RI Catholic Bishop Restores Weekly Mass Requirement

PROVIDENCE, RI — As the coronavirus pandemic starts to wane in Rhode Island, the Catholic Diocese of Providence is calling for the state's faithful to return to mass each Sunday.

"Dear brothers and sisters, it's time," Bishop Thomas Tobin wrote in a public letter. "It's time to come home. It's time to come to Sunday Mass."

Religious gatherings were hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, first canceled entirely, then severely limited in capacity and scope once services were allowed to resume. At the beginning of the pandemic, Tobin announced a special dispensation, lifting the requirement that Catholics attend Mass each week. The announcement came just days before across-the-board closures.

Starting June 6, the dispensation will be lifted, Tobin said, meaning that Catholics are once again required to attend Mass each Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. However, the bishop cautioned certain people not to attend mass in person, such as the elderly or frail, those with underlying health conditions or anyone who was advised to avoid public gatherings by their health care provider.

Tobin called the end of the dispensation "an important moment in our return to normal, typical pastoral life."

The announcement comes just a few weeks after the diocese announced new Mass regulations, following the latest reopening steps taken by the state. This included lifted requirements for distancing, the return of hymnals and more singing, allowing Holy Water and entrances and more. Notably, churches are still encouraged to avoid physical contact during the passing of the peace, a common practice historically taken during the annual flu season.