EL CENTRO, CA (June 27, 2020) – San Diego Catholic Bishop Robert W. McElroy issued the following statement today after Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended that Imperial County re-institute stay-at-home orders because of the high rate of infection of COVID-19 there:
“We are pausing our plans to re-open our parishes for public Masses in Imperial County starting today given the current health conditions.
“I thank our priests, church personnel and volunteers who had prepared for weeks to welcome our brothers and sisters back to Mass, but the community’s and our parishioners’ safety comes first.
“We will keep our faithful informed about when we plan to resume our public Masses. In the meantime, we encourage them to continue to join us in the live-transmissions of our Masses.
“As people of faith we know that God walks with us every day, especially in these difficult times. We will continue to pray for those who are sick and for the families of those who have died because of this virus, not only in Imperial County but everywhere.”