parishes and the parishioners. The offered religious services of the parishes decreased and this also has an impact on the parishioners’ religiosity. Moreover, it covered how the Church has responded to address this issue. Technology was found useful; however, challenges also arose considering their capacity to provide the service and the internet connectivity issues in the country. Despite several challenges on both the church and the people’s religiosity, there were identified positive effects of the pandemic on the parishioners. They became closer to God and became more sensitive to their needs and the people around them.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

ABS-CBN News (2021). Bishop Pabillo: Online mass a 'poor substitute' during pandemic. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/01/21/bishop-pabillo-online-mass-a-poor-substitute-during pandemic?fbclid=IwAR20OSVKR6JPF5H1rNaBEAGysxAwGNW-ouAjJg2P0trNJd55jjaGIXNi8Vw

America: The Jesuit Review (September 14, 2020). New poll: 36 percent of young Catholics say they will attend Mass less often after pandemic. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/09/14/poll-catholics-attend-mass-less-often-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR0sieibBJOQc5-CgBCAWlN1nxXQwudSHPKfjWtGFNHU_zy0HxTrgL4K1q4

Boguszewski, R., Makowska, M., Bozewicz, M., and Podkowinska, M. (December 2020). The COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Religiosity in Poland. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346942274_The_COVID-19_Pandemic's_Impact_on_Religiosity_in_Poland DOI:10.3390/rel11120646

Business Research Methodology (n.d.). https://research-methodology.net/sampling-in-primary-data-collection/purposive-sampling/

Campbell, H.A., Evolvi, G. (May 2019). Contextualizing current digital religion research on emerging technologies. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hbe2.149

CBCP News (2021). Amid Covid-19 lockdown, gov’t bans public Holy Week services anew in Metro Manila, 4 provinces. https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/amid-covid-19-lockdown-govt-bans-public-holy-week-services-anew-in-metro-manila-4-provinces/

CBCP News (23 July 2012). CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on the Era of New Evangelization. https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/cbcp-pastoral-exhortation-on-the-era-of-new-evangelization-longer-version/

Catholic News Service (April 20, 2020). Pope warns of danger in online Masses. https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/pope-warns-of-danger-in-online-masses/

Catholic Online (n.d.). Sacraments of the Catholic Church. https://catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php

Cherry, K (07 November 2022). What is a Case Study? https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-write-a-psychology-case-study-2795722

CliffNotes (n.d.). Sociological Theories of Religion. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/religion/sociological-theories-of-religion

DeRossett, T., LaVoie, D.J., Brooks, D. (2021). Religious Coping Amidst a Pandemic: Impact on COVID-19-Related Anxiety. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8371037/

Delos Reyes, EM (November 2014). New Evangelization: A Descriptive Study on the Communication Strategies Used by Selected Parishes in Quezon City to Adapt to The Changing Needs of Young Adult Parishioners. St. Joseph’s College. Unpublished Thesis

Dunbar, R.I.M. (2020). Religiosity and religious attendance as factors in wellbeing and social engagement. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2153599X.2020.1712618

Gecewicz, C. (April 2020). Few Americans say their house of worship is open, but a quarter say their faith has grown amid pandemic. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/30/few-americans-say-their-house-of-worship-is-open-but-a-quarter-say-their-religious-faith-has-grown-amid-pandemic/

Gjelten, T. (May 2020). 'Things Will Never Be the Same.' How the Pandemic Has Changed Worship. https://www.npr.org/2020/05/20/858918339/things-will-never-be-the-same-how-the-pandemic-has-changed-worship

Gray, M (14 September 2020). New poll: 36 percent of young Catholics say they will attend Mass less often after pandemic. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/09/14/poll-catholics-attend-mass-less-often-covid19?fbclid=IwAR112yEkrq4gWwe5OiawvXBpd20FP_d3FAYCzIHZoG0PJEag-Y3jTyh_BY0

Huygens, E. (July 2021). Practicing Religion during a Pandemic: On Religious Routines, Embodiment, and Performativity. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/7/494/htm

Inter-agency Task Force (February 11, 2021). Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2021/02feb/20210211-OMNIBUS-RRD.pdf

