Bishop Lopes has directed that beginning October 1, 2020, the commutation of the obligation to attend Mass only applies only to those persons who are at higher risk for the Coronavirus (according to the CDC, those who are 60+ years of age, those with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, COPD, kidney disease, or are immuno-compromised). If you are not in this vulnerable group and you do not have some other grave reason to miss Mass, you have an obligation of holy obedience to your bishop and as a member of the Ordinariate to return to Mass and the Sacraments.A whole bunch of questions come up. The first is why, when Bp Lopes announced the ordinariate's response to COVID measures in March, he instructed each community to follow the guidelines of its local diocese. As of September 2020, though, I'm only aware of dioceses in Alaska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin that have lifted the mass dispensation. This means that all the other North American dioceses still see obstacles to reopening and lifting the dispensation.
For instance, the St Augustine of Canterbury group in San Diego still can't return to its venue, since the school where it had been meeting remains closed. So, what are the members of that group to do, since Bp Lopes, their bishop, now tells them it is a grave sin not to go to mass? Do they go to a diocesan parish? But in California, attendance at any mass is still severely limited, and it must be outdoors only. Regular parishioners at those parishes must reserve spots, but in any case, due to the difficulties of getting to mass, their bishops continue to have the dispensation in place.
Someone might remind me that if it's impossible for any Catholic to get to mass under any circumstances, it's not a sin to miss mass. But why didn't Bp Lopes make this point himself in the letter, especially snce it's still unusual for churches to be open for general attendance anywhere in North America? Bp Lopes's letter apparently exempts only those deemed at health risk from the obligation, not those who could risk arrest by trying to get to mass.
The next question is why Bp Lopes announced this only via a letter to clergy. What puzzles me is that there isn't now, and as far as I can tell has never been, any announcement on the North American ordinariate website concerning COVID, mass guidelines, lifting of the mass dispensation, or anything else. In contrast, every diocesan website I visit, such as at random the Diocese of Fresno, CA , has exttremely detailed information on status. Dioceses that have lifted the dispensation on mass attendance have this prominently noted on their websites.
My regular correspondent noted,
Lifting of commutation mentioned on an ordinariate Facebook forum by a St Barnabas, Omaha parishioner; someone asked for a link to Bp Lopes’ letter to this effect and it was conceded that such was not available: “Our chancery is not known for well publicizing documents or rules...”In other words, what else is new? Fr Perkins, having foresightedly quarantined himself well before there was ever a virus, is clearly exercising prudence in continuing to stay away, notwithstanding the dispensation from attending mass has been lifted, at least in Houston.
If you want my theory on what's going on, it's this. The letter was generated by Bp Lopes's secretary, J Henry, and broadcast via e-mail to priests, to do with as they saw fit. J Henry thought of including the bits about being over 60 and such, but it never occurred to him to address anything about what might be the case regarding lockdowns elsewhere in North America. He's in Houston, after all.
He probably didn't run this by Bp Lopes, as the bishop is indisposed.
Hey, did I say something recently about Anglicanorum coetibus being a hoax?
