Mass

The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation in the Diocese of St. Cloud will be reinstated on the weekend of July 3-4, Bishop Donald Kettler said in a letter to pastors June 3.

In his letter to pastors, Bishop Kettler also addressed a change in protocols for adoration chapels, and he included a reminder about the importance of wearing masks.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit the ways worshippers can safely gather, the diocese, parishes and area religious communities are doing what they can to make Christmas Mass accessible to all.

From now until the end of the year, in-person parish gatherings outside of worship services must be suspended and shifted to online meetings or conducted at home.

With the global pandemic practically shutting everything down for months, the sacramental wine and altar bread business has suffered like other businesses in the country.

Perhaps, after weeks of uncertainty and nearly unhealthy doses of hopelessness, church is precisely the place we can bring those feelings — anxiety, fear and nervousness — and lay it down at the altar.

Gov. Tim Walz announced June 5 that faith communities may hold worship services in indoor settings at 50% capacity with a 250-person limit, whichever is less, starting June 10. For outdoor settings, gatherings must not exceed 250 people.

In his latest video, Bishop Kettler talks about the diocese’s plans regarding bankruptcy reorganization, the return to larger public Masses, and the need for justice following the death of George Floyd while in police custody.