In the name of God.

The Most Reverend
Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R.
Bishop of Pembroke

Whereas in March 2020 the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Pembroke dispensed with the obligation to Sunday Mass in light of the coronavirus pandemic for the safety of the faithful and the common good;

Whereas public restrictions have now been lifted for public gatherings, including public worship;

Therefore, in gratitude for the decrease of the danger to public health caused by the coronavirus and for the good of souls, I hereby restore the Sunday obligation for Catholics starting on Saturday, April 9, 2022, the Vigil of Palm Sunday, in accordance with Canon 1245 of the Code of Canon Law.

As has always been the case, anyone with a “serious reason” or “grave cause” is excused from this obligation. Such reasons include:

• anyone who is sick, symptomatic or recently exposed to the coronavirus;
• anyone with serious health risk factors that requires them to avoid public spaces;
• anyone who cares for someone who is sick;
• anyone who cannot attend Mass, through no fault of their own, because of frailty or old age.

May the trials of these two years lead us to a renewed faith in Christ’s real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, a renewal of Sunday as a family day of prayer and rest, and cultivate within our souls a desire that sees our obligation as the greatest privilege of our faith.

Given at Pembroke, Ontario on this 23rd day of March, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and twenty-two.

+ Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R.
Bishop of Pembroke