From San Diego-In the US, hundreds of people in Washington D.C. were exposed to Coronavirus when an Episcopal priest gave out communion before testing positive to the virus. The first confirmed cases of Coronavirus in a few cities have been Episcopal priests, including D.C. Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fort Worth, Texas after the denomination held The Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes annual conference in February.
In his message on Sunday over livestream, Jeff Martinhauk, Priest at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, explained that throughout the week the cathedral staff had made the radical change of not offering eucharist without knowing a few days later they would do the unthinkable of closing their doors. By the time the County banned gatherings of 250 people, they had decided they could not risk becoming another story of a faith community spreading the virus exponentially.
“Closing down churches, from the perspective of in-person gathering, is a way to love your neighbor. I sincerely understand that for many people, the experience of church is about connection. And there's a fear that, especially in the context of many people socially isolating, that they might need that connection more than ever. But I think that's actually where we need boldfaced leadership to step in and say, ‘No, this is the right thing to do. This is a Christian thing,’” said Colon.
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