For Long Island faithful, Easter thankfully back to normal

Cries of hallelujah rang out on Long Island on Sunday as Christians celebrated Easter, with many hailing a return to more normal traditions after two years of pandemic restrictions.

Lesly Vasquez of Freeport said she felt grateful to step into the Church-in-the-Garden sanctuary in Garden City and celebrate the holiday with two dozen others.

“So many people died because of the coronavirus and are unable to be here,” said Vasquez, 19. “It's a privilege to still to be able to come back into the church in person. … So many people can't say that."

Churches have worked hard to keep tending to parishioners throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, turning to online and outdoor services. At first, only a limited number of people could attend in-person but the relatively low number of cases has allowed regular capacity to resume.

Most western churches celebrated Easter on Sunday while Orthodox churches will observe the holy day next Sunday. 

The Rev. Earl Thorpe, pastor of Church-in-the-Garden, called on his congregation to take this new season as a challenge to “encounter, engage and employ” their faith.

“It's the time to pivot. We have to rethink how we engage our faith every single day,” he said. “How do you navigate life living like this?"

At the Cathedral of St. Agnes, the Rev. John O. Barres, bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, told the congregation Easter is about celebrating God's light, which "spreads throughout the world and throughout history."

That reminder is particularly important amid the Russian war on Ukraine, the bishop said. The invasion and ongoing destruction of Ukraine is a display of "tremendous evil," he said, similar to other historic tragedies.

"The arc of history, sometimes we find it so discouraging, so dark," Barres said after the service. "And yet, the light of the resurrection comes right through the darkness and lifts us up to holiness and to a missionary spirit that is a lever of lightness and good to the world."

At St. Anne Roman Catholic Church in Brentwood, parishioners and clergy welcomed the large number of people who came out to celebrate together.

“The pandemic was definitely a rough time for all of us. It’s good to see people are out,” said William Escobar of Central Islip, who attended the 11:30 a.m. Mass with his wife Mindy and their children Nathaniel, 17, Sophia, 8, and Lehyanni, 6. “Some people are still using masks and being safe. That’s important to us. It’s most important for us to be with family during this precious time to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.”

Yvette Colon of Brentwood brought Tina Garcia and Garcia’s 74-year-old mother Milagros Irizarry for Easter Mass.

“It’s a lot different from last year,” Colon said. “It means a lot to be able to come out and celebrate with my parish.”

Garcia said she was grateful to attend services with her mother, who was in a wheelchair and has dementia.

“I’m blessed to have my mom here today,” said Garcia.

The Rev. Stanislaw Wadowski, pastor of St. Anne’s, said he knew the Easter services would be busy after more than 4,000 people came for Palm Sunday services last week.

“People want to be back,” he said, noting the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have impacted everyone. “We need the Lord and we need each other.”

For worshippers in Glen Cove, pandemic prayer produced one positive byproduct: livestreaming the service on Facebook, which reaches a broader audience, said Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews, an elder of First Presbyterian Church of Glen Cove, who helped organize the sixth annual Community Dawn Easter Service in Morgan Park.

About 100 worshippers gathered in the waterfront park in the morning chill for the event hosted by eight churches of different Christian denominations. 

“We have had people view this service from afar, as far away as Japan and Scotland. All posting in the comments ‘Hallelujah,’” he said. “But what a joy this year to be able to just be together and to celebrate here in our beautiful park.”

Evelyn Kandel endured a cold wind to attend the service, her first time during the pandemic.

“It’s such a wonderful idea,” said Kandel, who is the Nassau County poet laureate. “But I think we need to have very large heating units down here.”

Joshua Rodriguez, 6, received his first invitation to go sing with a choir toward the end of the 1½ hour service at Church-in-the-Garden.

“Usually, he sings really loud in the back,” his sister Lesly Vasquez said with a laugh. “It’s like he’s trying to out-sing them.”

Diane Baruch, 78, of East Meadow, got rebaptized at the service after surviving breast cancer twice. She said she feels "stronger in my faith than ever."

For Steve Szilniczky, 56, who traveled from Massachusetts to spend Easter with his family in Franklin Square, the service held moments of relief and sorrow. His father died a few weeks ago.

He and his wife, Sabrina, were back at Church-in-the-Garden, where they got married nearly 30 years ago.

“I'm so happy it's alive. The walls are shaking with music, [happiness] and love," Steve Szilniczky said of the church.