….Bishop Kevin Vann has declared Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13, as the kickoff for the Gather and Rejoice Together in Christ initiative. This coincides with the revocation of the dispensation from attending Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
“It is time to gather back together in our parishes as one body, one community in Christ,” Bishop Vann declares. “We come to Sunday Mass each and every week because God tirelessly calls each one of us to worship Him.”
The initiative is designed to gather O.C. Catholics in their home parishes to practice and continue building up the sacramental and spiritual life of the local Church. It will continue in the coming weeks with special events, receptions, outreach, and other efforts to welcome parishioners back to church….
Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Freyer, who is leading the diocese-wide initiative, says the invitation to Gather and Rejoice Together in Christ is a joyful opportunity for unity. “Our personal presence in church is a gift we offer back to God,” he says. “Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, we can appreciate more than ever the value of personal presence in our relationships and interactions.”
Orange County Catholics may not realize fully the deep and lasting effects COVID-19 has wrought on the local Church and community, Bishop Freyer says….
The above comes from a June 10 story in OC Catholic.
….With the subsiding of the coronavirus threat and high vaccination rates in Orange County, people should now feel safe returning to Holy Mass in person. The need for a general dispensation has come to an end, and, effective June 12, 2021, it will no longer be in effect. That being said, it is understood that no one is held to the impossible. Someone who is unable to get out of bed, for example, is not expected to be physically present at Mass. Such a one would in no way commit a sin by absenting him or herself from being present at Holy Mass. Likewise, someone who is sick might even have the obligation to stay away from Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation….
The above comes from a June 11 story in OC Catholic.
Bishop Vann: “God tirelessly calls each one of us to worship Him.”
Except when there’s a little virus going around, right?
Yeah, a little virus that killed millions of people. Stop it.
You could still go to Mass, Juan. This dispensed people who where suffering from a health condition and could have died if they caught COVID.
This is nothing new. I am a Priest. I have been for 40 years. I had to miss Mass when I had surgery. I had to miss Mass once when I had the flu. When you cannot get to Mass because of a health condition it isn’t a sin. It never has been.
Father it is shameful when Catholics don’t fight as protestants did to keep their churches open. Those who don’t even have The Real Presence made their churches available while bishops abandoned their flocks for fear of little government tyrants. Get sick stay home, yes but churches must stay open, we must have access to the sacraments.
A report of attendence, compared to similar weeks in 2018 & 2019 would be informative. Wonder how long it will take to get back in thge habit.
the shutdown accelerated the downward trend in attendance. marginal catholics aren’t going to come back to mass. the habit is broken and its more fun to go shopping or the beach on sunday. weekly attendance was about 15% of catholics and will probably level off at 9% or so.
It will be interesting to see if the numbers increase by the holidays , I think that they will remain low and that by next year at this time church closings will begin . Vann and others that were AWOL during the crisis are to blame , but we the laity will suffer .
My unvaccinated self could be standing next to you. And I’m not going to wear a mask either. You open up for Mass and end the dispensation, I come as I am and as I want. Don’t try to take my temperature either.
That’s right, me too. No vax, no mask, no temp check, no regrets.
Abortion tainted vaccines people, just say no.
For those of you who won’t take any precautions to keep yourself from spreading disease are like the folks who sneeze in public without covering their faces and we can feel the snot hitting our faces and hands as you grin and say “Deal with it!” That’s why I always am very quiet and carry a big stick. LOL
Our dispensation ended and we went to Mass. We were so uncomfortable with the lack of social distance and unmasked people that we have not been back. I am vaccinated but you can still get it and I have a lot of underlying conditions. In our diocese we have permission not to attend if you have underlying conditions so I am not committing sin by not going. I wish they had left restrictions on so that I could go.
The world does not revolve around you and your particular conditions. Please take the best care of yourself that you can but do not dictate how the rest of us must behave because of your personal situation.
I’m not sick, Father. No need for any precautions. Do you make people bring umbrellas into church and keep them open and over them in case the fire suppression sprinkler system activates? No. So let’s as a whole society just stop it with the masks and distancing for people who aren’t sick. If you’re sick, stay home. If not, normal life.
You can be contagious before you have symptoms.
That lie was put to rest months ago. And masks do nothing, by the way.
I don’t know which right wing conspiracy theorists you are listening to, but t’s not a lie: the fact is that you can become infected, give the virus to others who get quite seriously sick, you you may never have any symptoms.
What we don’t know yet is whether a person who is vaccinated and becomes infected, ever produces enough virus to make others infected. We just don’t know that piece yet.
Precautions? What precautions that actually worked? There was ample and more than ample data that showed social distancing and masks had no effect on reducing transmission. If I could figure that out on my own, why couldnt you Father? Why couldnt the Bishops? Because most of you are hirelings and not true shepherds.
I’ve quoted this here a number of times but the odds of not only contracting but dying from covid for those without comorbidities is less than dying on a car accident.
“That’s why I always am very quiet and carry a big stick. LOL.” LOL is right.
‘mouse, we’ve been through this a thousand times here on CCD and elsewhere. There is a TON of evidence that physical distance and masking worked to keep the virus from becoming even worse of a problem than it already was. Just look at all the unmasked people who got infected in the Trump white house and it’s events, and all the unmasked republicans who got infected. At least one died. A President came within a couple of hours and some very state of the art medications of his death. On the other hand, very few Dem legislators or Biden staffers have even become positive for the virus. States that vigorously enforced distancing and masking had far fewer problems than those that did not.
