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Guidelines for the Lay Faithful During the Celebration of Mass in a Church

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Tuesday, May 12
The Transcript from the Video Above

My dear people of God of the Diocese of Houma Thibodaux,

I greet you in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ!  I would like to take this time to address you in light of the announcements made by Governor Edwards yesterday and in light of this past weekend, when many Catholic church parishes were able to hold public Masses outdoors, which was the first time public Masses were celebrated since the coronavirus pandemic began.  For many of us, the day was filled with joy and great emotion, as we both celebrated the great gift of our mothers on this Mother’s Day and came together for the first time as a community to worship Jesus Christ in the Mass and to receive Him in the Most Holy Eucharist.  I am glad that slowly we are beginning to be able to come together as a Church community to pray together, while also remaining safe by taking precautionary measures.

Yesterday, Governor Edwards signaled the continued reopening of our communities with the expiration of the Stay at Home order this Friday, May 15.  Some businesses will be able to reopen, and our churches will again be able to resume more normal operations, including the offering of the public celebration of Mass.  Beginning this weekend, I am allowing our churches to resume the public celebrations of Mass for both Sundays, as well as on weekdays.  

I would like to speak to you regarding certain aspects of these celebrations, because as you may be aware, we still  have to take precautionary safety measures to ensure that these celebrations are safe for all who attend.  Our priests have been hard at work these past several weeks preparing to return to the public Masses inside of our churches and our priests are excited to finally resume these celebrations.

I want to clearly remind you that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is still dispensed for all Catholics of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.  This means that you do not have to attend Mass, especially if you are vulnerable or if you do not feel safe at this time in attending Mass.  I would invite those who do not attend Mass to mark the Lord’s Day in some other way, whether it is participating in a livestream Mass or offering a prayer service with your family at your home.  We must still mark the Lord’s Day during this time.

Those of you who attend Mass in your church will see that social distancing measures are still in effect.  Most prominently, we must limit the number of people who are allowed inside the church building for the celebration of Mass.  Each church has examined how many people it can safely hold while maintaining a six-foot social distance between individuals and households.  Unfortunately, this also means that it is possible that not everyone who attempts to attend Mass in church will be able to do so.  It pains me deeply that some people who wish to do so may not be able to attend Mass, but it is for the safety of the community and in obedience to what the civil authorities ask us to do limiting the number in attendance.  Your parish is developing a system of how to handle this.   Some parishes will be offering online sign up for Mass attendance.   Others are offering an overflow plan to stream Mass to the parish hall or other buildings around the church.  If you cannot physically enter the church building for Mass because of these limitations, know that you may still participate via livestream if your parish is set up for that and you will still be able to receive our Lord in the Eucharist at the proper time.  I am deeply grateful for the work of our priests in ensuring that our celebrations this weekend are both joy-filled as well as safe for all in attendance.  Stay connected with your parish community as your pastors determine what is the best practice based on the needs of your particular community.  As perhaps you experienced last weekend or experience this weekend, Mass will be a little different, possibly even a bit  awkward at times.  We’ll be at a 6-ft. social distance from each other…we’ll be wearing cloth masks…and our churches may not be as full as they usually are.  Yet despite all these differences, there is a great joy at finally being able to come together for the celebration of the Eucharist in our church buildings.

I would like to particularly address those who may choose not to attend Mass this weekend, whether you are understandably taking extra precautions to protect yourself from harm or because the time of pandemic has put particular strain on you or on your family.  I want you to know that we are still in this together as a diocesan family.  We are praying particularly for you in these celebrations of Mass.  As our priests rejoice at the people they see in these celebrations, I assure you that we also long for those who at this time we do not see.  We are praying for you.  Know that the Lord Jesus is with you wherever you are.  He has not and Jesus will not abandon you in these days, but draws particularly close to each of you during these difficult times.

I invite you to check with your local church parish to learn what their particular procedures are this weekend and in the days following.  I thank you for your patience as we continue to learn how to best move forward.  As we have said before, none of us have been in these circumstances before, and I want you to know that we are striving to do all we can to bring the presence of God into your lives in these days.  Know of my unceasing prayers for you and your families as we continue to move forward together.  May God continue to bless you abundantly and may God’s presence be made known in your lives.

 

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