Inter-agency Task Force (May 1, 2020). Resolution No. 30-A. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2020/05may/20200501-IATF-RESOLUTION-NO-30A-RRD.pdf

Inter-agency Task Force (January 28, 2020). Resolution No. 01, Series 2020. https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/basic-page/IATF%20Resolution.pdf

Labenek, A (2014). The Promise and Problematic of the Virtual Eucharistic Mass According to the Roman Catholic Church’s Position in “The Church And The Internet”. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3306&context=etd

Macaraan, W.E. (June 2021). The sacrament of confession during Covid-19 pandemic. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8194966/

McKeown, J. (April 2020). Can't go to confession during coronavirus? Consider an 'act of perfect contrition'. https://dioceseofraleigh.org/news/cant-go-confession-during-coronavirus-consider-act-perfect-contrition

National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) (2022). Cremation & Burial. https://nfda.org/covid-19/cremation-burial

Pearce, L., Hayward, G. and Pearlman J. (2017). Measuring Five Dimensions of Religiosity across Adolescence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5602559/#:~:text=When%20it%20comes%20to%20the,religiosi

y%2C%20and%20belief%20in%20God.

Pace, S. (2014). Effects of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Religiosity on Attitudes Toward Products: Empirical Evidence of Value-Expressive and Social-Adjustive Functions. https://clutejournals.com/index.php/JABR/article/download/8668/8660/34343

Pew Research Center (August 2020). 1. Attending and watching religious services in the age of the coronavirus. https://www.pewforum.org/2020/08/07/attending-and-watching-religious-services-in-the-age-of-the-

coronavirus/

Pontifical Council Documents (1971). Communio Et Progressio. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_23051971_communio

_en.html

President of the Philippines (May 26, 2014). Executive Order No. 168: Creating the inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease in the Philippines. https://lawphil.net/executive/execord/eo2014/eo_168_2014.html

Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) (April 2020). Vast Majority of Americans Stayed Home for Easter, Oppose Religious Exemptions to Stay-at-Home Orders. https://www.prri.org/research/vast-majority-of-americans-stayed-home-for-easter-oppose-religious-exemptions-to-stay-at-home-orders/

Sintelly (14 May 2020). What is Media Ecology? https://sintelly.com/articles/what-is-media-ecology?fbclid=IwAR3Ol_VB864mNuzHxNz6rrJqLU8NQEAVlmG8Tv62RiHgxnXQzt1KfgcEDNg

Solatan, AM (27 March 2013). The Catholic Church and Internet Use: An Evolving Perspective from Pope John Paul II to Pope Benedict XVI. https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/558682/Solatan_georgetown_0076M_12070.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Soukup R (2020). The Surprising Benefits of Going to Church. https://www.livingwellspendingless.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-going-to-church/#:~:text=It's%20a%20place%20of%20calm,bustle%20of%20our%20daily%20lives.

Stolz, J (July 2009). Explaining Religiosity: Towards a Unified Theoretical Model. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26260536_Explaining_Religiosity_Towards_a_Unified_Theoretical_Model. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01234.x

University of Minnesota (n.d.). Sociological Perspectives on Functionalism. https://open.lib.umn.edu/sociology/chapter/17-3-sociological-perspectives-on-religion/#:~:text=Religion%20played%20a%20central%20role,lives%20to%20desegregate%20the%20South

Vinney, C. (19 April 2019). What is Uses and Gratifications Theory? Definition and Examples. https://www.thoughtco.com/uses-and-gratifications-t

White, C (06 May 2020). The Validity of Virtual Mass is Questioned. https://thetablet.org/the-validity-of-virtual-mass-is-questioned/

Wilcox, W.B. (September 2020). The Good and Bad News About Marriage in the Time of COVID. https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-good-and-bad-news-about-marriage-in-the-time-of-covid

WorldOMeter (June 5, 2022). World/Countries/Philippines. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/philippines/

World Health Organization. (2019). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov#:~:text=On%2031%20December%202019%2C,2019%2DnCoV%E2%80%9D

Downloads

Published

2022-12-31

How to Cite

PARAGGUA, V. (2022). Understanding the Effects of Pandemic on Church Services and Religiosity: A Research-Based Inquiry. EUROASIA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES, 9(29), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7497053

Issue

Section

Articles