Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As you know, I and the other bishops of Minnesota made the decision last month to reinstate the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation in all of our dioceses beginning the weekend of July 3-4.
As the pandemic continues to subside, my hope is that we return as parish communities to the celebration of the Eucharist with great joy. The Sunday Mass obligation is ultimately rooted in our love for the Lord and our desire to celebrate this love united as one body in Christ. I join your pastor and your fellow parishioners in welcoming you back to Mass if you have been away for a while.
If you haven’t already, I ask that you read the document about returning to Mass from the Minnesota Catholic Conference. The document addresses the importance of attending Mass in person and outlines the circumstances under which Mass attendance will still not be required for the time being. Additional resources are available on a special back-to-Mass webpage at: www.stcdio.org/back-to-mass.
This is an opportune time to reflect more deeply on the Eucharist, its life-changing power and how it sends us on mission to transform our communities and our world. On the pages of the July issue of The Central Minnesota Catholic, you also will find articles about our upcoming Diocesan Ministry Day, which has a eucharistic theme; a Corpus Christi procession and how it brings Jesus into the community in a very concrete way; and one about making bread — a life-giving spiritual food that finds new meaning and expression in the Eucharist.
I hope these articles help to enrich your understanding of the Eucharist and what it means for us as Catholics. I look forward to seeing you at Masses and other parish events around the diocese this summer!
Sincerely yours in Christ,