Catholic priest Thomas Casanova breaks traditions to curb coronavirus risk

West Wagga Parish priest Father Thomas Casanova is planning to turn a hand sanitiser machine into an automatic holy water dispenser so that churchgoers can avoid dipping their hands into a communal cup.

At special events the church has opted for spray bottles and sprinkling implements so that Catholics can get their fix of holy water without exposing themselves to infection risk.

"Where there's a will there's a way," Fr Casanova said.

"As Christians we don't just think - we do."

Instead of shaking hands during the Sign of Peace, Catholics have been asked to greet each other at a distance with a smile or a wave or a namaste hand gesture.

Hand sanitiser and wet wipes have been strategically placed throughout the church, which priests will use before distributing the communion wafers hand-to-hand instead of placing them in people's mouths as per tradition.

Fr Casanova said the church had also been praying hard for victims of coronavirus, and that he would continue to visit his flock if any of them fell ill.

"If a person is dying of coronavirus it's no different to a person in the 1300s dying of a plague; a priest will go to them," Fr Casanova said.

"I'll put my hand up as one of those who will go first."

Mater Dei Catholic College said they will be following the church's new rules as well as implementing their own school-wide safety precautions to curb coronavirus risk.