Covid Remembrance
Our country is in the midst of collective trauma.
The deacons of Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church tied a ribbon for every 1000 people in the United States who have died of Covid-19. When our project started for All Saints Day (November 1, 2020), we had 225 ribbons. As of February 2021 there are now over 500,000 deaths due to Covid-19; more than our ribbons can express. Needless to say, it is sobering to tie each one.
We collect these symbols to represent and remember those who we have lost: friends, parents, neighbours, children, elders.
Each, a beloved child of God.
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) and likewise, the Apostle Paul encourages us to mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:5). We mourn the loss of life in this country and around the globe. We stand together as witnesses to the grief that we are holding as a nation and in our collective humanity. We long for the dawn of the day when the pandemic is in the past. Until that day we walk humbly, love kindly, and seek justice for all our neighbours that all may be well.
Please reach out if there are specific needs that our community can support you in.
With love,
The Deacons and Pastors
of The First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck
[March 2021]
A note from the deacons about the project:
“The first wreath started with the ribbons that were on the church fence for All Saint’s Day (November 1, 2020) and beyond. Each ribbon signified 1,000 people who died from Covid-19. The weather gave them a beating, and some blew away, so the idea of a wreath would show the concentrated and large loss of life. It holds 275 ribbons.
The second wreath shows the explosive growth of COVID-19 and also the overwhelmingness of the loss. It is a heart shape that is barely recognizable. It includes ribbons with dates of some significant milestones. Hard to imagine that in around a month, 100,000 more people have died. There have been more than a half a million people who have died.
This third wreath signifies that as hard as we try, we cannot really capture the loss. It is immeasurable. The deaths, yes, but those left behind. Those who cannot gather to mourn. Those who gratefully have survived this illness but may be scarred or damaged from it. Those who treat the ill, and work in the stores despite their own trauma or fears. The loss of jobs, the loss of stability, the loss of health, the loss of a sense of safety, the loss of in person community. We mourn. And yet… we hope. We wash our hands, and wear masks, and keep our distance, and we don’t visit or hug. We all sacrifice a lot because we care. We see this devastation, we hope, and we care.”