Time for Catholics to return to Mass

Catholics in England and Wales should come back to Mass now that the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic have receded, the countries’ bishops have said, as they announce the reinstatement of the Sunday Mass obligation.

May 13, 2022

With the COVID pandemic receding, the bishops in England and Wales have announced the reinstatements of the Sunday Mass obligation. While the online streaming of Catholic services has helped benefit the faithful, the bishops said, online viewing of Mass does not fulfil a Catholic’s Sunday obligation.


By Kevin J. Jones
Catholics in England and Wales should come back to Mass now that the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic have receded, the countries’ bishops have said, as they announce the reinstatement of the Sunday Mass obligation.

“Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, until the present time, we have shared with you our judgment that the situation of the last two years has meant that the Sunday Obligation has been impeded,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said on May 6. “We thank God that this situation has now changed.”

The pandemic’s challenges have significantly lessened and most people have resumed normal activities, the bishops said.

“We therefore believe that the reasons which prevented Catholics from attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation no longer apply,” they said in a resolution passed at their spring plenary meeting.

The bishops said attendance at Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation is “the greatest of all privileges.”

“A beautiful hallmark of the Catholic faith is the profound desire to participate in the Holy Mass and share in the Eucharist. We do so with deep gratitude and joy,” they said. The Eucharist “enables us to worship Almighty God, to support each other on our journey of faith, and to be a visible sign of faith in the world.”
Opening the bishops’ message was a quotation of Christ’s words from the Gospel of John: “This is the bread come down from heaven.”

“In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus entrusted to us the precious gift of Himself,” the bishops continued. “With humility, we glory in being a Eucharistic people for whom attendance at Mass is essential. Looking forward to the forthcoming feast of Pentecost, we now invite all Catholics who have not yet done so, to return to attending Mass in person.”

“We are grateful to our clergy, religious and lay faithful who have served our parishes, schools and communities with dedication and distinction throughout this pandemic,” they said. “Now we look forward with renewed faith and confidence.”

People with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems face increased vulnerability, which the Catholic bishops acknowledged.

“We understand there will still be some members of our congregations who, for reasons of health, do not feel safe enough to return to Mass,” said the bishops’ message. “It has always been the understanding of the Church that when the freedom of any Catholic to attend Mass in person is impeded for a serious reason, because of situations such as ill health, care for the sick or legitimate fear, this is not a breach of the Sunday Obligation.”

While the online streaming of Catholic services has helped benefit the faithful, the bishops said, online viewing of Mass does not fulfil a Catholic’s Sunday obligation.

“It may, however, be a source of continual spiritual comfort to those who cannot attend Mass in person, for example those who are elderly and sick, for whom the obligation does not apply,” they said. “In this context, we recognise gratefully the ministry of those who administer Holy Communion to the elderly, sick and housebound.” --CNA

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