Bulacan Bishop Dennis Villarojo will end the dispensation given to the Catholic faithful from attending Sunday masses starting June 11, 2023, and urged them to physically attend to their Sunday obligation in churches and parishes.
Villarojo said the obligation of Catholics to attend Mass, which was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic, will be reinstated and will take effect on June 11, the Solemnity of the Corpus Christi.
“At the conclusion of the pandemic that compelled limited opportunities to worship in person… we are hereby lifting the dispensation given to the faithful from personally participating in the Mass due to civil restrictions imposed on account of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Villarojo stated.
Photo from the official Facebook page of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos-Ang Sandigan/MANILA BULLETIN)
Exceptions in the form of particular dispensations are given to those who are sick, have fragile health, or are susceptible to contracting illnesses.
“Except for those (who are) sick and have serious reasons, all Catholics are expected to perform their obligations to physically attend Masses in churches,” the bishop said.
Villarojo also encouraged the parishes, chaplaincies, and Catholic schools to “employ all effective means necessary to catechize the faithful… on the importance of the Sunday obligation.”
“Let us ardently encourage the faithful to encounter God through the Church in her communal celebration of the Sacred Mysteries,” Villarojo added.
The diocese early this year ordered the parishes to limit the live streaming of Masses on Sundays to at least two, preferably one in the morning and one in the evening.