Catholic church cancels Mass until April

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas has canceled Mass at least through the weekend of April 5, a week before Easter, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The suspension includes all church services, parish meetings and religious education classes.

“The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of the life of the church and the church’s most priceless treasure,” Bishop George Leo Thomas wrote in a letter to Las Vegas Catholics on Monday.

“The decision to suspend public celebration of Mass must be driven by grave and unprecedented circumstances and can never be taken lightly,” Thomas said.

Thomas encouraged churches to livestream services and people to pray the pandemic will not only end but draw everyone closer together.

Scheduled weddings and funerals will still take place, but gatherings should be limited to no more than 250 people, Thomas said.

“I am also giving Pastors the option of keeping their parish churches open for reasonable hours each day so that individual parishioners will have the opportunity for private devotional prayer and Eucharistic Adoration,” he said. “It is essential to remember the importance of our prayers for one another, our civic leaders, and health care providers at this time.”