End of dispensation
Bishop Larry Silva (Photo courtesy of Dann Ebina)
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Bishop Larry Silva on Easter will end the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass that he issued more than a year ago in the Diocese of Honolulu because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a two-page March 5 memo to pastors and parishioners (see text below) he wrote, “Since our Sunday encounter with the Risen Lord in the Eucharist is the source and summit of who we are as Christians, it is important that we return to our weekly celebrations.”
The dispensation will remain in place, however, for “anyone who is sick, may have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19, or who has a health condition that would endanger themselves or others by being present in church.”
The bishop made the announcement as COVID-19 cases in Hawaii dropped below 25 a day and more people are getting vaccinated.
“With decreasing numbers of cases, increasing accessibility to vaccines, and ‘herd immunity’ on the horizon, we should be able to celebrate Easter in a more normal fashion this year,” the bishop said.
Last year, public Holy Week and Easter liturgies were canceled because of government-ordered “stay at home” mandates. Bishop Silva celebrated those services privately with a minimum number of liturgical ministers. His liturgies were livestreamed.
Public Masses returned last year on Pentecost weekend May 30-31, but social distancing significantly reduced pew space, requiring, in many places, attendance by reservation. And because of the pandemic’s continuing threat to public health, the bishop extended his dispensation from attending Sunday Mass through the rest of the year through Holy Thursday, April 1. These factors resulted in Mass attendance in the diocese dropping nearly 60%.
For Catholics taking the dispensation, Bishop Silva had “strongly” urged them to to view a livestreamed Mass, attend a weekday Mass, read and meditate on Scripture, and pray the rosary.
Bishop Silva said back in August that he would end the dispensation “when the virus appears to be under control and no longer a clear and present danger to the community or the people who compose it.”
With the lifting of the dispensation, the bishop’s letter suggests pastors prepare for the extra number of people by adding chairs on church lanais, more Masses and livestreaming in the parish hall with holy Communion.
If a parish cannot accommodate the extra people, the bishop is allowing pastors to dispense individuals or groups from the Sunday Mass obligation for a maximum of two months before consulting with the bishop.
All prior mandatory health protocols will continue including the wearing of face masks, social distancing, no-touch greetings and the sanitizing of pews between Masses. Social gatherings after Mass are prohibited.
Communion remains under the one species of bread.
A small choir is permitted if kept 10 feet from the congregation and, if feasible, behind physical barriers such as Plexiglas.
And priests are encouraged to continue to livestream their liturgies.