Bishop Koenig celebrated the Sunday vigil Mass Jan. 24 at Cathedral of St. Peter in the Diocese of Wilmington as the region braced for an overnight snowstorm that threatened to cause extreme travel conditions Sunday into Monday.
Many Catholics chose to attend Saturday evening celebrations to avoid the bitterly cold, snowy weather anticipated Sunday morning in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Mass from the cathedral is typically livestreamed on Sunday mornings. Bishop Koenig chose to livestream the Saturday evening Mass in part so it would be available as a livestream replay for people who won’t be able or willing to travel Sunday.
Gov. Matt Meyer declared a state of emergency in Delaware. Gov. Wes Moore did the same in Maryland.
Overnight temperatures were forecast to drop to 15 degrees in Wilmington.
On Friday, Bishop Koening encouraged parishes to make a decision closer to the weather event to give greater assurance of the forecast’s accuracy. Check your parish website for local updates.
“In the event that Masses are cancelled on Sunday, you can direct your parishioners to Mass celebrated by the bishop from the cathedral,” wrote Father Joseph W. McQuaide IV, diocesan chancellor, in a memo to priests of the diocese.
