Among the reams of damning accusations against Pennsylvania clerics that Attorney General Josh Shapiro highlighted Tuesday, one incident involving a longtime…
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SCRANTON Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera announced Thursday that the Sunday and Holy Day Mass obligation will go back into effect Aug. 15. The change will also occur in every Pennsylvania Diocese on the same date.
The Catholic Church requires attendance of Mass each Sunday, though for decades the obligation could also be fulfilled by attending certain Mass celebrations held Saturday, originally called an “anticipatory Mass.” When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Pennsylvania in March of 2020, prompting the state to order numerous closings to slow the spread of the virus, the Diocese of Scranton gave a dispensation from that obligation.
Ash Wednesday in the Poconos: How ashes will be distributed
STAFF REPORTS
The start of Lenten season will be celebrated differently this year.
Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera recently announced COVID-19 safety protocols for Catholic parishes regarding the distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday.
The new protocols apply to seven churches in Monroe County.
“In much of the world, the normal way of distributing ashes is to sprinkle ashes on top of the head, with no contact, rather than imposing them on the forehead. During distribution, both the minister and the recipient must be wearing masks,” the diocese wrote on its website. “For this distribution method, the priest will say the prayer for blessing the ashes.