Important Announcement from Bishop Loverde: Dispensation For Mass This Weekend
January 23, 2016 News
Dear St. Raymond of Peñafort Parishioners:
Due to the incoming blizzard Bishop Loverde has dispensed all Catholics in the Diocese of Arlington from their obligation to attend Mass this Sunday, January 24-you do not have to go to Mass this Sunday (or Saturday evening).
St. Raymond’s will keep our regular schedule of Masses this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but you are not at all obliged to attend and if you do not feel safe outside or on the roads I strongly urge you to stay home.
Saturday morning and Sunday morning confessions are canceled.
Please keep the Sabbath holy by spending time in prayer: reading the Sunday readings, making an act of spiritual communion, watching televised Mass, family recitation of the Rosary, etc.
Above all be safe this weekend. Let us pray for one another, and especially for those most adversely effected by the storm. May Almighty God bless you all, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In Christ,
Fr. John De Celles
Statement from Bishop Paul S. Loverde Dispensing Catholics from Sunday Mass Obligation for 1-24-2016
2016-1-21
(ARLINGTON, VA) In a statement released on January 21, 2016, Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, said the following:
“Due to the impending storm which is predicted to be severe, and bearing in mind that Governor Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia, all Catholics in the Diocese of Arlington are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday, January 24, 2016. Such inclement weather and poor road/travel conditions which may jeopardize safety are serious concerns.
“I encourage all Catholics to keep the Sabbath holy. Please consider spending some time in prayer with the Lord, perhaps by meditating on the readings of the Sunday liturgy, or by making an act of spiritual communion. You may also watch the TV Mass from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which airs at 10:30 a.m. on CW50 or check EWTN for televised Mass scheduling. Be assured of my prayers for your health, safety, and well-being.”