Following policies enacted by Maryland and District of Columbia leaders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Archdiocese of Washington announced on April 24 that it is extending closures of its Catholic school campuses in those jurisdictions. 

The Archdiocese of Washington includes 93 Catholic schools in Washington, D.C., and in the five surrounding Maryland counties of St. Mary’s, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s and Montgomery.

In an April 24 letter emailed to parents of children attending the archdiocese’s Catholic schools in Maryland, William Ryan III – the Archdiocese of Washington's secretary for Catholic schools  – said archdiocesan Catholic school campuses in Maryland will remain closed through May 15, in compliance with earlier announcements by Maryland officials that public schools in the state would be closed through that date.

Also in an April 24 letter emailed to parents of children attending the archdiocese’s Catholic schools in the District of Columbia, Ryan said archdiocesan Catholic school campuses in the District would remain closed through the end of the school year, in compliance with D.C. officials’ recent announcement that public schools there would remain closed through the end of the school year.

“Our priority is the health and safety of all who are in our school communities,” Ryan said in the letters. He has noted that the decisions on the closures of the Catholic schools campuses has been made following government mandates and guidance from public health officials, while also considering school policies and community needs.

Ryan opened his letter to the Catholic school parents by noting, “During difficult times, our Savior, Jesus Christ, calls out the best in all of us. During the crisis, our school communities have continued to flourish thanks to our school leaders, teachers, parents and students. I applaud all of our school communities for supporting this new distance-learning environment. More than ever, we are blessed to be a part of such a strong faith-based school community.”

And the archdiocesan school official noted, “Working together as a community, we will make it through this difficult time.”

On April 17, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that all D.C. public schools would remain closed and students would continue receiving online learning at home through the end of the school year on May 29, 2020, and Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon extended the time for the closure of Maryland public schools from April 24 through May 15.

In the District of Columbia, Mayor Bowser had extended her declaration of a public health emergency, a stay at home order, and the closure of non-essential businesses through May 15. Maryland Gov. Hogan has likewise issued a state of emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, and issued stay at home orders, mandated the closing of non-essential businesses and limits on the sizes of public gatherings.

In a March 12 statement from the Archdiocese of Washington, Archbishop Wilton Gregory had announced that in response to public health recommendations from local government leaders regarding the potential spread of coronavirus, Masses open to the public in all archdiocesan parishes, missions and campus ministries would not be celebrated until further notice, starting Saturday March 14. Weddings and funerals may proceed but should be limited to immediate family.

Archbishop Gregory also issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass during this time to all parishioners of the Archdiocese of Washington.

And following public safety directives made by Maryland and D.C. public officials, Archbishop Gregory had announced that all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington would be closed from March 16 through March 27. In late March, the archdiocese announced that its Catholic schools would remain closed through April 24, and on that day, Ryan announced to parents that the Catholic school closures would be extended through May 15 in Maryland and through the end of the school year in the District of Columbia in compliance with the public safety measures ordered by local government officials.

In the archdiocese’s March 12 statement, Archbishop Gregory said, “We are aware of the rapidly developing district and state guidelines regarding the coronavirus. My number one priority as your archbishop is to ensure the safety and health of all who attend our Masses, the children in our schools, and those we welcome through our outreach and services. Please know that this decision does not come lightly to close our schools or cancel Masses.”

Following government mandates aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, Catholic archdioceses and dioceses across the United States have canceled public Masses and closed Catholic school campuses for the time being.

Since the announced closures, local Catholic schools have engaged in distance learning with students who have continued their learning at home.

The Archdiocese of Washington’s April 24 announcement on the extension of the closures of its Catholic schools affects parish elementary schools and early learning centers and the archdiocesan high schools, Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., and Don Bosco Cristo Rey in Takoma Park, Maryland. Independent Catholic schools in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding Maryland counties, most of which are sponsored by religious orders, likewise have announced that they will be closed for set time periods due to the coronavirus outbreak, and those schools also announced plans for online learning for students at this time. The websites for those independent schools include updated information on their closures and distance learning programs.

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic. As of that day, the Washington Post reported that more than 125,000 cases of coronavirus had been confirmed worldwide, causing more than 4,600 deaths, and the United States had more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in 39 states, with more than 30 deaths. Most fatal incidences of the coronavirus have involved the elderly or people with underlying medical conditions.  

By April 24, The Washington Post reported that the United States, now the epicenter for the outbreak of the virus, had more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19 and 881,000 diagnosed cases. The Post noted that worldwide, nearly 2.8 million people have been infected with the coronavirus, and almost 200,000 have died of the disease worldwide. And the Post reported that as of April 23, there were more than 1,200 COVID-19 deaths and more than 30,000 diagnosed cases in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Founded in 1939, the Archdiocese of Washington is home to more than 655,000 Catholics who worship in 139 parishes located  in Washington, D.C., and the five surrounding Maryland counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s. Nearly 27,000 students attend the 93 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington. Catholic Charities of the archdiocese is the largest non-public social service organization in the region, serving nearly 143,000 people each year.

The Archdiocese of Washington has a special web page at adw.org/coronavirus offering the latest updates on the situation.