Religious groups on Boston University’s campus have shifted some programming online this Fall, but while university-affiliated Marsh Chapel remains closed, other buildings unaffiliated with BU have kept their doors open.
Marsh Chapel did not hold an in-person worship following its March 15 service until Aug. 30, when it held its outdoor interdenominational Protestant service for matriculation, according to Marsh director Raymond Bouchard. Marsh did, however, continue to broadcast weekly services on WBUR.
Some classes take place in Marsh each afternoon, Bouchard said, adding that BU Facilities Management and Operations cleans the space every morning and afternoon.
“They can have as many as 40 people … but they haven’t been getting that many,” Bouchard said. “A lot of students are opting to just do it online.”
Inside the chapel, every other pew has been roped off and marked with stickers indicating to students not to sit there. Compliance status badges must also be shown before entry.
Karen Coleman, university chaplain for Episcopal ministry, said Marsh must abide by University rules.
“We are a chapel that’s a department that’s under the umbrella of Boston University,” Coleman said. “So we are not an independent entity like many churches in the area that have different parameters of when and how they can open.”
She said Marsh will not reopen for in-person services until BU guidelines permit safe gatherings.
“We fall under the purview of the president and the provost and the people who are making the decisions to reopen, whenever that is,” Coleman said. “We will follow the University guidelines when it is safe to reopen and worship.”
Conversations on the reopening of Marsh, however, have been ongoing among BU administration and Facilities, Bouchard said.
“[It’s] not just what we want to do. We have to ask permission from the University,” Bouchard said. “I think they’re okay as long as we’re following the protocols … they haven’t specifically given their blessing.”
Bouchard said he is not yet sure what the musical aspect of in-person services would look like, but said that restricting the choir is “impractical.”
“We would use the organ when we shut down [but] the choir wasn’t singing,” Bouchard said. “We would have to have some kind of barrier, they’d have to be masked.”
The BU Catholic Center has adapted its space to accommodate those who are now unable to use Marsh for Sunday Mass. Office Manager Christina Roberts said the CC is using its first floor with a maximum occupancy of 25 people, and is offering an increased number of services to account for this lowered occupancy.
The CC has employed a receptionist who will ensure protocols are being followed and the number of people inside the building remains under 40, Roberts said.
Because the Catholic Center building on Bay State Road is owned by the Archdiocese of Boston, its safety regulations are based on that of the diocese, but Roberts said the CC decided to “completely comply” with BU’s policies.
“We really want to avoid, first of all, anyone getting sick, and then second of all, anyone getting suspended,” Roberts said. “It was our best bet for keeping everybody safe and keeping the campus running well.”
Roberts said she feels BU’s testing policy is a “comfort.”
The building was closed Oct. 15 and 16 as a precaution due to a close contact incident, according to the public CC Facebook group. Chaplain Kevin Staley-Joyce wrote in the post this decision was made by CC leadership.
“We were not asked to close, but did so out of extraordinary caution as we awaited test results,” the post stated.
Students Activities Office Director John Battaglino said outside religious entities such as BU Hillel and the CC are on the same page as SAO in how they manage activities within their spaces.
“We’ve reviewed the same standards set by the state and University, and … they follow the same information that we’re getting,” Battaglino said. “We orchestrate things together but we certainly are respectful of each other’s needs and the guidelines right now.”
Hillel, which did not respond to multiple requests for comment, is holding most events outside or virtually, according to its website. The building is mainly being used for meals in its dining hall and under restricted hours.
Battaglino worked closely with BU’s Islamic Society to move its weekly Friday prayer from the George Sherman Union Alley to the New Balance Field for the Fall.
ISBU president Faraz Zaidi, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said Battaglino, along with Marsh Chapel and GSU Operations, were “very supportive” in helping to ensure safe accommodations.
“They wanted to work with us together to figure out the best solution,” Zaidi said. “They wanted to make sure that we were aware of the challenges and potential complications.”
Zaidi said the City of Boston allows ISBU to surpass 50-percent capacity on New Balance Field because the space is outdoors and the group’s events are held for a religious purpose. Those looking to participate in the prayer, he said, must register via Eventbrite and take BU’s COVID-19 tests.
“They provided [Battaglino] with a license to exceed that limit as long as everyone is properly tested,” Zaidi said. “The dean himself showed up to check the green badges.”
ISBU also has access to a prayer room in the GSU, which is still open to two students at a time. Zaidi said Facilities cleans the room once per week, but the rest of the responsibility falls on ISBU to disinfect surfaces, which he said he tries to do twice daily.
Battaglino said he is “proud” of student organizations that have continued to schedule activities and adapt to the pandemic.
“The Islamic Society is a really good example of folks who really … continue to do what is important to them,” Battaglino said, “but also to adhere to safety protocols that are important to all of us.”
