IN PHOTOS: Churchgoers 'present' despite empty pews on Easter 2020

MANILA, Philippines – They may be locked up in their homes, but Catholics still made their presence felt in the traditional rituals on Sunday, April 12, to mark the greatest feast of Christianity: Easter.

Masses remain suspended in Luzon and other parts of the Philippines, but Catholics made a way to participate in Easter Sunday rituals, the same way they did during Holy Week.

In Angeles City, Pampanga, photos of parishioners were taped on church pews inside the Holy Rosary Parish during the Easter Sunday Mass this year.

At the University of the Philippines in Diliman, a drive-by procession was held on campus and in the residential areas to celebrate Easter.

Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses were, of course, also livestreamed for the sake of Catholics under quarantine. (You may watch on Rappler the Easter Vigil Mass led by Ateneo president Father Jett Villarin, SJ, and the Easter Sunday Mass led by Pope Francis.)

Here is how Filipinos celebrated Easter in the time of COVID-19.

PRESENCE. Photos of parishioners are taped on church pews as Easter Sunday Mass is celebrated in an empty Holy Rosary Parish on April 12, 2020, as Luzon remains on lockdown due to COVID-19. Photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP

EASTER SUNDAY. A drive-by procession is held around the residential areas of the University of the Philippines in Diliman on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020. Photo by Angie de Silva/Rappler

DEVOTION. Residents pray and look on during an Easter procession at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman, Quezon City, on April 12, 2020. Photo by Angie de Silva/Rappler

SALUBONG. The traditional 'Salubong,' a procession remembering the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the first Easter, is held around the University of the Philippines in Diliman on April 12, 2020, with proper measures for physical distancing due to COVID-19. Photo by Angie de Silva/Rappler

SIGN OF HOPE. While parishioners have to stay home, churches remain the focal point of Easter Sunday on April 12, 2020. Photo by KD Madrilejos/Rappler

– Rappler.com