Scottsdale church offers drive-thru holy water for Palm Sunday

Even though large gatherings for a mass on Palm Sunday are not happening this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, one Scottsdale church is still trying to celebrate while keeping in-person interactions possible - at a distance.

Instead of pews, parishioners pray in car seats, behind car doors and rolled down car windows.

At Our Lady of Perpetual Hope in Scottsdale, bottles of holy water are given out so palms can be blessed at home.

It’s nice to have some spiritual guidance through this," said parishoner Kathy Johnson. "It’s kind of stressful."

Johnson said she'll watch the online mass once she's home.

"This parish has done an amazing job of keeping us together when we can’t be together physically, and it’s such a blessing" said Johnson.

Father Gregory Schlarp says they prepared 434 bottles of holy water to give out to people.

He says his online masses have grown to over a thousand.

Through gloves and face masks, he’s happy to have even this brief interaction in person with parishioners.

"We miss seeing each other, even our more challenging parishoners, we miss them as well," said Schlarb. "It's great they're able to come through to say hi, and for us to be able to give them something - let them know we're parying for them."

The moment may not seem like much, but to some, it’s the blessing and the encouragement needed to keep their heads up as Arizona enters a Holy Week stuck at home.

"We'll get through it with God's help," Kathy Johnson said.

Churches in the state have also moved to drive-thru confessionals as well.