THE DISPENSATION FROM THE OBLIGATION TO ATTEND SUNDAY MASS
Archbishop Listecki has indicated to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee that the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation will expire on September 14, 2020. As shared in his letter, “it will be the responsibility of those who are capable and not prohibited by other circumstances to attend Sunday Mass.”
Recognizing this change in the midst of this Coronavirus Pandemic, I want to remind the faithful of several circumstances the archbishop highlighted where the obligation cannot be fulfilled.
If any of these circumstances are true in your life, then you would be excused from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass or a Holy Day of Obligation. Archbishop Listecki further stated that, “It is up to each individual to weigh their own circumstances through an examination of their conscience and determine, by use of their conscience, whether or not they are excused from the Sunday obligation.”
I encourage people to have good practices in regards to watching your distance (at least 6 feet from one another), washing your hands and wearing your masks in helping to prevent the spread of this virus. Please stay healthy and make sound decisions especially as we are in the City of Milwaukee where the daily percentage rates of infection keep rising rather than decreasing.
All of this places an incredible burden on the health and well-being of so many in our community. Let us remember one another in our prayers as we journey through this pandemic.
Fr. Greg
Archbishop Listecki has indicated to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee that the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation will expire on September 14, 2020. As shared in his letter, “it will be the responsibility of those who are capable and not prohibited by other circumstances to attend Sunday Mass.”
Recognizing this change in the midst of this Coronavirus Pandemic, I want to remind the faithful of several circumstances the archbishop highlighted where the obligation cannot be fulfilled.
- The first circumstance happens whenever there is an impossibility to attend Mass such as when the Churches were closed and offered no public Masses or even when people are traveling making it impossible to attend Mass.
- If a person is ill, especially during this pandemic, they should remain at home for the good of the entire community.
- If a person is at risk because of age, underlying medical conditions or a compromised immune system, one would be excused from the obligation.
- If a person is caring for a sick person, even if they are not sick, they would be excused from the obligation out of charity.
- If a person has a fear of getting sick during this pandemic because of at-risk factors, such as pre-existing conditions, age or compromised immune systems, then the fear would be sufficient to excuse from the obligation.
If any of these circumstances are true in your life, then you would be excused from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass or a Holy Day of Obligation. Archbishop Listecki further stated that, “It is up to each individual to weigh their own circumstances through an examination of their conscience and determine, by use of their conscience, whether or not they are excused from the Sunday obligation.”
I encourage people to have good practices in regards to watching your distance (at least 6 feet from one another), washing your hands and wearing your masks in helping to prevent the spread of this virus. Please stay healthy and make sound decisions especially as we are in the City of Milwaukee where the daily percentage rates of infection keep rising rather than decreasing.
All of this places an incredible burden on the health and well-being of so many in our community. Let us remember one another in our prayers as we journey through this pandemic.
Fr. Greg
Archbishop Listecki has approved additional changes to the Catholic Comeback Matrix. The updated Matrix, Phase 3- version 6 (Sept. 14, 2020), is available below. Changes are noted by the use of red text.
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