LETTER: ‘Grave sin’ order defies Covid warnings, puts Catholics at risk

To Ozaukee Press:
    The Most Rev. Jerome E. Listecki, archbishop of the 10-county Milwaukee Archdiocese, wrote a letter, dated Aug. 25, for Catholics under his jurisdiction, alerting them that the dispensation from attending Sunday Mass, which had been in effect for six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, would expire on Sept. 14. Thus, Catholics are mandated to resume attending weekend Mass starting Saturday night, Sept. 19, or Sunday, Sept. 20.
    While the archbishop pointed out that persons with underlying medical conditions, compromised immune systems, the elderly or those caring for persons who are ill would not be required to return to Mass at this time, he wrote to the remainder of his flock, “Those who deliberately fail to attend Sunday Mass commit a grave sin.”
   Now, I happen to be well into my senior years, thus not under the mandate to return, but I find this “grave sin” reference to be offensive and am taking a stand for those commanded to return to Mass.
    Under ordinary circumstances, the mandate would not present a problem, as we Catholics follow the Third Commandment to keep holy the Lord’s Day and attend Mass each weekend.
   But this current time is anything but ordinary. We do not have a vaccine to protect us from the Covid-19 virus. So I question how attending a large group function, such as a Sunday Mass, is safe. We are warned over and over again by health experts not to assemble in large groups
    Another disturbing sentence in Listecki’s missive is this: “Fear of getting sick, in and of itself, does not excuse someone from the obligation of Sunday Mass.”
     Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned the public on Sept. 12 that the number of Covid-19 cases is increasing and that until a vaccine is available we should avoid being in crowds.
   I believe the archbishop’s letter lacks some vital information, such as how the mandate to return to Sunday Mass was decided and how has the virus situation improved to the point of allowing gatherings at Masses.
    Also, I’m curious to learn which public health agencies were contacted in making this most important decision, such as the CDC. The letter does not contain those facts.
   It would be one thing if Catholics were given a choice in this matter. But this is a mandate to return to Mass, under the fear of committing a grave sin if it is not followed.
      We do not have a vaccine, and conditions are not safe to gather in large groups, according to medical and scientific experts.
I find the archbishop’s decision contradicts the experts. I could certainly be missing some information that proves otherwise, but that information did not appear in the letter as it should have.                   I have a priest friend who shared several of Listecki’s most inspiring “Love One Another” messages. Congratulations to the archbishop for those greatly scripted messages. However, I must say, the Aug. 25 letter, with its “grave sin” message, does not have a Christ-centered feel to it.
      I will certainly return to Mass, but only after receiving a vaccine against this insidious virus.
Sue Mroz
Random Lake