Time To Start Attending Mass Again, NJ Catholic Bishops Say

NEWARK, NJ — Catholic church leaders across New Jersey say that it’s time to return for Mass amid the coronavirus pandemic, partly thanks to “safety protocols” and COVID-19 vaccines.

On Thursday, seven bishops in the Garden State issued a joint statement with the New Jersey Catholic Conference (NJCC), reinstating the general obligation to attend Mass.

At the onset of the pandemic, many church leaders, including those in the Newark Archdiocese, suspended daily and Sunday Masses, along with weddings, baptisms, funerals, First Communions and other important life events.

• See related article: Church Restricts Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals In North Jersey

The bishops wrote:

“At this time, due to the observance of public safety protocols and the increase in the availability of vaccines, we have begun a return to some sense of normalcy in various sectors of our society. Therefore, we the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey, are lifting the dispensation of the Sunday and Holy Days Mass obligation beginning on Saturday, June 5, 2021, and Sunday, June 6, 2021, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. We welcome the Christian faithful to return to the regular participation in the Sunday Eucharist, the source and summit of our Catholic faith (cf. Code of Canon Law canon 1247 and Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2180).”

The bishops noted that there are some exceptions:

“This obligation does not apply to those who are ill; those who have reason to believe that they were recently exposed to the coronavirus or another serious or contagious illness; those who are confined to their home, a hospital, or nursing facility; or those with serious underlying health conditions. One should consult the local pastor if questions arise about the obligation to attend Mass (canon 87).”

The bishops concluded:

“Finally, safety protocols (such as wearing masks, social distancing, etc.) and liturgical directives (communion in the hand, communion under one species, etc.) in each New Jersey Diocese remains in place until modified or revoked by the respective Diocesan Bishop.”

There are more than 3.5 million Catholic residents registered in parishes in the seven dioceses throughout New Jersey that are served by the NJCC. They include the Archdiocese of Newark, Diocese of Camden, Diocese of Metuchen, Diocese of Paterson, Diocese of Trenton, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese.

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