I’ve seen the light. Hallelewyer.
You all go ahead and get vaxx’d and keep wearing masks from now on. Stay 10 feet away from me if that helps you.
I won’t need any of that ‘cuz I cant hurt you if you’ve been vax’d and masked, right?
You can hurt those who can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons or those whose pride causes them to poohpooh the idea of vaccinations and masking. Study out just today that those with leukemias and those undergoing certain kinds of cancer treatments don’t mount as good an immune response. You can hurt them too.
In the UK, which now has the Delta variant from India, 12 out of the 42 deaths were fully vaccinated people.
The pandemic exposed the church as impotent. Clergy and lay catholics sat back like helpless little babies while the scientists and government did their thing, and either this pandemic is over on its own or because of science. God didn’t do anything and the church didn’t to anything. So why should people go back to Mass? You’ll have to answer that question, Mr. Bishop Vann. Why should they go back to Mass in a religion that demonstrated it is impotent?
O my Jesus, despite the deep night that is all around me and the dark clouds which hide the horizon, I know that the sun never goes out. O Lord, though I cannot comprehend You and do not understand Your ways, I nonetheless trust in Your mercy. If it is Your will, Lord, that I live always in such darkness, may You be blessed. I ask You only one thing, Jesus, do not allow me to offend You in any way. O my Jesus, You alone know the longings and sufferings of my heart. I am glad I can suffer for You, however little. When I feel that the suffering is more than I can bear, I take refuge in the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and I speak to Him with profound silence.
St. Faustina’s Diary no. 73
It’s illegal where I live, but you could probably still find a snake handler if you need that.
Anon, your attitude is very un-American and very un-Catholic.
One wears a mask to prevent others from getting the virus, even after they have been vaccinated.
You are showing that you have no charity toward other Catholics and Americans. How do you know if you are asymptomatic?
God is Love. If we love our neighbors we will do what we can to keep them from getting sick.
It isn’t a political thing! It’s a public health thing.
“One wears a mask to prevent others from getting the virus, even after they have been vaccinated.”
There is ample scientific evidence that shows masks have no effect on reducing transmission. FACT.
I’m not even going to try to point out the illogic of telling people to ineffective masks AFTER the so call not vaccine.
‘Anoymouse: There is no such “ample evidence”. The evidence clearly points to distancing and masking as effect measures to counteract not only the transmission of COVID, but also of the flu. It’s really irresponsible to go around telling lies that might cause death.
Bob, if you are afraid of getting sick, you must protect Yourself. Wrong to force others to protect you according to what precautions you want then to take. And yes, it is a political thing and right minded people reject leftists telling us what to do. Hope your vaccine doesn’t end up killing you.
No Bob One it is a political thing. liberals do not want to remove their masks because they don’t want to be seen as Republicans.
Which convention center is Bishop Vann standing outside of in the picture?
Since so many people exhibited behaviors that demonstrate they are catholic in name only by not loving each other to actively try to prevent illness or prevent the spread, defy basic public health orders during previous times of high case loads of this deadly virus and brag about it while spewing vaccine conspiracy theories, I will continue to worship on line for my physical and mental health. if my parish ceases their live stream I will attend through a different Catholic Church. I have not missed live stream Mass once during the pandemic precautions. I have continued to financially support my parish as if I were attending in person. To tell me I cam committing a sin by not attending in a parish at this time is sad.
Sorry bub… when the dispensation is lifted you have an obligation under penalty of mortal sin to go to Mass. Not watch it on screen. Go to it. Mortal sin if you can attend but decide not to. Not my rules, God’s rules and the Church’s rules. You can’t make your own rules. Maybe in hell they’ll let people wear masks to make them feel safer. Would you like that?
Anonymous, June 13, 2021 at 8:36 pm
Each bishop issues guidelines. Obey your bishop. If you are in the Diocese of Orange, Bishop Vann asks that you speak to your priest who can grant you an individual dispensation.
Many of you recall that I was adamant that Churches should have their services outdoors. I still feel that way. The virus isn’t done with us yet, not by any means. Global cases are finally coming down, but just a month ago they were soaring to their highest rates ever. Parishes who can, should offer at least one outdoor mass at least until the fall.
However, I did attend my first indoor mass in last week. I am fully vaccinated, have high quality masks, and didn’t overdue close interactions. For their part, the parish took reservations, observed limited attendance, took temperatures, required masks, kept all the windows wide open, and even inquired about vaccinations (though I don’t think they prevented the unvaccinated from attending). That’s the way indoor masses ought to be held through the summer. Vaccinations rates are high in the Bay Area, especially among the most vulnerable. In California, cases and deaths are at their lowest level since the start of the pandemic and this is good news we should welcome and celebrate, and give thanks for. I almost couldn’t stop crying for much of the Mass it was so good to be back!
The time for government to restrict parishes is over, but the time for Christians and Churches to behave responsibly is still with us. God isn’t done with us yet, but this virus isn’t done with us yet either.
God answering the prayers of the Rosary Marathon and the other prayers is the reason so we give great thanks. I am still uncomfortable at Mass because of unmaskers. India’s cases are down. Now there are many orphans. I hope our Church will help with that.