Welcome back to Mass

If you’ve been away from Mass during the pandemic or for other reasons, we invite you to come back to receive the Eucharist, rebuild community life and renew your commitment to Sunday Mass.

Archbishop Etienne's invitation

Watch this video of Archbishop Etienne inviting you to come to Mass.

Read Archbishop's letter to the people on November 10, 2011: In English In Spanish

Read the story from Northwest Catholic.

Play Video

Welcome back to Mass

Receive the Eucharist

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives as Catholics, the “true food” that fuels our faith. In John 6:53, Jesus couldn't have said it any clearer: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”

Why is receiving the Eucharist so critical to our faith?

"This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." - Luke 22:19

"God has placed in human hearts a ‘hunger’ for his word (Amos 8:11), a hunger which will be satisfied only by full union with him. Eucharistic communion was given so that we might be ‘sated’ with God here on earth, in expectation of our complete fulfillment in heaven.” - Pope St. John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine, #19

“When the disciples on the way to Emmaus asked Jesus to stay ‘with’ them, he responded by giving them a much greater gift: through the Sacrament of the Eucharist he found a way to stay ‘in’ them." - Pope St. John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine, #19

“Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister … but especially under the Eucharistic species." - Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #7

“Jesus gives us this food, rather, He himself is the living bread that gives life to the world. His Body is the true food in the form of bread; his Blood is the true drink in the form of wine. It isn’t simple nourishment to satisfy the body, like manna; the Body of Christ is the bread of the last times, capable of giving life, eternal life, because this bread is made of love.” - Pope Francis, June 14, 2019

“Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy.” - Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, #66

Learn about the Eucharist

Archbishop Etienne encourages us to grow our understanding and experience of the Eucharist. Read his pastoral letter The Work of Redemption: Eucharistic Belief and Practice in the Archdiocese of Seattle, available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean here.

Read Archbishop Etienne's column in Northwest Catholic about how important it is to regularly receive the Eucharist.

Watch "Presence" on Formed.org. This series explores the truth and beauty of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Scripture, to its profound role in the life of the Church and her members. Many parishes have subscriptions to Formed.org.

Watch Archbishop Etienne talk about the Real Presence in this brief video. For more like this, go to the Come and Be Fed: Conversations with Archbishop Etienne.

Read how the Eucharist heals, from an article in Northwest Catholic.

For more about the Eucharist, go to the Archdiocese of Seattle's Faith Formation Eucharist page which features resources, videos and more for all ages.

Reflect

Rebuild community life — physical over virtual

We experience the presence of Christ in community, through physical gathering in a church building, the "house of God," dedicated to worship.

We come together to receive the sacraments, which are physical signs of God's grace. Assembled physically and in community, we experience the presence of Christ in a much more tangible way than virtually.

Why is showing up to Mass physically so important?

We are called to attend Mass in person, to enter into God's sacred space to physically encounter the Lord in an extraordinary way, entering into the liturgy, worshiping God in community with others.

“Blessed are those who dwell in your house! They never cease to praise you.” - Psalm 84

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:20

"And let us consider how to arouse one another to charity and good works; not forsaking our assembly as is the custom of some, but exhorting one another, and this all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25

“We too are gathered round the table of the Lord, the table of the Eucharistic
sacrifice, in which he once again gives us his Body and makes present the one
sacrifice of the Cross. It is in listening to his word, in nourishing ourselves with his
Body and his Blood that he moves us on from being a multitude to being a community, from anonymity to communion. The Eucharist is the sacrament of communion that brings us out of individualism so that we may follow him together, living out our faith in him.” - Pope Francis, May 30, 2013

“Just as the term ‘Church’ refers to the living temple, God's People, the term ‘church’ also has been used to describe "the building in which the Christian community gathers to hear the word of God, to pray together, to receive the sacraments, and celebrate the eucharist." - Built of Living Stones, guidelines of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, #16

“The church is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community,
especially the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday. It is also the privileged place for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and reservation of the Eucharist for Communion for the sick. Whenever communities have built houses for worship, the design of the building has been of critical importance. Churches are never ‘simply gathering spaces but signify and make visible the Church living in [a particular] place, the dwelling of God’ among us, now ‘reconciled and united in Christ.’ As such, the building itself becomes ‘a sign of the pilgrim Church on earth and reflects the Church dwelling in heaven.’ Every church building is a gathering place for the assembly, a resting place, a place of encounter with God, as well as a point of departure on the Church's unfinished journey toward the reign of God.” - Built of Living Stones, #17

Learn

For more about community, go to the USCCB's Call to Family Community and Participation.

