Those who plan to attend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Masses in one of the 74 Catholic parish or mission churches in Delaware or Maryland’s Eastern Shore are urged to check their parish’s website or bulletin before heading out.
Some parishes are requiring advance reservations in order to comply with state mandated attendance limitations due to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in our area.
“We want to avoid having to turn people away at the door,” said Bishop Malooly. “Parishes are following government guidelines to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy during Christmas and beyond. Limiting attendance, social distancing, wearing masks, and other requirements will be in place to assure that we will all be around when our Christmas Masses are once again standing room only.”
The dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday and Holy Day Masses that Bishop Malooly instituted in March remains in place in the Diocese of Wilmington.
Many parishes are livestreaming or posting prerecorded Masses on their YouTube, Facebook or web pages. Catholics are encouraged to check their parish website or bulletin to find out if and when their Christmas Mass will be available online.
Christmas Eve Mass with Bishop Malooly will be livestreamed from the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Wilmington at 2 p.m. on Dec. 24. Viewers can watch it live or recorded on the diocesan YouTube channel – YouTube.com/DioceseofWilm.
The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington was established in 1868 and comprises 56 parishes, 18 missions and 30 schools serving the State of Delaware and the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. More information on the diocesan effort to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic is available at www.cdow.org/cornoavirus.
