CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — People who want to express how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them spiritually, emotionally or physically are invited to an event at a west suburban Catholic church this week.
The event at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville Wednesday is one of a series of three gatherings scheduled for the next six months with the theme of “Adaptability and Stability: Standing Firmly on Shifting Ground.”
This week’s event is called, “I’m Listening. Dealing with the Aftershocks of COVID-19.”
“When we began doing this planning way back in March, we felt that we’d be in a better position right now (with the pandemic),” Chari Rosales, director of Adult Faith Formation at St. Thomas, told WBBM Newsradio. “People went through so much emotionally during this time, that they need a safe time and space to unpack some of this.”
Rosales said the effects on people may have been mostly negative or they may have been positive, too.
“Some of it was absolutely negative. People dealing with isolation, with loss, with grief, with restrictions. But we found, also, that it wasn’t all bad. Some people resumed or began spiritual practice. Some people deepened their prayer life. Some reached out to neighbors, to friends, to the community, people they may not have dealt with before,” she continued.
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The event will be moderated by Rev. Karen Swiderski, the manager of spiritual care and education at Edward-Elmhurst Health.
“I don’t think there’s a moment or a day that goes by where people aren’t talking about it, where people aren’t sharing the best or the worst or sharing their anger. Many think this is all futile. It really is affecting the human spirit,” Swiderski told WBBM Newsradio.
She explained that she sees her job as one of listening to what people have to say and validating their feelings.
For reservations or more information, contact St. Thomas the Apostle Church via Felicia Lawlor, the church’s faith community nurse. She can be contacted at flawlor@stapostle.org or 630-355-8980, ext. 104.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the church’s Lighthouse room. Current COVID-19 procedures will be followed including a mask requirement for all attendees regardless of vaccination status.
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