NEW YORK, NY — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has told Catholics in the Archdiocese of New York to get themselves back to Mass.
“Now that vaccination rates are up, Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, and people are returning to a more normal way of living, this excuse cannot be said to exist any longer,” said in a pastoral note. “If you’re going to the mall, having dinner out in restaurants, heading to the ballgame, visiting the hairdresser, and the like, then you should also be at Mass.”
Dolan addressed the notion that there was a pandemic dispensation from Sunday Mass
“There is still a sacred obligation to attend Sunday Mass, even if you are on vacation.”
In the Archdiocese of New York, there has never been a dispensation from Sunday Mass because no man can “dispense” or set aside a Divine law.
The Third Commandment says, “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day,” and I can no more say that this no longer applies than I can say that we can forget about “Thou shalt not steal” or “Honor thy father and thy mother.” To deliberately miss Mass is a sin.
The Church has always held that there may be some justifiable reasons why a person can miss Mass, including old age, illness, and infirmity; this is still the case. During this pandemic, public Mass was not being celebrated for several months, and when Mass resumed, there was still a possibility of catching or spreading the coronavirus, and individuals could, after carefully consulting their conscience, decide not to return to Mass right away.