Local Catholics Invited to "Come to the Table"

In a letter to the Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese of New Orleans dated May 1, 2021, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond invites all Catholics to “come to the table” by returning to regular Sunday Mass attendance beginning Sunday, June 6, 2021, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, known as Corpus Christi.

With the reinstatement of the expectation for Catholics to attend Mass, the archbishop pointed out that any COVID precautions from civic officials should be followed for the good of public health. He also assured Catholics that in addition to consulting priests of the archdiocese in his decision, he also consulted medical professionals for their advice.

In the letter to the clergy, religious, and laity of the archdiocese, Archbishop Aymond wrote about the origins of Catholics attending Sunday Mass going back to the Third Commandment that instructed the Hebrews, “to keep Holy the Sabbath,” and encouraged Catholics to not view the return to Sunday Masses as the church saying, “you must go”, but rather as an invitation from God.

 “(This) is an invitation from God to grow in love with him and to better know ourselves as Catholics, and he awaits our response,” wrote Archbishop Aymond.

The archbishop was clear that there are those who remain excused from attending Mass in-person, and particularly named those who are in hospitals or who are sick or who are fearful because of underlying health conditions. He offered gratitude for the creativity of the local clergy who continued to minister to their people despite the challenges of COVID and stated his appreciation for the many Catholics who had already begun returning to regular Sunday Mass attendance. He was also clear in his invitation to those Catholics who had not yet returned to Mass but had otherwise returned to normal life that they were welcomed “back to the table”.

“I know that for many, the pandemic has been a time of spiritual renewal, a deeper appreciation for the Mass and a desire to receive Christ in the Eucharist,” the archbishop wrote in concluding his letter. “Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we encounter the Risen Christ who waits to meet us there. This is why as a family we gather at the table to be nourished with God's Word and by the gift of the Eucharist.”

The announcement that the expectation for Sunday Mass attendance for Catholics is being reinstated on June 6, 2021 comes over a year after all public Masses were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Public Masses were restarted in the Archdiocese of New Orleans in May 2020 with very strict protocols in place. Restrictions on attendance have since been relaxed as the State of Louisiana continues its phased reopening and the number of vaccinated individuals increases while the number of COVID cases in the community decreases.

Click here to read Archbishop Aymond's pastoral letter.