Gov. Beshear’s request for churches to suspend in-person services for two weeks fell on deaf ears. Catholic Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz sent a letter to priests on July 25, saying parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville would not follow the Governor’s request and continue holding Masses. He asked priests to ‘double down on issues such as social distancing and mask-wearing.’” Kentucky Baptists had a similar response. Gov. Beshear might have fared better if had better lines of communication with Kentucky churches. He did reach out to the Ky Council of Churches—a very small coalition of liberal churches but failed to work closely with the Commonwealth’s largest denomination—Southern Baptist Convention, which comprises about 40 percent of all churches.