(CNN) — A priest in the Lombardy region of Italy has been celebrating mass in an empty church, except for photographs of parishioners he has taped to the pews.
Don Giuseppe Corbari told CNN that the idea of having pictures of his faithful came to him because “we’ve started holding masses without the faithful since February 24.”
He said he found delivering mass to empty pews was difficult at the beginning.
“I felt isolated, it didn’t seem real to me,” Corbari said.
Corbari said when he thought to ask parish members to send him their pictures, he didn’t expect the response he got.
“I didn’t expect such a collaborative reaction. I was inundated by pictures, and I printed them. …now I see that other parishes, even around the world, are doing similar things,” he said.
So far, the church, Santi Quirico e Giulitta a Robbiano di Giussano, has been broadcasting mass over the radio but it plans to start live streaming soon.
This story was first published on CNN.com. “Italian priest celebrates mass with photos of parishioners who can’t attend due to quarantine.”
