The world turned the page on 2020 last month, but the coronavirus pandemic continued to hold sway over lives, deaths, rituals, ceremonies and prayers, as captured by AP photographers in January.
At a Los Angeles hospital, a chaplain clad in protective gear to safeguard his own health placed his hand on the head of a COVID-19 patient in blessing. For the past 11 months, he and others have entered the rooms of the sick and dying to comfort them and reassure them there is nothing to fear.
Click to Gallery
Chaplain Kevin Deegan places his hand on the head of a COVID-19 patient while praying for him at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. Deegan's job, and that of his fellow chaplains at the 377-bed medical center, is to minister to every one of them and also their loved ones. So each day for the past 11 months he has been entering the rooms of the sick and dying clad in a face mask, face shield, gloves and full body cover to pray with them, hold their hands, gently brush their foreheads and reassure them there is nothing to fear. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)
Young Catholic devotees wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus stand try to get a glimpse of the the Black Nazarene at the Santa Cruz Church in Manila, Philippines a day before it's feast day on Friday Jan. 8, 2021. The annual Jan. 9 procession attended by tens of thousands of devotees has been cancelled amid the threat of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in one of Asia's biggest religious events. (AP PhotoAaron Favila)
A group of Naga girls in traditional attire accompany a bride-to-be, center, as she leaves her village to travel to the village of her groom, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Nagas are an indigenous people living in several northeastern Indian states and across the border in Myanmar. (AP PhotoYirmiyan Arthur)
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, bows his head during a closing prayer of a joint session of the House and Senate to confirm Electoral College votes at the Capitol, early Thursday, Jan 7, 2021, in Washington. (AP PhotoAndrew Harnik)
The Rev. David R. Steele, Associate Clergy at Luke's Episcopal church receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination at a pop-up vaccination site at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP PhotoMary Altaffer)
Dr. Viktoria Mahnych, wearing a Hutsul's traditional colorful clothes, center, crosses herself holding a face mask in her hand because other worshippers forced her to take off her mask " in order not to remind about the contagion" in the Holy Trinity church during the Orthodox Christmas celebration in Iltsi village, Ivano-Frankivsk region of Western Ukraine, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Mahnych fears that a lockdown in Ukraine came too late and the long holidays, during which Ukrainians frequented entertainment venues, attended festive parties and crowded church services, will trigger a surge in new coronavirus infections. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
A model wears a creation by Haitian designer Mackenley Darius during a voodoo fashion show in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Mackenley, a former student of the National School of the Arts, is working to promote with the help of friends, artists and designers, his country's culture, most especially voodoo, a religion that he feels is misunderstood. (AP PhotoDieu Nalio Chery)
A worker from "Hevra Kadisha," Israel's official Jewish burial society, dress in full protective gear rests at a special morgue for people who died from COVID-19, during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, in the central Israeli city of Holon, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
The coffin of Iancu Tucarman is transported on a cart, past an honor guard, at a Jewish cemetery in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Tucarman, one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Romania, was buried after dying from COVID-19 last week at the age of 98. (AP PhotoVadim Ghirda)
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray in a divided section during nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
Priests walk in an empty St. Peter's Square in front of the Apostolic Palace where Pope Francis is reciting the Angelus noon prayer in his studio, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. "I pray for the dead, for the injured and for who lost their home or work,'' Francis said following the weekly Angelus blessing, delivered from the Apostolic Palace library and not from his usual perch, a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, due to COVID-19 restrictions. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Relatives weep as they pray during the burial of Fadly Satrianto, a victim of the crash of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. More searchers and rescuers joined the search Friday for wreckage and victims from the Indonesian plane that crashed in the Java Sea. (AP PhotoTrisnadi)
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Jill Biden holds the Bible during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, as their children Ashley and Hunter watch.(AP PhotoAndrew Harnik, Pool)
Villagers release firecrackers and hold placards featuring U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris after her inauguration, in Thulasendrapuram, the hometown of Harris' maternal grandfather, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Residents of a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies flocked to a Hindu temple, setting off firecrackers and praying and as they watched Kamala Harris, who has strong roots to the village, take her oath of office and become the U.S. vice president on Wednesday. (AP PhotoAijaz Rahi)
Men pray on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Dome of the Rock Mosque one the Al Aqsa Mosque compound for Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Many people prayed outside the gates of the Old City, due to coronavirus restrictions on gathering at the mosque compound. (AP PhotoMahmoud Illean)
Roses with a note saying "#weremember", is placed on the Holocaust Memorial on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (AP PhotoMarkus Schreiber)
Nepalese Hindu devotees offer prayers along the banks of the Hanumante river during Madhav Narayan Festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. During the festival, devotees recite holy scriptures dedicated to Hindu goddess Swasthani and Lord Shiva. Unmarried women pray to get a good husband while those married pray for the longevity of their husbands by observing a month-long fast. (AP PhotoNiranjan Shrestha)
A patient holds an Our Lady of Guadalupe card in his bed while talking to chaplain Nancy Many at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. As families are barred from visiting loved ones to curb the disease's spread, chaplains often are there to act as surrogates, holding the hands of the dying, praying with them and carrying iPads into hospital rooms to provide a real-time connection with grieving families. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)
In Bucharest, Romania, a coffin crowned with red and white flowers and containing the remains of Holocaust survivor Iancu Tucarman, who died of the virus at age 98, was wheeled past an honor guard of uniformed soldiers for burial.
