Portland Archdiocese Press Release
Regarding Live Streaming of Masses
The Archdiocese of Portland will once again be live streaming the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass from The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception THIS SUNDAY (March 22nd), and hope to do so moving forward until the current health crisis is over. We will keep you posted.
Many parishes also have live streaming capabilities. We do not have a list of those individual parishes, so please contact yours to see what they may be doing.
As for daily Mass, we are working on live streaming from the Pastoral Center chapel. We hope to begin doing this tomorrow (March 18th) if everything works out. We will also keep you posted on this possibility.
Thank you to those who have offered their prayers and support to the archbishop and the archdiocese. We have been working very long days to keep you all informed of the changes that we have had to adopt recently. While I know that many are disappointed (none more than our archbishop), please know that these decisions were VERY hard to make, and not without hours of deliberation. Keep strong. Keep healthy. And pray for each other.
Coronavirus Update: March 16, 2020
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Praised be Jesus Christ!
This is by far one of the most difficult communications I have ever written because of the impact it will have on the spiritual and faith lives of so many of us.
March 16, 2020, Governor Kate Brown announced new directives governing the social gathering of people in the State of Oregon. Beginning tomorrow gatherings are not to exceed 25 people for the next four weeks. At the same time, although she did not make it the law, she urged that such gatherings be kept under 10 people. Earlier today, President Trump made a similar recommendation that gatherings not exceed 10 people. I suspect that at some point 10 people will become the law.
In light of this, it becomes impossible for us to manage a schedule of Masses in the parishes and missions of the Archdiocese observing this 10 to 25 limit. With a very heavy heart, I am therefore announcing the cancellation of all public Masses in the Archdiocese of Portland beginning tomorrow through April 14, 2020. At the same time, I am dispensing all of the faithful from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation for the same period of time.
This will be particularly hard because this will take us through Holy Week and Easter.
Further information, direction, suggestions, pastoral guidance etc. will be forthcoming as we navigate together these uncharted waters. For now, I felt it urgent to let you know of this necessary decision. I will be reminding the priests of the importance for them to still offer daily Mass, though not publicly, for the good of the faithful and for an end to this crisis.
I am sorry beyond words to have to make this decision. It is very painful for me to do so. In the midst of this we must remember that the Holy Eucharist remains the source and summit of the Christian life.
May our hunger for the Mass and the Body of Christ be a source of grace for us.
Whether you are a member of the clergy, parish or school staff, laity or just a concerned citizen, we have put together a page which has much of the information and links you are looking for. CLICK HERE.
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