By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Some whimsically decorated rocks that appeared, at first glance, to be children’s artwork were neatly arranged on the sidewalks and also on the top of a decorative stone wall near Excursion Park on Sunday.
But a closer look revealed a series of inspirational messages painted on the rocks, including “Help Someone,” “Be Kind to Others,” Air Hugs,” “Love” and “Hope.”
Another rock had a more practical reminder for everyone amid the coronavirus pandemic: “Wash Your Hands.”
The rocks, in an unusual way, offered a glimmer of hope during an unusual Easter Sunday in Sea Isle City.
On the holiest of Christian holidays, Sea Isle was strangely quiet because of the COVID-19 restrictions. The beaches, oceanfront Promenade, churches, stores and other places that normally are popular gathering points for people celebrating Easter remain closed.
Some people, however, were out and about on Easter while enjoying their normal routines – taking a walk with their dogs, riding their bikes or admiring the views of the bay from the city’s marina.
Maureen Szkaradnik, a yoga teacher who lives in Sea Isle, was out jogging with her golden retriever, Gus, as company. Normally, Szkaradnik celebrates Easter with her children and grandchildren in suburban Philadelphia.
But social distancing restrictions caused by the coronavirus outbreak had her spending this Easter Sunday with Gus, minus her children and grandchildren.
In between runs and walks with her dog, Szkaradnik has been teaching yoga classes online over the Zoom app. The COVID-19 outbreak prevents her from having any in-person yoga classes.
“I’m trying to stay within a schedule,” Szkaradnik explained of her walks with Gus and the online yoga classes. “I’m doing all of this to stay grounded.”
Lisa and Ed Quintus, who live in Drexel Hill, Pa., and have a vacation home in Sea Isle, were riding their bikes around town during their quiet Easter Sunday.
Typically, they celebrate their Easters with family gatherings of about 30 people, they said. But this Easter was a much more low-key affair spent with their three children.
Although they are down at the shore, Lisa and Ed Quintus noted that this is no leisurely getaway for their family.
Their two daughters, Sarah, 23, and Emily, 21, who are college students, and their 14-year-old son, Matthew, who is in eighth grade, are all studying online while their schools are shut down during the pandemic.
Lisa Quintus is also studying online. She returned to school as an adult to study nursing and is three weeks away from graduating from West Chester University.
“We’re all online,” Lisa said, emphasizing the word “all” to indicate that the at-home studying is pretty intense.
Alexandra McDonald, 18, a senior at Middle Township High School, also has had her in-class studies interrupted by the coronavirus shutdown. Alexandra and her mother, Jodi McDonald, of Dennis Township, were talking about the school disruptions while taking a walk Sunday in Sea Isle.
“It’s horrible what has happened with the graduations for kids,” Jodi said. “But it’s the world we live in today. We’re trying to do our best.”
Alexandra is heading to Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland in the fall and plans to run cross country. But she’s still not sure whether college will even resume in the fall.
In the meantime, she has been taking runs and walks around Sea Isle to stay in cross country shape. Alexandra and her mom enjoyed a stroll on the boardwalk at Sea Isle’s municipal marina for Easter, soaking up the serene views of the bay in the process.
“We’re just taking a healthy walk this Easter. Normally, we’re with our relatives for the holiday,” Jodi said.
On most Easters, Kathleen Monville Dooley and Mike Boyle attend Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sea Isle. The church, though, was closed on Sunday due to the coronavirus restrictions.
Although Monville Dooley and Boyle couldn’t get inside the church for Easter, they stood outside the historic chapel at St. Joseph’s on Sunday to protest the possibility that the 136-year-old structure will be torn down. They carried blue signs that said “Please Open and Save Our Beloved Church” and wore surgical-style masks to protect them from the coronavirus.
Monville Dooley and Boyle are part of a group of preservationists who are battling with the church’s leadership over the historic building’s fate. A Catholic bishop issued a decree in February declaring that the old church is no longer sacred, a move seen by the preservationists as a prelude to the building’s demolition.
The church’s leadership has said repeatedly that it can’t afford to maintain the old church while also operating the modern St. Joseph’s sanctuary that opened in 2011 at a cost of $7 million. No date has been announced for the old church’s demolition.
In the meantime, Monville Dooley has vowed to show up each Sunday to stage a peaceful protest in support of the old church. Boyle joined with her on Easter.
“I think it’s sad. The whole church situation is sad,” Monville Dooley said of the historic chapel’s possible demolition.
Monville Dooley’s mother, Mary Quinn Monville, began attending the old church in 1922. Boyle said his mother, Sheila Boyle, prayed at the old church nearly every day beginning in 1963. Both Monville Dooley and Boyle want to continue their family tradition of worshipping at the old church.
On Easter, Boyle and Monville Dooley arranged pots of flowers on the steps of the old church. They also exchanged holiday greetings with pedestrians who walked by.
“Happy Easter,” two passersby said at one point.
“Happy Easter to you, too,” Boyle replied.
At least the “Happy Easter” greetings didn’t change during this most unusual of Easter Sundays in Sea Isle City.
