Coronavirus shuts down Catholic church in Wichita after priest tests positive for COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has temporarily closed a Catholic church in Wichita after a priest tested positive for COVID-19.

Rev. Matt Davied of the Church of the Magdalen said in a Facebook post on the church’s account that he woke up feeling ill on Wednesday. He then tested positive for COVID-19. Davied said he is now in isolation. Since the priests live together in the rectory, a second priest is in quarantine.

All Masses at the church have been suspended, live streams will be temporarily discontinued, First Communion is postponed until further notice and the entire Magdalen campus is temporarily closed.

The church is in northeast Wichita, near 21st Street and K-96, and is part of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. The diocese reopened with public Masses on May 6.

“We have been taking abundant measures to work to keep everyone safe as we resumed public Masses back at the beginning of May,” Davied said. “We have kept social distancing in seating and communion lines, highly encouraged the use of masks and sanitized our hands before distributing Holy Communion.

“This is sad news, I understand. We want to assure you that we are working diligently to come up with a safe and timely plan for moving forward. We appreciate your continued prayers, patience, and good will as we all move forward together in unity during this unfortunate time.”

This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 6:06 PM.