Catholics In Ohio Given Dispensation To Not Attend Mass

CLEVELAND — Catholics in Ohio are being given dispensation to not attend mass on the weekends of March 14-15, March 21-22 and March 28-29. Anyone who is experiencing any symptoms of illness is being encouraged to not attend mass, the Diocese of Cleveland announced.

Gov. Mike DeWine banned gathers of 100 people or more on Thursday. While the order specifically exempted religious institutions, the Catholic bishops of Ohio have decided to encourage social distancing as a safe practice.

"As much as possible, parish Mass schedules should remain unchanged to allow the faithful to offer worship to almighty God and receive the great grace of the sacraments during this trying time. However, we recognize that this may not be possible because many of our senior priests may themselves be at risk. We ask for understanding and flexibility in this regard," the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland said in a statement.

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All other gathers of 100 people or more will be canceled until further notice, the diocese said. The impacted events include fish fries, bingo and other parish social and athletic events. Parishes may host drive-thru fish fries.

All Catholic schools and PSR will be canceled for three weeks starting on March 17. This cancellation includes all school-sponsored events.

"Schools and parishes are also to prohibit mass gatherings of more than 100 people for the foreseeable future -- even beyond April 3 -- until the emergency has passed," the diocese said.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults’ (RCIA) preparation sessions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

You can read the full diocesan statement online.

Ohio now has five confirmed cases of coronavirus, COVID-19, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon. As the virus continues to spread in Ohio, officials are banning any gathering of more than 100 people and are giving Ohio students an extended spring break of three weeks, starting Tuesday, March 17.