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A PASTORAL LETTER

FROM

THE BISHOPS OF ENGLAND & WALES

TO BE READ OUT AT ALL MASSES IN THE DIOCESE

ON THE WEEKEND 21 & 22 MAY 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

At our recent meeting, the Bishops of England and Wales prepared a statement marking the end of the provisions regarding the Sunday Mass Obligation which were made two years ago at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Now that the reasons for those provisions have lessened significantly, they will end as from June 5^th as we celebrate the Solemnity of  Pentecost.                        

I have asked for our message to be read out to you this weekend and for it to be made widely available for others to read. Our message is an encouraging one – it is a message of invitation asking us to renew our fundamental Christian duty of attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.

Returning to Mass at Pentecost

An invitation from the Bishops of England and Wales

This is the bread come down from heaven (John 6:58)

A beautiful hallmark of the Catholic faith is the profound desire to participate in the Holy Mass and share in the Eucharist. We do so with deep gratitude and joy. The Eucharist gives the Church her identity – “The Eucharist makes the Church, and the Church makes the Eucharist.”  It enables us to worship Almighty God, to support each other on our journey of faith, and to be a visible sign of faith in the world.  This hallmark is supported and strengthened by the precept that our fundamental Christian duty is to worship God by participating in the celebration of Mass. Attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is the greatest of all privileges, sometimes referred to as “the Sunday Obligation.” 

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, until the present time, we have shared with you our judgment that the situation of the last two years has meant that the Sunday Obligation has been impeded and has needed to be fulfilled in other ways.  We thank God that this situation has now changed.  The pressing challenges of the pandemic have lessened significantly.  Most people have resumed the wide range of normal activities, no longer restricted by the previous Covid measures.  We therefore believe that the reasons which have prevented Catholics from attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation no longer apply. 

We understand there will still be some members of our congregations who, for reasons of health, do not feel safe enough to return to Mass.  It has always been the understanding of the Church that when the freedom of any Catholic to attend Mass in person is impeded for a serious reason, because of situations such as ill health, care for the sick or legitimate fear, this is not a breach of the Sunday Obligation. 

Our Catholic people and parishes have benefitted during these difficult times from the online streaming of Mass and other services.  “Virtual viewing” of Mass online does not fulfil the Sunday Obligation.  It may, however, be a source of continual spiritual comfort to those who cannot attend Mass in person, for example those who are elderly and sick, for whom the obligation does not apply.  In this context, we recognise gratefully the ministry of those who administer Holy Communion to the elderly, sick and housebound. 

We are grateful to our clergy, religious and lay faithful who have served our parishes, schools and communities with dedication and distinction throughout this pandemic.  Now we look forward with renewed faith and confidence. 

In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus entrusted to us the precious gift of Himself.  With humility, we glory in being a Eucharistic people for whom attendance at Mass is essential. Looking forward to the forthcoming feast of Pentecost, we now invite all Catholics who have not yet done so to return to attending Mass in person. 

As the Church needs the witness of the presence of each person, so too each believer needs to journey in faith and worship with their fellow disciples. Nourished by our encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus, fed with His Word and His Body and Blood in Holy Communion, and supported by the presence of each other, we receive strength week by week, to serve the Lord and glorify Him with our lives. 

Approved by the Plenary Assembly of the Bishops’ Conference 

Friday 6th May 2022.

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