From the Office of the Bishop
Dear Friends in Christ,
After consulting with the Presbyteral Council of our Diocese and after conferring with Archbishop Lucas in Omaha and Bishop Conley in Lincoln, I am ending the general dispensation from the obligation to participate in Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, effective the weekend of Pentecost, May 22-23, 2021 in the Diocese of Grand Island.
Thankfully, with fewer cases of the virus being reported and the availability of the COVID-19 vaccines, Mass attendance at many of our parishes has increased. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case throughout our diocese. Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant, practicing good hygiene and limiting our physical contact with others.
While more and more people have returned to their places of work and have resumed many other social and recreational activities as well, I believe, it is also safe for us to gather at Mass and receive once again the spiritual benefits of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
This obligation extends to all baptized Catholics who are of able body and sound mind. The responsibility to participate in Sunday Mass rests with each of us. There are some, however, who may be excused from the obligation to attend Mass due to advanced age, sickness, disability or some other serious reason.
In the coming weeks leading up to the Feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the joy and the hope of the Resurrection of Jesus. Our Lord's victory over sin and death gives us great assurance in his mercy and the healing graces we receive through the sacraments. Likewise, let us be as ambassadors for our family members, neighbors and friends inviting them to return to a full and active participation in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Let us renew our commitment to honor the Lor5d and draw close to him in the Eucharistic liturgy, for Jesus said, "The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." With longing for a renewed vitality in Christ, a vitality we also discover in our brothers and sisters who gather with us at the table of the Lord, let us take up our observance of the Lord's day with even greater faith in Him!
With the assurance of my prayers for a Blessed Easter Season!
Joseph G. Hanefeldt
Most Rev. Joseph G. Hanefeldt
Bishop of Grand Island
After consulting with the Presbyteral Council of our Diocese and after conferring with Archbishop Lucas in Omaha and Bishop Conley in Lincoln, I am ending the general dispensation from the obligation to participate in Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, effective the weekend of Pentecost, May 22-23, 2021 in the Diocese of Grand Island.
Thankfully, with fewer cases of the virus being reported and the availability of the COVID-19 vaccines, Mass attendance at many of our parishes has increased. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case throughout our diocese. Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant, practicing good hygiene and limiting our physical contact with others.
While more and more people have returned to their places of work and have resumed many other social and recreational activities as well, I believe, it is also safe for us to gather at Mass and receive once again the spiritual benefits of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
This obligation extends to all baptized Catholics who are of able body and sound mind. The responsibility to participate in Sunday Mass rests with each of us. There are some, however, who may be excused from the obligation to attend Mass due to advanced age, sickness, disability or some other serious reason.
In the coming weeks leading up to the Feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the joy and the hope of the Resurrection of Jesus. Our Lord's victory over sin and death gives us great assurance in his mercy and the healing graces we receive through the sacraments. Likewise, let us be as ambassadors for our family members, neighbors and friends inviting them to return to a full and active participation in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Let us renew our commitment to honor the Lor5d and draw close to him in the Eucharistic liturgy, for Jesus said, "The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." With longing for a renewed vitality in Christ, a vitality we also discover in our brothers and sisters who gather with us at the table of the Lord, let us take up our observance of the Lord's day with even greater faith in Him!
With the assurance of my prayers for a Blessed Easter Season!
Joseph G. Hanefeldt
Most Rev. Joseph G. Hanefeldt
Bishop of Grand Island
