CHARLOTTE — The Catholic Diocese of Charlotte counts about a half-million members in its numbers across the Charlotte area to Western North Carolina.
In light of concerns over the coronavirus, the church has taken steps to protect people attending Mass and serving in the church. Some of those steps involve a change in taking communion and social behavior.
Pastors and parishioners are being asked to make a common-sense approach to the issue, but there is some urgency now that the virus has been confirmed in North Carolina.
The effort by the Catholic Church is an attempt to keep people healthy and avoid awkward situations when it comes to greeting friends and shaking hands at church.
The diocese doesn’t want people to worry.
"There really isn't a heightened sense of people trying to cause alarm,” said Father Patrick Winslow, who is the vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte. “Rather, there is a general sense of looking out for one another.”
Pastors are being asked to discourage handshaking, avoid extending the sign of peace, which also involves a handshake and no longer taking communion from a chalice that everyone drinks from.
Those who distribute communion should wash their hands and churches will clean surfaces daily that are touched and encourage people to cover coughs.
The diocese has taken similar precautions before during bad flu outbreaks, and it is are keeping up with the latest information from health officials.
"Every week, there are large congregations in Catholic churches throughout Western North Carolina and our diocese. We wanted to offer some of that guidance to share it, so that we could be responsible citizens to be part of prevention," Winslow said.
A letter from Bishop Peter Jugis sent last week led to the changes, which are also being recommended in other parts of the country. The church said it will likely be an ongoing practice until the threat of the spread of coronavirus has passed.
The bishop’s letter recommended that anyone who has symptoms or has reason to think they’ve been exposed to the virus, should watch Mass and other church events on a livestream from home.
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