SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — ABC 10News Anchor Kimberly Hunt was at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Cortez Hill Thursday night, community reporting on San Diegans' evolving relationship with their faiths.
Jews and Christians around the world are preparing for a big religious holiday weekend as Passover began during Holy Week ahead of Easter Sunday.
Observers of the holidays will head to their respective temples and churches over the next few days, but possibly in smaller crowds.
At St. Joseph's Catholics are observing Holy Week, the final week of Lent that holds great significance in the Christian faith.
April 6 marked Holy Thursday, and people prepared to pack the cathedral ahead of the Mass of the Lord's Supper.
A report released from the Pew Research Center last week shows people of all religions are observing holy days in a variety of fashions, including traditional, in-person ceremonies and virtual gatherings.
The research center conducted five surveys since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, beginning around July 2020.
At the time, around 40% of Americans said they participated in religious services either in person, virtually or by watching on TV.
Fast forward to Nov. 2022, and Pew Research reported that 20% of Americans they spoke to are attending in-person services less frequently.
Meanwhile, only 7% said they were going more often. On the flip side, 15% said they were attending more virtual ceremonies.
Just 5% said they were attending virtually or watching on TV less often.
More findings from Pew Research's report showed a decline in Americans attending religious services in general, especially for younger people.
For Americans ages 18 through 29, 72% said they did not attend any type of religious service in the last month. People ages 30 to 49 who were surveyed did not attend any services in the last month at a 63% clip. Finally, just over 50% of those 50 and up said they attended a religious service in some form over the last month.
ABC 10News spoke to San Diegans about their habits when it comes to religious services. One woman we spoke with, Jessica Colosimo, says she's a woman of faith, and when it comes to church she prefers to keep politics out of it.
"While I was raised a Presbyterian from when I was very, very small, a couple of their ideas don't fit me now. So my choice is not to go all the time. But nevertheless, I want to participate on these special days, like Easter," she said.
Colosimo says she plans to attend the Balboa Park sunrise service on Easter morning.
As Holy Week marches on, so does Passover. This year, it runs from April 5 to April 13. It commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt.
The first two nights of the festival are highlighted by Seder meals. The special meals include drinking wine, eating unleavened bread called matzah and bitter herbs. It also includes a retelling of the story of Exodus: How the Israelites left Biblical Egypt.
Easter, the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection, is just three days away.
Celebrations started last weekend with Palm Sunday. Good Friday commemorates Jesus' crucifixion and death.
Some churches begin celebrating Easter late Saturday night at a service called the Easter Vigil.
