In the midst of the pandemic, many patients affected by COVID-19 relied not only on medical treatment but also on faith in God to get them through the test.
But because physical interaction is still dangerous due to the severity of the virus, a group of priests decided to set up a supposedly call center-like line for “e-pray.”
Through e-pray, volunteer priests call COVID-19 patients for their spiritual healing.
“Itong e-pray ay isang paraan gamit ang teknolohiya para ma-reach ng tao ang mga pari, at kaming mga pari ma-reach namin ang COVID patients kasi alam nyo na kahit anong pakiusap ng pamilya di kami pinapapapasok sa wards lalo sa ICU,” said Rev. Fr. Luciano Felloni, social communications director of Diocese of Novaliches.
Felloni said they give blessing or blessing to patients, especially when they notice that apart from the virus the enemy is afraid of those infected with the disease.
“Malaking ginhawa sa kanla na pari mismo ang tumawag. Many people are very touched . . . Ang kalaban ay hindi COVID kundi takot, anxiety, panic attack. Nahirapan kang huminga [dahil sa COVID-19] tapos kapag may panic atack lalong lumalala so prayer helps in this aspect, kumalma sila at nagkaroon ng kapayapaan,” said Felloni.
He added that it is noteworthy that what he is calling now is no longer an individual but a family.
Volunteer priests launch ‘e-pray’ for COVID-19 patients
“Every call is usually a group of people. Compared with the first ECQ, you can see na talagang parang ‘yung new variant mas aggressive,” said Felloni.
Cell phone calls, Messenger apps, or video calls are the services offered by 65 volunteer priests.
Felloni’s group can be contacted on the following Facebook accounts:
One can also text the number 0995-041-7199 and enter the patient’s name and number and its Messenger account that the priest will call.
“Don’t let any COVID-19 patients face it alone, let us bring God to them,” said Felloni.
Meanwhile, psychiatrist Dr. Bernadette Arcena said it is important to focus on the mental health of people who test positive and recover from COVID-19 because it can have long-term effects.