{"id":5765,"date":"2021-07-04T09:42:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T14:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/?p=5765"},"modified":"2021-07-04T09:44:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-04T14:44:39","slug":"returning-to-mass-july-1-marks-end-of-dispensation-in-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/2021\/07\/04\/returning-to-mass-july-1-marks-end-of-dispensation-in-minnesota\/","title":{"rendered":"Returning to Mass: July 1 Marks End of Dispensation in Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"

Returning to Mass: July 1 Marks End of Dispensation in Minnesota<\/strong>
\nThe COVID-19 pandemic has been a painful time of separation that necessitated, for a short
\nwhile, suspension of public Masses and the dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend
\nMass. Nonetheless, since May 2020, Minnesota\u2019s bishops have made available the public
\ncelebration of Mass to those who wished to attend. Parishes have done an amazing job creating
\nsafe spaces for worship and the sacraments during the past year.<\/p>\n

Now, as the pandemic subsides, and public gathering restrictions and safety protocols are lifted,
\nit is time to gather as the Body of Christ once again. Therefore, the bishops and diocesan
\nadministrators of the Minnesota Catholic Conference have decided to reinstate the obligation to
\nattend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation beginning the weekend of July 3-4, 2021.<\/p>\n

Why is attending Mass in-person so important?<\/strong>
\nSt. John Chrysostom reminds us, \u201cYou cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great
\nmultitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is
\nsomething more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the
\npriests\u201d (CCC 2179).<\/p>\n

Attending the in-person celebration of Sunday Mass and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist are vital
\nto our lives as Catholic Christians. We were created for Communion. Whether you are returning
\nto your home parish, or seeking a local parish on vacation, your participation in the Mass unites
\nyou with the Church \u2014 the Body of Christ. This communion transforms us as persons and
\nenables us to make manifest the Kingdom of God in our world. The celebration of the Eucharist
\ntruly is the source and summit of our faith.<\/p>\n

Pope Francis, in his homily on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2018, said, \u201cJesus prepares a
\nplace for us here below, because the Eucharist is the beating heart of the Church. It gives her
\nbirth and rebirth; it gathers her together and gives her strength. But the Eucharist also prepares
\nfor us a place on high, in eternity, for it is the Bread of heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does this mean there will no longer be any dispensation from the Sunday and Holy Day<\/strong>
\nobligations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the general dispensation will no longer be available, the Church has always recognized
\nthat certain circumstances can excuse a person from the requirement to observe the obligation.
\nPersons are excused from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays or Holy Days under the
\nfollowing circumstances:<\/p>\n

Returning to Mass: July 1 Marks End of Dispensation in Minnesota<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. You have reason to believe your health would be significantly compromised if you were
\nto contract a communicable illness (i.e., you have underlying conditions or are in a highrisk category).
\n2. You exhibit flu-like symptoms.
\n3. You have good reason to think you might be asymptomatic of a contagious illness (e.g.,
\nyou were in recent contact with someone who tested positive for a contagious illness such
\nas COVID or influenza).
\n4. You care for the sick, homebound, or infirmed.
\n5. You are pregnant or you are 65 years of age or older (per the CDC\u2019s recommendation for
\nhigh-risk individuals).
\n6. You cannot attend Mass through no fault of your own (e.g., no Mass is offered; you are
\ninfirm; or, while wanting to go, you are prevented for some reason you cannot control,
\nsuch as your ride did not show up).
\n7. You have significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.<\/p>\n

If situations 1 through 3 apply to you, prudent concern for your neighbor should lead you to stay
\nhome. If you fall within situations 4-7, please exercise good judgment, consider the common
\ngood, and know you would not be held to the obligation of attending Mass. For further questions
\nabout the application of any of these situations, please contact your pastor. These categories will
\nbe reviewed in due course and revised as needed.<\/p>\n

Those within the categories enumerated above must still observe the Lord\u2019s Day and are
\nencouraged to spend time in prayer on Sunday, meditating on the Lord\u2019s passion, death, and
\nresurrection; an excellent way to do this is by praying the Liturgy of the Hours and participating
\nin a broadcast\/livestream of the Sunday Mass.<\/p>\n

More information, answers to frequently asked questions, and a portal to each diocese\u2019s
\nprotocols can be found at the website backtomassmn.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

The return of our faith family to Mass is a joyous occasion. With that in mind, we also encourage
\nthe faithful to post on social media about their return-to-Mass worship experiences using the
\nhashtag #backtomassmn. Wherever you may be, welcome home!<\/p>\n

Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
\nMost Rev. Andrew H. Cozzens, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
\nMost Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of Winona-Rochester
\nMost Rev. Donald J. Kettler, Bishop of St. Cloud
\nMost Rev. Daniel J. Felton, Bishop of Duluth
\nMost Rev. Richard E. Pates, Apostolic Administrator of Crookston
\nVery Rev. Douglas L. Grams, Diocesan Administrator of New Ulm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a painful time of separation that necessitated, for a short
\nwhile, suspension of public Masses and the dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend
\nMass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5765"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5768,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5765\/revisions\/5768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}