A priest in Michigan, US recently came up with a unique way to maintain social distance from churchgoers - using a toy gun to bless them with holy water. Photos of Father Tim Pelc's socially distanced services in Detroit have gone viral on social media, even sparking a Photoshop battle on Reddit. Pics of the priest squirting holy water from a plastic squirt gun were first shared by St Ambrose Parish on Facebook back in April. They began to receive viral attention after being reposted on Twitter, where they have delighted thousands of viewers.
Take a look:
A Priest giving social distance blessings with a squirt pistol and what, I'm assuming, is Holy water. 2020 folks. pic.twitter.com/iDnYs33hs9
— Jeff Barnaby (@tripgore) May 15, 2020
Since being shared two days ago, the photo of Father Tim Pelc using a squirt gun has collected over 5.6 lakh 'likes' and more than 1 lakh 'retweets'. Take a look at the amused reactions it has garnered:
— Stroszek Horseman (@Sunset_Rust) May 16, 2020
*giggles uncontrollably* Oh please God, let Squirt Gun Communion be the one new tradition that sticks with us forevermore.
— Arinn Dembo (@Erinys) May 16, 2020
The picture has even been turned into a meme by Twitter users:
— Mrs. Dong Copter (@HitCockBottom) May 16, 2020
— Dong Copter (@AdamantAnarchy) May 16, 2020
Father Pelc, 70, told Buzzfeed News that the idea of using a water gun to bless his parishioners emerged during Easter, and that he consulted a doctor to make sure it was safe.
"The original idea was to do something for the kids of the parish," he said. "They were about ready to have an Easter unlike any of their past, so I thought, what can we still do that would observe all the protocols of social distancing?"
"It was a good news story and people were in the mood for something like that," Father Tim Pelc said.
Around the world, people are coming up with unique ways to adopt social distancing as a way of life amid the pandemic. Take a look at some other examples here.
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