A Catholic diocese in New Mexico plans to hold Mass despite the statewide lockdown

• A Catholic diocese in New Mexico has decided to reopen its doors, flouting a statewide closure of all non-essential organizations.
• A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces told Business Insider it is offering an essential service: hope.
• "Any kind of gathering puts everyone's health at risk," Nora Sackett, a spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, told CNN.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

On Wednesday, a Catholic diocese in New Mexico announced it will open its doors for Sunday Mass on April 19.

The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, which has 92 parishes, could be the first in the country to do so.

Lockdowns are in effect across 42 states — including New Mexico, which issued a stay-at-home order on March 24 for all non-essential businesses and non-profits.

But the diocese plans to hold services anyway.

"The church offers the essential good of hope," Christopher Velasquez, director of communications, told Business Insider. And it wants "to provide that essential hope to people during these difficult times and also be able to still provide them with the sacraments."

"For us, the church is essential," Velasquez said, adding that the diocese would follow state and federal mandates "to the T."

But the state's order has shuttered organizations that are not essential for public health, and it does not include religious organizations as among the essential.

"While we appreciate that the diocese stipulates that they will abide by the necessary public health emergency order banning mass gatherings, it is concerning that they would be 're-opening' at all when New Mexico continues to face the Covid-19 pandemic head on," Nora Sackett, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, told CNN, which first reported the diocese's intentions to reopen.

"Any kind of gatherings that are not absolutely essential to one's health or welfare are strongly discouraged," Sackett said. "New Mexicans and all houses of worship are encouraged to continue to worship at home and broadcast services remotely. Any kind of gathering puts everyone's health at risk."

The church says it will follow part of the mandate, which bans gatherings of more than five people. The in-person Masses will include no more than five worshippers, Velasquez said.

The diocese is encouraging such people to wear masks or face coverings, but it is not requiring them. After each service, staff members will disinfect the pews and other surface areas.

The diocese will stream its services online, encouraging "at-risk" people to pray at home.

Even so, Velasquez said the opportunity to pray in person is crucial for "those who feel the longing and that spiritual need to actually go into a physical mass and experience mass in terms of the Eucharist and physically being there."

Comparing virtual Mass to a livestreamed party or celebration, Velasquez said, "it's significantly different than experiencing it in person."