Tree of Life marks one year since first COVID death in PA

To mark one year since the first COVID-19 death in Pennsylvania, Tree of Life Congregation will host an interfaith service memorializing “all that has been lost since the coronavirus pandemic upended lives,” according to a press release.

The virtual service, “COVID-19 One Year Later: A Service of Remembrance, Healing, & Renewal,” will be held at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, March 18, and feature remarks from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Participating clergy and religious leaders, representing communities across Pittsburgh, include:

• Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, Tree of Life
• Bishop David Zubik, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
• Rector Jonathan Jensen, Calvary Episcopal Church
• The Rev. Dr. Vincent Campbell, Ebenezer Baptist Church
• The Rev. Karie Charlton, Third Presbyterian Church
• Som Sharma, the Hindu-Jain Temple of Monroeville
• Imam Chris Caras, Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
• The Rev. Liddy Barlow, Christian Associates of SW Pennsylvania
• The Rev. C. Matthew Hawkins, St. Benedict the Moor Parish

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“Grief is communal and a year into the pandemic, I felt it important to create an opportunity for all of us to mourn what has been lost this past year,” said Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life, in a prepared statement. “Communities of faith have also sustained many people over the past year and I think, amid the grief, we, as religious leaders, can offer words of assurance, healing and hope for the future.”

Members of the public are invited to join the service online at: treeoflifepgh.org/covidservice. PJC

— Toby Tabachnick