DC-area Catholic leaders exempt parishioners from Sunday Mass over upcoming weather

WASHINGTON (7News) — The Archbishop of Washington on Friday issued a rare decree, offering thousands of Catholics in D.C. and much of it’s Maryland suburbs an optional exemption from Saturday and Sunday Mass due to expected winter weather.

Leaders from the Diocese of Arlington, which oversees Catholic churches in Northern Virginia and over 430,000 parishioners, provided a similar statement for Sunday, Jan. 25.

Both groups said the exemption is optional, but urged safety for those who want to attend a Sunday Mass.

“No one is required to make use of this dispensation. It is certainly preferable to attend Mass if it is possible to do so according to one’s prudential judgement,” according to a portion of a written decree from Washington Archbishop Robert McElroy. The Washington Archdiocese has over 600,000 parishioners.

Catholics, per church law, see it mandatory to attend a Sunday Mass in full every week and certain special events called Holy Days of Obligation. They can be missed for personal reasons in many cases or by a dispensation.

The Washington Archdiocese issued a similar exemption decree for the COVID-19 pandemic.