Episcopal Dioceses that have suspended worship as a response to COVID-19


Episcopal Bishops, with the support of the Presiding Bishop, have begun to direct parishes in their dioceses to suspend worship. Parishes have not needed to cease regular worship due to an epidemic in more than 100 years. 

 This is a list of Episcopal dioceses that have been directed by their bishop diocesan to suspend worship.

Some dioceses have explicitly given parishes permission to suspend worship without mandating that they do so. These dioceses are not listed below. Dioceses that explicitly mandate the suspension of in-person worship or encourage churches from meeting together for worship are included.


The dates below should be understood to be the minimum dates through which in-person liturgical gatherings are suspended. Many of the bishops note that the situation will be reassessed, and that worship could be suspended for a longer period of time.

Last and final update: 19 March 6:35 a.m. Central Time (West Tennessee). We will continue to monitor suspension dates across the Episcopal Church, but we will let this page stand as a snapshot of what the situation was at this date and time.



Alabama through 29 March (Bishop's letter)

Albany through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Arizona through 20 April (Bishop's letter)

Atlanta until further notice (Bishop's letter forthcoming, currently on Diocesan FB page)

Bethlehem from 16 March to 30 March (Bishop's letter)

California through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Central New York
 until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Central Pennsylvania through 29 March (Bishop's letter)

Chicago until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Colorado 22 March to 1 April (Bishop's letter)

Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (Italy only) until 3 April (Bishops' letter)

Dallas
 through 28 March (Bishop's letter sent via listserve, official statement may beforthcoming)

Delaware through 26 March (Bishop's letter)

East Carolina through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Eastern Michigan through 9 May (Bishops' letter)

East Tennessee through 4 April ("I realize you may choose to gather this Sunday and then begin a two week [sic] suspension after the 15th. It would be my hope and prayer that large public worship would resume on Sunday, April 5th for Palm Sunday.") (Bishop's letter)

Fond du Lac until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Fort Worth through 28 March (Bishop's letter)

Georgia through 27 March (Bishop's letter)

Hawaii through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Idaho through 5 April (Bishop's letter)

Indianapolis through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Iowa 16 March through 29 March (Bishop's letter)

Long Island through 26 March (Bishop's letter)

Los Angeles through 12 April (Bishop's letter)

Louisiana until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Maine until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Maryland through 27 March (Bishop's letter)

Michigan through 9 May (Bishops' letter)

Mississippi through 22 March (Bishop's letter)

Missouri through 2 April (Bishops' letter)

Navajoland through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Nebraska through 4 April (Bishop's letter)

Newark all congregations Dover and east of Dover, through 29 March (Bishop's letter)

New Hampshire through 5 April (Bishop's video statement)

New Jersey "until further notice" (Bishop's letter)

New York through May 16 (Bishop's letter)

North Carolina through 17 May (Bishops' letter)

Northern California until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Northern Indiana through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Northern Michigan through 9 May (Bishops' letter)

Northwest Pennsylvania see "Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania" below

Ohio until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Oklahoma through 4 April (Bishop's letter)

Olympia through 22 March (Diocesan information page)

Oregon 22 March through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Pittsburgh through 12 April (Bishop's letter)

Puerto Rico through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Rhode Island until further notice (Bishop's statement)

Rochester from 22 March through Lent (Bishop's letter)

San Diego through 4 April (Bishop's letter)

South Carolina through 31 March (found on Diocesan COVID-19 Page)

Southeast Florida through 29 March (Bishop's letter posted on Diocesan FB page)

Southern Ohio until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Southern Virginia through 26 March (Bishop's letter)

Upper South Carolina through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Virginia through 25 March (Bishop's letter)

Washington DC through 16 May (Washington Post)
Note that the Diocese of Washington includes some parishes in the state of Maryland that are separate from the Diocese of Maryland.

West Missouri until further notice (Bishop's letter)

West Virginia "for the foreseeable future... I hope that this will be 2 weeks" (Bishop's letter)

Western Louisiana through 29 March (Bishop's letter)

Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania until further notice (Bishop's letter)

Western North Carolina through 9 May (Bishop's letter)

Western Michigan through 9 May (Bishops' letter)

West Tennessee through 4 April (Bishop's letter)

Wyoming until further notice (found on front page of Diocesan web site)


Dioceses that have not yet explicitly suspended worship, but have "asked" or "encouraged" clergy to do so

Arkansas "strongly encouraged" through March 31 (Bishop's letter)

Connecticut "strongly encouraged" through 22 March (Bishops' letter)

Kansas "firmly request" through 4 April (Bishop's letter)

Kentucky "STRONGLY RECOMMENDED... through 28 March" (Email statement)

Lexington "encouraged to practice a Lenten fast from public worship... for the next two weeks" (Bishop's video statement)

New York "permission and... encouragement" (Bishop's letter)

Pennsylvania "counsel and strong encouragement that all parishes in the diocese move to digital-only services" through 29 March  (Bishop's letter)

Rio Grande "encouraging Clergy to continue regularly presiding at the holy Eucharist - but to do so in ways that do not invite people to gather at the church and put themselves at risk" (Coronavirus Guidelines)

Spokane "asking" through 31 March (Bishop's letter)

Texas "asking" through 22 March (Coronavirus Guidelines)

Vermont "urging...until further notice" (Bishop's letter)

Western Massachusetts "encourage" through 22 March (Bishop's letter)

Western North Carolina "requesting" through 31 March (Bishop's video statement)



The Episcopal Church 31 May ("Decisions regarding scheduled ordinations and consecrations of new bishops will be made on a case by case basis, in consultation with the various dioceses.") (Notification)






















Comments

  1. Thank you for this! Just thought you'd like to know the link that is supposed to go to the Los Angeles diocese page is directed to the North Carolina page.

    ReplyDelete

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