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May 25, 2021The Diocese of Worcester has released a pastoral letter “Coming Home to Mass” which invites people who have been away from church during the pandemic, to come back.
Physical restrictions caused by the pandemic are lifted effective May 29 and full occupancy of churches is allowed.
“As a community of faith we have been praying for this moment during these many long months of the pandemic. Now our ability to be present personally at Mass is a blessed reality,” the bishop says in the pastoral letter.
Bishop McManus also restores the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, effective June 6, the feast of Corpus Christi.
He encourages people to attend Mass in person, rather than online saying that there “is nothing like gathering in person with our brothers and sisters.”
“Christ is present at every Mass, in his Word proclaimed, in a tangible way in his Body and Blood and in the person of his priest. He is present to feed us with Word and Sacrament, to embrace us with his love and to give us the grace we need to face the struggles of our daily lives. We hunger for his presence. We draw from the Mass the grace we need to love and we return to it in thanksgiving to God for all he has given to us,” the bishop writes.
“We must admit that the great societal change in our world, and especially in New England, has led to profound changes in the relationship of many Catholics with the Sunday obligation of attending Mass,” he says, regretting that fact that “the Lord’s Day, has been supplanted by ‘the weekend’ a sort of secular sabbath….”
He reminds people: “Christ waits for you, my dear friends. He waits for you to come home with all your brothers and sisters in the Church, to hear his saving Word proclaimed, to join your joys and sorrows to his Holy Cross, and to receive him in Holy Communion, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.”
LITURGICAL PRACTICES RETURN
Bishop McManus also has approved modifications to the liturgical practices of the Diocese of Worcester, effective immediately. A complete list of revised practices has been distributed to the priests in the diocese in Orantes, the monthly newsletter of the Office for Divine Worship. Some of the changes which may be of interest to worshippers include the following.
• Even with the lifting of occupancy restrictions, … and because the CDC advises that unvaccinated persons should still maintain a six-foot social distance and wear a mask, the diocese is encouraging pastors to reserve a portion of the church for those wishing to maintain a social distance.
• Limitations concerning the size of gatherings in non-liturgical spaces have also been lifted.
• Masks and social distancing are no longer required of all parishioners. However, per CDC guidelines, non-vaccinated persons, including minors, are still encouraged to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
• Holy water fonts may be re-introduced and hymnals and missalettes may be used.
• The singing of hymns and acclamations may be restored. However, the re-institution of choirs or multiple cantors should be delayed until the number of COVID-19 cases falls to a lower level, guidelines from the Office for Divine Worship say.
The reintroduction of the exchange of the Sign of Peace also should be delayed.
• Holy Communion may be distributed in the customary, pre-pandemic manner. Because a certain portion of the congregation may remain unvaccinated, however, pastors are advised to delay the re-institution of distribution of the Precious Blood until the number of COVID-19 cases falls to a lower level.
• The use of traditional confessionals and “rooms of reconciliation” may be resumed, provided that the priest has been vaccinated. Penitent
A copy of the complete letter can be found at worcesterdiocese.org.
Answers to some questions you may have
Did Governor Baker lift the use of masks and other restrictions in churches, too?
As of May 29, fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear masks or physically distance from others in our parishes, as in other public settings. This applies to attending Mass as well as other parish activities. It does not apply to schools and does not apply to the office spaces.
Will someone be checking whether I was vaccinated?
We are not policing our parishioners. This is an honor system and we pray that people will be honest and avoid participating unmasked near other parishioners if they have not been vaccinated.
What if I am not yet vaccinated? How can I safely return to Mass?
You should continue to attend Mass as you have been over these past months during the pandemic. All parishes are being advised to have a section of the church available for people who want to wear a mask and remain physically distanced 6 or more feet apart. You can always wear a mask anywhere in the church even if you have been vaccinated but are still concerned for personal reasons about the pandemic.
Will Mass feel like it did before the pandemic began?
For the most part things will return to normal as your parish can accommodate it. Worship aids (e.g., missalettes and hymnals) can be used again and you will notice more congregational singing. The Diocese of Worcester is recommending waiting until the fall for choirs to resume. For the time being we will not exchange the sign of peace and Holy Communion will not be offered from the chalice.
I heard that Bishop McManus is restoring the obligation to go to Sunday Mass. What if I am sick, or have compromised health or care for someone at home whose health is compromised?
The obligation to be at Mass in person never applies to someone who is sick, or has compromised health, or is caring for someone who is sick and risks infecting someone for whom they provide care at home. For this reason, parishes are encouraged to continue to stream Mass on their social media channels and the Diocese offers Sunday Mass from the Cathedral on select cable access stations and on the internet at worcesterdiocese.org.
I’ve been away from Mass for a while. What if I’m just not ready to go back?
We understand that for some people, you may feel uneasy for a variety of reasons to come back to Mass. All we ask is that you read the letter from Bishop McManus about going to Mass, in which he reflects on what the Mass means for all of us as baptized Catholics.
