Easter mornings are normally filled with joyous gatherings, easter egg hunts, and people dressed in their best to attend services. This Sunday, the region was eerily quiet.

Churches and houses of worship across the region encouraged people to social distance, stay at home, and watch Easter services online. It was the only approach amidst stay-at-home-orders and the banning of gatherings of more than ten people.

Reverend Rob Hardies thought there was symbolism in celebrating Easter during the pandemic. His All Souls Church Unitarian in Columbia Heights was streaming pre-taped services online.

And his sermon Sunday highlighted the connection between the emptiness of churches in the coronavirus era and Jesus’s tomb on Easter. “Our message is the promise of empty spaces,” says Hardies, “When the [Jesus’s] tomb is first found, it’s empty. At first, this is awful news. But, then, it turns into good news.”

He says that houses of worship may be empty this Easter, he knows good will come out of it. “It will allow our reunion at the end. There’s life beyond this pandemic.”

But not all parishioners made the spiritual connection they wanted on Easter.

Amy Faulconer of Arlington has gone to church her whole life. She currently attends and volunteers at National Community Church right by Union Station. She says not being to go to church on Easter “makes me feel alone and disconnected.” The problem extends to Easter dinner. “My mom loves having her friends over and bringing people together. It’s tough.”

Faulconer acknowledges that some people might have enjoyed being able to watch church services from home without putting on their Sunday best. But it didn’t work well for her. “I can’t focus, there’s less connection, and the music isn’t as immersive,” says Faulconer. “It’s just odd.”

Others took the day more in stride. Southeast-resident Doris Savoy goes to 7 a.m. mass every day at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church, so this Easter has certainly been an adjustment. But she managed. “If I can’t be there, at least we got the word from our pastor.” Savoy says the experience may be different watching services online from home, but the solitude had some benefits. “My full attention was 100 percent on the celebration of the services,” says Savoy, “Nobody was touching me or saying something. There was no conversation… it was a wonderful experience.”

Savoy says she’s looking forward to hugging her granddaughter and fellow 7 a.m. worshippers again. But she knows that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said that hugging could be a risky proposition, even when things start getting back to normal.

That may be too much to ask of Savoy when the pandemic is over. “We come from a parish that there’s always been a hug or an embrace at mass,” she says. “So, we’ll see.

This post has been updated with a clarification that All Souls Church Unitarian Easter service was pre-taped.