DECREE
On March 13, 2020, I granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation for all members of the Catholic Faithful in the Diocese of Sacramento, in order to mitigate the further spread and devastation brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Having reviewed the latest information and protocols from health officials, a general dispensation is no longer necessary. Consequently, by this decree, I hereby lift the general dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, effective Sunday, June 20, 2021. The obligation for the Catholic faithful to be present and participate in Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is hereby restored (1983 CIC c. 1247) as of that date.
Pastors and other members of the Christian faithful are counseled that individuals are not obligated to attend the Eucharist on Sunday or other obligatory solemnities if they are sick, have a vulnerable health condition, are caring for someone with a vulnerable health condition, or have other serious reasons (1983 CIC 1245; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2181).
I instruct the pastors of parishes in the Diocese to properly discern means of continuing and implementing health and safety protocols as part of the concerted effort to be relieved of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pastors are to begin offering the appropriate number of Masses to accommodate the return of the faithful to prayer, worship, and communion with one another.
Please pray for those afflicted with COVID-19, their families, and all caregivers. May intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary bring us the healing mercy and grace of her Son, Jesus.
Given at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Sacramento, California, on the first day of June, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and twenty-one.
+Jaime Soto
Bishop of Sacramento
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