After the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington on Thursday announced the cancellation of upcoming Masses because of the coronavirus pandemic, many Catholics are scrambling for other options.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory issued a dispensation from the Sunday obligation and recommended that people watch livestreamed Masses instead. But for many Catholics, simply watching Mass, on Sunday as well on St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s Day, the two major feasts next week, is an unsatisfying prospect.
“I was shocked, but what are you going to do?” said Jacquelyn Basso, who lives part-time in D.C. “I’m so sad they’re not going to have Mass.”
Basso planned to attend Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which said in a Thursday statement that it will remain open “as long as we are permitted by government authorities.” If the basilica shuts down, Basso said, she plans to watch Mass on the Catholic television channel EWTN. The basilica announced Friday afternoon that it will suspend public Masses, beginning on Saturday.
Other D.C. residents also plan to watch Mass from home. Dawn Goldstein, a writer living in the city, said that she plans to watch the Mass that Pope Francis has been livestreaming from the Vatican since the coronavirus shut down the country. Goldstein said she also plans to visit her parish for Eucharistic adoration and to pray the rosary, in lieu of attending Mass in-person.
A spokesperson for the archdiocese told the Washington Examiner that the suspension only refers to public Masses and that private Masses depend on the discretion of individual priests. The Diocese of Arlington, just across the river in Virginia, has not suspended Masses, the spokesperson noted, leaving an opening for people who still wish to attend Mass on Sunday.
The archdiocese’s decision to suspend public Masses came after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan banned any gatherings with more than 250 people. Gregory explained in a statement that the archdiocese is attempting to comply with Hogan’s order for safety reasons.
“Please know that this decision does not come lightly to close our schools or cancel Masses,” Gregory said. “We are profoundly saddened that we are not able to celebrate our sacraments as a community for the time being, but we know Christ remains with us at all times — specifically in times of worry like this.”
Along with D.C., six other Catholic dioceses have suspended Mass, including Seattle, Chicago, and Newark. The Archdiocese of Baltimore on Friday also issued a dispensation for Sunday attendance, but it will still allow priests to celebrate Mass, provided they keep crowd sizes under 250, in keeping with Hogan’s order.
A day after Gregory announced the closure of D.C. churches, Pope Francis reversed a decision which had closed all of the churches in Rome, instead leaving the matter to the discretion of parish priests. In a letter to priests, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis explained that Francis’s reversal came from a worry that without Mass, Catholics would “feel more isolated.”
Other churches in the D.C. area are also restructuring for the foreseeable future. The Anglican Church of the Resurrection announced to its members in an email that it is not canceling services, but that it will be simplifying them not to include the sign of peace or communion. Congregants are encouraged to watch from home.
“It is genuinely in your best interest to stay home: Please consider doing so,” pastor Dan Claire said.
Other church communities have been more strict. Georgetown Presbyterian Church, which scaled back its services last week after learning one of its attendees had encountered the coronavirus at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, has moved its services entirely to livestream.
“We believe that refraining from gathering in person is helping to serve our community by limiting the risk of disease transmission,” church leaders wrote to congregants. “We encourage you to continue to be the church, to find ways to pray and worship, and to look for opportunities to serve each other.”
Christ Church, the Episcopal church where the first case of the coronavirus in the city was confirmed, has suspended all in-person activities as much of the congregation is in quarantine. Four people, including church pastor Timothy Cole, organist Tom Smith, and two other parishioners have tested positive for the coronavirus, church spokesman Rob Volmer told the Washington Examiner.
