Bishop George Leo Thomas speaks during an interfaith prayer service at Guardian Angel Cathedral Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018.
Published Friday, March 13, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Updated Saturday, March 14, 2020 | 1:26 p.m.
The plan for parishioners headed to services today at WALK Church was for them to be greeted with something a little different: hand-sanitizing stations and disinfectant wipes were going be available across the Schofield Middle School campus, where the congregation conducts its weekly services.
Churchgoers, who typically greet one another with hugs, high-fives and handshakes, were going to being asked to refrain from these expressions of love, due to fears surrounding the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Instead, the members of the WALK congregation will gather online for a livestreaming of today’s services.
As COVID-19 cases continue to spread across the United States, and throughout Nevada, some places of worship around Las Vegas are modifying practices to mitigate a potential spread in their congregations.
“We received an email from the Clark County School District (CCSD), notifying us that all extra-curricular activities have been suspended, including any assemblies or gatherings other than regular classes. This includes any and all church services, which directly impacts us,” WALK officials wrote Saturday to congregants. “We are certainly living in critical times.”
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas on Friday announced that Bishop George Leo Thomas is “dispensing” Catholics within the dioceses from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass at least through the end of the month.Thomas said the decision was made because of the “grave and unprecedented moment.”
For those Catholics who still wish to attend Mass, the diocese has changed how the sacrament of Holy Communion is distributed. While communicants continue to receive hosts, they no longer partake in wine from a single, shared chalice.
Since late February, Catholic churchgoers also have been instructed to refrain from physical contact when exchanging the sign of peace during Mass.
“There is widespread focus on preventive measures recommended by health officials to stem the potential spread of this highly communicable virus,” Thomas said. “In the past, we have dealt with issues related to the prevention and spread of other communicable diseases by recommending common sense measures that help to inhibit the transmission of respiratory and saliva borne illnesses.”
Thomas’ statement came days before a priest in Washington, D.C., was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. His congregants at Christ Church Georgetown have since been asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days by health officials. Last week, the Vatican announced cancellation of papal events, which are typically open to the public. Pope Francis’ addresses were livestreamed from the library of the Vatican’s apostolic palace, instead of St. Peter’s Square.
Clergy in Las Vegas, meanwhile, are being asked to practice good hygiene and wash their hands before mass. They are also asking congregants to stay home if they feel sick.
“We will monitor information provided by officials from the Southern Nevada Health District and the CDC and make changes based on recommendations from the health care community,” Thomas wrote.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Thursday that it has suspended all public gatherings of church members worldwide “until further notice.” It is also modifying its biannual conference in Salt Lake City this April — which typically draws crowds of nearly 100,000 people — by only allowing top leaders, their spouses, musicians, choir members and technicians to attend. The two-day conference will be broadcast on television and online.
Not all places of worship have had to drastically alter their traditions, however.
Rev. Shoda Kanai, who leads Kannon Temple of Las Vegas, a Nichiren Buddhist temple near downtown Las Vegas, said that while the virus has certainly been a concern, he isn’t worried yet for his congregation of approximately 20 people. Still, he said he’s been keeping an eye on it.
No matter how bad the virus spreads in Nevada, he hopes to emphasize and practice taking care of one another and being considerate.
“We can’t go around buying all the toilet paper,” he said. “We can worry about ourselves but maybe think of others as well and listen to the people in charge like the CDC.”
Iman Shamsudin Waheed of Masjid Ibrahim said washing is already required before prayers and that health, hygiene and cleanliness are emphasized in Islamic law and culture.
“Cleanliness is half of the faith,” he said. “We’re also asking congregants to avoid handshaking and human contact. Other than that, nothing has really changed here.”
Cleanliness is something stressed in Jewish law as well, said Rabbi Yitz Wyne of Young Israel Aish. In fact, when Europe was struck with the Black Plague in the 1300s, the Jewish community was impacted a great deal less than others at that time, which some historians attribute to Jewish practices that promote hand-washing before meals and going to the bathroom. Wyne has addressed the illness with his congregants over the last two weeks so that they will be able to handle it from both a practical and Jewish perspective.
“We did reemphasize proper hygiene including washing your hands and having hand sanitizer readily available,” he said. “We also spoke about coming to the synagogue when you are healthy, and refraining from coming when you are sick.”
Overall, the message has been positive, Wyne said.
“The Jewish people and humanity have thrived through much worse, and perhaps more destructive to our community and society than the virus, is behaving with fear and panic,” he said. “So, we have to understand that this is serious — it is our obligation to take reasonable precautions to remain in good health, and at the same time, live with confidence in the Almighty that if we do what we’re supposed to do, things will be fine.”
Pastor Randall Cunningham of Remnant Ministries, which serves as many as 2,200 congregants, said no one has approached him with any concerns yet, and feels that it’s best to leave everything in “God’s hands.”
“Realistically, we believe God is in control and that we just have to be faithful with the small things,” he said. “He does what he does, and we will adjust according to his voice.”
