BALTIMORE, MD.  —  Over the weekend, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young reached out to faith leaders across Baltimore to provide updates on guidance and best practices in advance of Passover and Holy Week religious observances. Mayor Young issued the following statement:          

“I thank all of our faith leaders for taking into account the health of their congregants and neighbors in observing the Governor’s Executive Order for religious observations,” Mayor Young said. “Celebrating holidays such as Passover and Easter is incredibly important to our faith communities, and I support all of our leaders who are ensuring their congregants can do so in a safe and healthy manner.”

Mayor Young praised faith leaders who are closing their churches and temples and offering telephonic and video services.  He also encouraged people to stay home and celebrate their religious observances with those with whom they live.

 “We need to obey the guidelines that have been set before us by our Governor and our Mayor,” said Bishop Angel Nunez, pastor of Bilingual Christian Church. “Then we need to be at peace exercising our faith in a way that’s respectful of what’s been requested of us, in terms of washing our hands and practicing social distancing.”

“The message is real clear that we believe that being a Christian means being a law abiding citizen,” said Bishop James L. Carter, pastor of the Ark Church, and President of the Ministers Conference of Baltimore and Vicinity. “We’ve been pushing out to our members the message from the Governor and the Mayor for people to stay at home and only go out for the essentials. We don’t believe in putting our members in harm’s way.”

Mayor Young made the calls to help prepare faith leaders in advance of a week filled with religious holidays and observances. The Passover holiday begins Wednesday at sundown, while Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services are typically held by Christian congregations in advance of Sunday’s Easter holiday.

“As we prepare for a busy week for many of our churches and synagogues, I am confident our faith leaders are taking all the necessary precautions,” Mayor Young said. “I am hopeful that all of our residents will be able to celebrate and observe these holidays in a manner that respects their faith while keeping them healthy.”