By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — As the Day of the Dead approaches, Trinity Church is turning to a new medium to help people remember those they have lost: the Internet.
The church’s first-ever online Altar of Remembrance invites people from around the world to use Facebook and Twitter (hashtag #allsouls) to submit names, photos and memories of their loved ones.
More than 50 images and stories have poured in over the past several days, including a father recalling his 7-year-old daughter’s "pure soul and love [of] life," and a young woman remembering her grandmother, “who was beautiful, elegant, and didn't know how to whisper in church.”
Many of the posts on the altar’s Facebook page have attracted comments from friends and strangers alike, from condolences to remarks on the resemblance between family members.
"This is tapping into a hunger," said Rev. Daniel Simons, priest of pilgrimage at Trinity Church. "People want to connect with their own lives, with their spirituality, with the people who came before them."
Simons, 46, said he hopes to fight "the crazy amnesia we have about death" by celebrating the Latin-American tradition of the Day of the Dead, which is known in the church as All Souls’ Day.
Just as in years past, Trinity is also building a physical altar in the 300-year-old church, lit by flickering candles, and members of the public are invited to bring their photos and mementos there as well.
But for the many people who won’t find their way into the church over the next several days, the virtual altar will be there. Simons expects to keep it up at least through Nov. 2.
Reaching out to people online is a way of speaking to them on their level, where they are comfortable, and has long been part of Trinity’s mission, said Nathan Brockman, 35, director of communications at the church. Trinity’s website also features blogs, podcasts and videos of services.
"We believe a community can form," Brockman said, "and people can become closer to each other and closer to God online."
Trinity Wall Street, 74 Trinity Pl., will hold its annual Halloween celebration starting at 4 p.m. Friday, with games in the churchyard, a happy hour at 5 p.m. and a silent black-and-white film with live organ accompaniment at 7 p.m. On Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, the church will hold a 6 p.m. service that includes a reading of names of the dead.
