Archbishop Etienne has published a letter and video informing the Archdiocese that our obligation to attend Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation will be reinstated on Dec. 08, 2021 (the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception). The Archdiocese has provided a helpful site to answer questions, but I thought I might answer my own set of FAQs:
I thought going to Mass was the law of God!
Yes and no. As I explained more fully in a Pastor’s Note back in February, no human authority can overturn or ignore the 3rd Commandment which requires us to keep holy the sabbath day. The obligation to attend Mass, however, is a specific interpretation of this commandment by the Church, i.e., the Church says that going to Mass is how Catholics will live out this commandment. Because this is a specific application by the Church, in times of crisis the Church is also able to loosen this requirement and allow Catholic to fulfill the 3rd Commandment in other ways.
Why was the obligation to attend Mass lifted in the first place?
When the pandemic was first spreading, we did not understand it and there was still some hope that we could contain it, so dioceses across the world shut down public celebrations of the Mass temporarily. In order to reassure Catholics that their inability to attend Mass was not a sin, bishops also dispensed Catholics from the obligation to attend Mass. Once public Masses returned, many bishops delayed restoring the obligation to attend Mass so that Catholics would have the most freedom possible in making decisions about their personal heath and when it was appropriate to return to Mass.
Why is the obligation coming back now?
At this point, we have been celebrating Masses for 18 months under the threat of COVID and 4 months under the threat of the Delta variant. This is tens of thousands of Masses across the Archdiocese of Seattle, and yet there have been only two cases of COVID spreading in our churches, both of which can be traced to choirs not following our procedures. In other words, our procedures work! and we are certain we can keep even vulnerable people safe in our Masses. With this reassurance, it is time to assume that a Catholic, by default, will attend Mass, rather than assuming that the default is to stay home.
What do I have to do exactly?
Beginning on De. 08, 2021, every Catholic is expected to attend Mass every Sunday (or Saturday vigil). They are also expected to attend Mass on every holy day of obligation. The upcoming holy days are Dec. 08 and Dec. 24/25; Jan. 01 is usually a holy day of obligation, but because it falls on Saturday this year it is not required. We will still be scheduling additional Masses on Dec. 31/Jan. 01 so that people can get in the habit of respecting holy days again.
Are there any exceptions?
The Church has always taught that no one can require the impossible. If you are unable to attend Mass through no fault of your own (e.g. a work schedule that you do not choose, the inability to drive, etc.), missing Mass is not a sin. The Church has also always made exceptions for matters of health (if you are sick, DO NOT come to Mass). Travel is complicated, because most of the time people can go to Mass before the travel or find a church on the road; however, if it really is impossible to get to church because of travel, that would qualify as forces outside of one’s control. I still struggle with whether hiking trips qualify as a sufficient reason to miss Mass, so I have been leaving that up to individuals’ consciences.
In all cases, Catholics are always bound by the 3rd Commandment to keep holy the sabbath day, even if they cannot do so by coming to church.
What if I am still scared of COVID?
First, I would emphasize again the statistics from the Archdiocese: “Since the beginning of COVID, our parishes have celebrated more than 50,000 Masses and we have only had 2 cases of spread. Both of these cases were tied to choir singing. We have no confirmed reports of anyone getting COVID-19 from attending a Mass.” The evidence does not support the idea that going to church is dangerous in any way.
However, the Church has always made exceptions for matters of health. If you truly believe that COVID is too much of a risk for you to venture into a public place, then you would not be bound by the Sunday Mass obligation for reasons of health. That said, please be consistent in your application of this standard. If you cannot go to church, you should probably also not be traveling or eating out.
What does this mean for streaming the Mass?
We are likely going to begin phasing out Mass streaming. We understand that it has been a help to those who are homebound and that some parishioners have enjoyed watching the Mass recording after the fact. However, we also worry that long-term streaming sends the message that watching Mass online is somehow equivalent to attending Mass in person, which it is not. This is still something I am discussing with parish staff and other stakeholders, especially regarding timing, but expect that streaming will, eventually, go away. Exceptions will be made for funerals, weddings, and other major liturgies.
Fr. Moore 