Chaplain Kevin Deegan places his hand on the head of a COVID-19 patient while praying for him at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. Deegan's job, and that of his fellow chaplains at the 377-bed medical center, is to minister to every one of them and also their loved ones. So each day for the past 11 months he has been entering the rooms of the sick and dying clad in a face mask, face shield, gloves and full body cover to pray with them, hold their hands, gently brush their foreheads and reassure them there is nothing to fear. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)
And in Vatican City, St. Peter’s Square stood practically deserted as Pope Francis recited the Angelus noon prayer in his studio instead of at a window overlooking the plaza due to health restrictions.
That was just one of countless rites around the globe altered because of the virus.
In Washington, Joe Biden’s inaugural ceremony outside the Capitol was held in front of a drastically pared-down group of socially distanced attendees, with the new president swearing in on a thick Bible that’s been a “family heirloom” since 1893.
Young Catholic devotees wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus stand try to get a glimpse of the the Black Nazarene at the Santa Cruz Church in Manila, Philippines a day before it's feast day on Friday Jan. 8, 2021. The annual Jan. 9 procession attended by tens of thousands of devotees has been cancelled amid the threat of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in one of Asia's biggest religious events. (AP PhotoAaron Favila)
Two weeks earlier, inside the same building, lawmakers wearing face masks bowed their heads for the closing prayer of a joint session of Congress to confirm Electoral College votes — hours after a violent insurrection by rioters bent on overturning Biden’s election.
These and more are among the AP’s top faith-related images from January.
Follow AP visual journalism:
A group of Naga girls in traditional attire accompany a bride-to-be, center, as she leaves her village to travel to the village of her groom, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Nagas are an indigenous people living in several northeastern Indian states and across the border in Myanmar. (AP PhotoYirmiyan Arthur)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews
AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images
AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com
Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, bows his head during a closing prayer of a joint session of the House and Senate to confirm Electoral College votes at the Capitol, early Thursday, Jan 7, 2021, in Washington. (AP PhotoAndrew Harnik)
The Rev. David R. Steele, Associate Clergy at Luke's Episcopal church receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination at a pop-up vaccination site at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP PhotoMary Altaffer)
Dr. Viktoria Mahnych, wearing a Hutsul's traditional colorful clothes, center, crosses herself holding a face mask in her hand because other worshippers forced her to take off her mask " in order not to remind about the contagion" in the Holy Trinity church during the Orthodox Christmas celebration in Iltsi village, Ivano-Frankivsk region of Western Ukraine, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Mahnych fears that a lockdown in Ukraine came too late and the long holidays, during which Ukrainians frequented entertainment venues, attended festive parties and crowded church services, will trigger a surge in new coronavirus infections. (AP PhotoEvgeniy Maloletka)
A model wears a creation by Haitian designer Mackenley Darius during a voodoo fashion show in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Mackenley, a former student of the National School of the Arts, is working to promote with the help of friends, artists and designers, his country's culture, most especially voodoo, a religion that he feels is misunderstood. (AP PhotoDieu Nalio Chery)
A worker from "Hevra Kadisha," Israel's official Jewish burial society, dress in full protective gear rests at a special morgue for people who died from COVID-19, during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, in the central Israeli city of Holon, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
The coffin of Iancu Tucarman is transported on a cart, past an honor guard, at a Jewish cemetery in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Tucarman, one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Romania, was buried after dying from COVID-19 last week at the age of 98. (AP PhotoVadim Ghirda)
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray in a divided section during nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (AP PhotoOded Balilty)
Priests walk in an empty St. Peter's Square in front of the Apostolic Palace where Pope Francis is reciting the Angelus noon prayer in his studio, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. "I pray for the dead, for the injured and for who lost their home or work,'' Francis said following the weekly Angelus blessing, delivered from the Apostolic Palace library and not from his usual perch, a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, due to COVID-19 restrictions. (AP PhotoAndrew Medichini)
Relatives weep as they pray during the burial of Fadly Satrianto, a victim of the crash of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. More searchers and rescuers joined the search Friday for wreckage and victims from the Indonesian plane that crashed in the Java Sea. (AP PhotoTrisnadi)
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Jill Biden holds the Bible during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, as their children Ashley and Hunter watch.(AP PhotoAndrew Harnik, Pool)
Villagers release firecrackers and hold placards featuring U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris after her inauguration, in Thulasendrapuram, the hometown of Harris' maternal grandfather, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Residents of a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies flocked to a Hindu temple, setting off firecrackers and praying and as they watched Kamala Harris, who has strong roots to the village, take her oath of office and become the U.S. vice president on Wednesday. (AP PhotoAijaz Rahi)
Men pray on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Dome of the Rock Mosque one the Al Aqsa Mosque compound for Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Many people prayed outside the gates of the Old City, due to coronavirus restrictions on gathering at the mosque compound. (AP PhotoMahmoud Illean)
Roses with a note saying "#weremember", is placed on the Holocaust Memorial on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (AP PhotoMarkus Schreiber)
Nepalese Hindu devotees offer prayers along the banks of the Hanumante river during Madhav Narayan Festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. During the festival, devotees recite holy scriptures dedicated to Hindu goddess Swasthani and Lord Shiva. Unmarried women pray to get a good husband while those married pray for the longevity of their husbands by observing a month-long fast. (AP PhotoNiranjan Shrestha)
A patient holds an Our Lady of Guadalupe card in his bed while talking to chaplain Nancy Many at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. As families are barred from visiting loved ones to curb the disease's spread, chaplains often are there to act as surrogates, holding the hands of the dying, praying with them and carrying iPads into hospital rooms to provide a real-time connection with grieving families. (AP PhotoJae C. Hong)
