The Rev. Michael Martin of Duke Catholic Center speaks during Mass on Level 4 of Science Drive Garage. Photo by Henry Haggart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAll over the country people of faith have altered their worship rituals to adapt to life in a pandemic. In Durham, Duke Catholic Center has gone almost open air, staging Mass every Sunday in a campus garage a short walk from Cameron Stadium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFather Mike pulls down his mask to welcome the people before him, a mix of ages and races. He invites all to greet each other, but not by shaking hands the way they used to.<\/span> \n<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhy don\u2019t we stand and wave to the people around us and begin our celebration,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMask back on, the priest signals the congregation to sit. A young woman approaches the altar to read a passage from Isaiah from a smartphone.<\/span> \n<\/span><\/p>\nLive music is a hallmark of parking-deck Mass, where the sounds of instruments and singers reverberate through the concrete skeleton of the garage. Photo by Henry Haggart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs she moves to her seat, a baby begins to cry, a familiar sound in church that is amplified here by the acoustics of cement walls. A nun quickly wipes down the altar with disinfecting wipes. <\/span> \n<\/span><\/p>\nAs Father Mike began his sermon on humility and one’s role as \u201ca rock,\u201d helpers set up a portable screen on top of four plastic storage boxes. Short clips of students encouraging others to join small group discussions begins to play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInstead of lining up during the Holy Eucharist, worshippers stay put. After pouring sanitizer on their hands, altar servers carry bowls to them, offering communion with stretched arms. Once servers move past them, those participating pull down their masks to place consecrated hosts in their mouths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAltar servers bring Holy Eucharists to worshippers, a delivery executed with outstretched arms for safe distancing. Photo by Henry Haggart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs the service ends, congregants collect their chairs and blankets and proceed to take stairs to their cars, waving to friends as they leave.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNot only those attending the Catholic Center service, which are recorded and posted online, are touched by what happens in the garage <\/span> \n<\/span> \n<\/span>\u201cMy wife and I were walking on the Duke Trail this morning.The music coming from your service was beautiful,\u201d @CoachMinnick commented on one online video post. \u201cThe music and acoustics sounded as if we were in a cathedral.\u201d<\/span> \n<\/span> \n<\/span>9th Street reporter Dryden Quigley can be reached at dryden.quigley@duke.edu<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nAt top: The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted so much, including the ability to host religious services in houses of worship. To adapt, Duke Catholic Center offers Mass in a campus parking garage on Sundays. Park on level 3, worshippers are told. And attend Mass on Level 4. Video by 9th Street Journal journalist Henry Haggart<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After worshippers climb stairs to the fourth floor of the Science Drive Garage, they arrange folding chairs six feet apart. Choir members sing \u201cCreate a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[71,96,204,205],"class_list":["post-3918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-durham-moment","tag-coronavirus","tag-duke-catholic-center","tag-pandemic","tag-parking-garage","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n
Catholic congregation stays connected in a campus parking garage - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n