Joint Statement of Bishops of the Province of Baltimore and the Archdiocese of Washington Lifts General Mass Dispensation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 2, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory and the Bishops of the Province of Baltimore issued a joint statement lifting the general dispensation from the obligation of Catholics to attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days, beginning the weekend of June 26 and 27.

The statement is signed by Cardinal Gregory of the Archdiocese of Washington; Archbishop William E. Lori of the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington; Bishop Barry C. Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond; Bishop Mark E. Brennan of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; and Bishop William Francis Malooly, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Wilmington.

The statement notes that, due to the decline in the number of new cases of COVID-19 and the return to some sense of normalcy in the region, the dispensation of the Sunday and Holy Days Mass obligation is lifted, and the Catholic faithful are invited and encouraged to return to full, in-person participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

“This obligation does not apply to those who are ill; those who have reason to believe that they were recently exposed to the coronavirus, another serious or contagious illness; those who are confined to their home, a hospital, or nursing facility; or those with serious underlying health conditions,” the signees note.

“Let us continue to be united in prayer for one another and for an end to the global pandemic,” the letter concludes.

Read the full letter here. (En Español).

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