Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will have dispensation from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass Sunday and the following two Sundays under liturgical accommodations issued by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
In his message to the faithful regarding the coronavirus, Gomez encouraged those “who cannot come to Mass to stay home and read the Gospels, pray with your families and to join yourself to the sacrifice of the Mass by making an act of spiritual communion.”
Gomez also encouraged the faithful to participate in the Holy Mass via the Internet. The list of parishes in the archdiocese providing livestreams of their Masses is available at lacatholics.org/emergency/.
The Sunday Masses from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels are livestreamed at lacatholics.org/emergency and the LA Catholics Facebook Page, facebook.com/lacatholics.
The English-language Mass is celebrated at 10 a.m. and Spanish-language Mass at 12:30 p.m.
The accommodations issued Friday also include limiting Mass attendance to 250 in accordance with state public health recommendations and accommodations for the recommended “social distancing” at Mass.
Gomez also canceled or suspended anything not essential to the celebration of the Catholic faith, such as retreats, penance services, parent meetings, youth groups and prayer groups.
More restrictive measures may be necessary in the near future, Gomez said.
Officials with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which consists of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, will continue to monitor and study the latest guidance being provided by the Centers for Disease Control, local public health officials and civic leaders, Gomez said.
“It is true that with the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, we are facing a global health emergency that is like nothing we have seen in our lifetimes,” Gomez wrote.
“But our hope is in the Lord and we know that he will give us his grace and mercy in our time of need. We need to approach this emergency with faith and confidence in God and also with prudence.”