Praying through the pandemic: Religion, uncertainty, and care

Abstract

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Roma Pentecostal converts in England continued to meet for religious gatherings and communal prayer, either outdoors or in private homes of church members, despite measures put in place by the British government that limited the number of social contacts between individuals and at times forbade visiting other households. Among the members of the Life and Light church are many who belong to one of the high-risk categories for complications from Covid-19. Why would converts take part in activities that involved increased risk of virus transmission and increase their possibility of getting ill? This paper draws on informal online and in-person conversations with Roma that took place during the summer and autumn of 2020 and reflects on religion and communal prayer as a strategy of coping with the heightened uncertainty brought by the pandemic. It argues that participating in religious meetings where people jointly pray for others, both those who present and those who are absent, is an intangible form of care that helps to forge, shape, and maintain social relationships and creates a sense of belonging and continuity. In addition, praying is an embodied expression of one’s relationship to a transcendental entity, Jesus, and of placing oneself into the caring hands of God and Jesus. Lastly, the Church provides material support for members who are in a difficult financial situation. Participating in Church activities like prayer meetings is an expression of belonging to a religious collectivity and can help gain access to this material help in situations when access to state-provided care and material support is limited or absent, thus opening for church members the possibility of tangible forms of care. The paper looks at the role of religion in dealing with the uncertainty that Roma migrants experience when dealing with the state and going about their everyday lives and the upheaval and increased uncertainty brought by the pandemic.

Faith and Overcoming Trauma in an Evangelical Romani Community

“…They see the tragedy related to the conference as a way for people to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ while not ruling out human negligence in not complying with Covid-19 restrictions. (FM: NN; MN) Therefore, prayer is one of the most important strategies for coping with the precarious situation brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, as other authors also pointed out (Doležalová 2021).…”

“…Research that focuses on evangelicalism (especially the Pentecostal faith) and its multiple roles for Romani believers under uncertain living conditions is scarce but important (Doležalová 2021;Montañés Jimenez 2022;Wachsmuth 2022;Slavkova 2023). In contrast, the Covid-19 pandemic has widely attracted the interests of scholars studying how Roma respond to challenges in their everyday lives (Albert 2021;Doležalová 2021;Montañés Jimenez 2022;Sarafian 2022;Surová 2022; Gay y Blasco and Fotta 2023; Maeva and Erolova 2023 and others). Trying to see the disaster through the eyes of my interlocutors, this paper aims to add new fieldwork results and insights.…”

Ethnographic Methods in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Research

“…Like millions of others, GRT individuals and families transferred online much of their everyday sociability and interaction with the state, and it was online that researchers began documenting the transformation of social life brought on by the pandemic. Some attempted to continue in this way their work on issues that were not directly linked to the crisis, even if unavoidably affected by it -topics as diverse as oral history, gendered violence or Roma Pentecostal missionizing (for example, Doležalová, 2021).…”