Mar 15, 2021 2 min read

On Thursday, one year to the day after the first COVID-19 death was reported in Pennsylvania, Tree of Life in Pittsburgh will host an interfaith service to memorialize all that has been lost since the coronavirus pandemic upended lives, killing more than 525,000 people across the country, shuttering businesses and schools, disrupting family traditions and forcing houses of worship to move services online.

The virtual service, “COVID-19 One Year Later: A Service of Remembrance, Healing, & Renewal,” will happen at 8 p.m., and include remarks from 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

“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. “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.