Churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, and other houses of worship, as well as their religious leaders and of course the members of their congregations, have been as devastated by the coronavirus and COVID-19 as other institutions and individuals and have suffered the same harms to their lives and their livelihoods as others have faced. Religious institutions, by virtue of their distinct nature and the essential role they play in their worshipers’ day-to-day existence, also have felt the effects of the pandemic in their own unique ways, with their own kinds of stress and distress.

In-person religious services have been prohibited, milestones such as bar and bat mitzvahs and christenings have been postponed, radically altered, or livestreamed because they could not be celebrated in-person, parochial schools and other religious classes have been canceled or moved online, and employees have been furloughed or dismissed.