On March 12 our Archbishop issued this statement:
“I determine it prudent to disperse all Catholic in the territory of this Archdiocese from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, until further notice. If the faithful decide that congregating for Sunday Mass would constitute a risk to themselves or others, they have the freedom not to attend.”
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda
Is Sunday suddenly declared a day off for Catholics? Absolutely not! Not only are we obligated to keep the Lord’s Day holy, but we want to, and doing so is a tremendous witness to our kids that No Matter What is happening with the rest of the world, the Lord is first in our lives.
So if you have to stay home what can you do?
- Light a candle and read the Sunday Mass readings together. You can find them easily on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s website.
- Watch Mass online or on television. EWTN is an excellent resource for this.
- Make a spiritual Communion part of your Sunday prayer time when you can’t receive Communion for whatever reason. Find the how and why here.
- Read the devotions in the Magnificat. They’re offering online subscriptions free “during this challenging time.”
- Holy leisure, works of mercy, give God the joy that’s proper to His day. Yep, that’s still a thing.
- Does your parish post Sunday homilies online? Ours does and it’s always worthwhile to keep up with Father’s messages, even when we can’t be there.
Our Archbishop recommends a family Rosary, and you’ll also find books, movies, audio and video teachings for the whole family on formed.org. (Link over here and scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions)
And it’s worth noting that you can also continue to go to Mass, just as you always do. We’re not shaking hands during the sign of peace, but at many parishes the doors are wide open to everyone who feels fine and wants to worship at church.
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Family Formation 