Read The Importance of Christian Community from Ascension Press.

Read about a parishioner's experience about coming back to Mass in person after having Covid.

We fully participate in the Mass, with our voices, our bodies, and in community. Watch Elements of the Catholic Mass by The Liturgical Institute to learn more.

Reflect

Renew your commitment to Sunday Mass

Sunday has been kept holy as the Lord's Day since the Resurrection. As Catholics, Sunday is the day to celebrate Mass and receive the Eucharist in communion with the faithful.

Take this opportunity to renew your commitment to attending Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation.

Why is it so important to keep holy the Lord's Day?

One of the five precepts of the Catholic Church is to attend at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. The third commandment, "Keep holy the Sabbath," instructs us to go to church on Sundays and holy days of obligation, to fully participate in the liturgy and receiving the Eucharist.

“The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ. The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the ‘eighth day,’ Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day” - Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2190-2191

“The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature
in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular
worship ‘as a sign of his universal beneficence to all.’ Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly
celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.” - Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2176

"Sunday is designated as the Lord's day and it has always received special attention in the history of the Church. Each Sunday, we recall the very core of the Christian mystery; namely the Resurrection of the Lord and His victory over sin and death." - Pope St. John Paul II

“The Lord's Day — as Sunday was called from Apostolic times — has always been
accorded special attention in the history of the Church because of its close
connection with the very core of the Christian mystery. In fact, in the weekly
reckoning of time Sunday recalls the day of Christ's Resurrection. It is Easter which
returns week by week, celebrating Christ's victory over sin and death, the fulfilment
in him of the first creation and the dawn of the new creation. It is the day which
recalls in grateful adoration the world's first day and looks forward in active hope to
"the last day", when Christ will come in glory and all things will be made new.” - Pope St. John Paull II, Dies Domini, #1

“At Sunday Mass, Christians relive with particular intensity the experience of the
Apostles on the evening of Easter when the Risen Lord appeared to them as they
were gathered together” - Dies Domini, #33

“For the Christian, Sunday is above all an Easter celebration, wholly illumined by the
glory of the Risen Christ. It is the festival of the ‘new creation.’” - Dies Domini,, #8

“Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows. For the aim and object of apostolic works is that all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord's supper.” - Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #10

Learn

Reflect

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s changing on December 8, 2021 regarding attending Mass in the Archdiocese of Seattle?

Is it OK if I watch Sunday Mass online or by livestream after December 8, 2021?

“The general obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation (including the Saturday/Vigil Mass) is to be reinstated (CIC, can. 1247) during Advent on December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. As has always been the case, those who have a serious reason are exempt from attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2181). This includes those who are ill, have significant health risk factors or care for someone who is ill or immunocompromised, as well as those who have significant fear or anxiety about contracting the coronavirus in a large group.” - Archbishop Etienne, November 10, 2021

What safety measures are in place against COVID?

The Archdiocese has a COVID-19 Taskforce, which has been tracking the latest research and providing guidance for our parishes and schools. The safety precautions put in place are designed to minimize any “close contact,” which is defined as 15 minutes within 6 feet of an infected person. Several mitigation strategies are in place at our parishes including:
• Asking attendees to stay home if they don’t feel well
• Encouraging hand washing and good hygiene
• Requiring masks indoors
• Protecting a section in the church for people who wish to remain distanced
• Increasing ventilation
• Limiting congregational singing
• Limiting the amount of time spent in an enclosed space

Since the beginning of COVID, our parishes have celebrated more than 50,000 Masses and we have only had 2 cases of spread. Both of these cases were tied to choir singing. We have no confirmed reports of anyone getting COVID-19 from attending a Mass.

What resources are available for my parish or school to help encourage people to come back to Mass?

Here are some resources your parish, school or ministry can use to encourage people to come back to Mass:

Use the new Communications plan for parishes and schools. Click here
Welcome back to Mass digital assets for parishes and schools
in English and Spanish Link assets to archseattle.org/mass
Link all assets to the Welcome Back to Mass webpage: archseattle.org/mass
Return to In-Person Mass Toolkit for parishes
Click here
Archbishop's video: For English Click here. For Spanish subtitles, click "CC" on the lower right corner.
Archbishop's letter in English and Spanish
Northwest Catholic story on lifting the dispensation Click here

“It is time to renew the faith through personal reception of the sacraments and rebuild the relationships and community life of our parishes.”

Archbishop Etienne, November 8, 2021