Pandemic Religion: A Digital Archive

Grieving During the Pandemic

About a month into quarantine, my family and I got the news that my uncle had a stroke. He was in pretty bad shape, and no one, not even his own children, was allowed to visit him in the ICU. After being there for a little over a week, he passed away. It was only until after he died that his immediate family was able to see him, then he was taken away to a funeral home. As Catholics, whenever someone dies, we always hold a rosary ceremony. This allows us to see our loved one, support the family, and pray the rosary as a group. However, because of social distancing, we weren’t allowed to hold a rosary or mass. Having to practice social distancing has made a very difficult time even more difficult. Family unity is an extremely important part of Hispanic culture, and we can’t grieve the same way anymore. All contact with my other family members has had to be through phone or video calls. Some of my family have even resorted to using social media as a way to share what they would have said in a eulogy. It feels so strange and impersonal not to be able to interact with our family in person during such a devastating time.

May 12, 2020

Roman Catholicism

Texas