May 12, 2020

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted

Suspending the public celebration of the Holy Mass on March 16 was a great sacrifice in the effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. I am grateful to our pastors, their parish staff and volunteers who kept their churches open and worked hard to support the faithful in this journey. Through it all, we have made every effort to continue to bear witness to the Lord Jesus, to spread the Gospel message in creative ways, and to provide for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic adoration, and moments of prayer and grace.

Likewise, I am grateful to you, our Catholic faithful, for your patience and perseverance as we continue to navigate this pandemic. I have heard many stories from those who have grown closer to the Lord, and experienced a genuine enrichment of the Domestic Church, the family, by their time together.

We continue to monitor information from Arizona health officials, and the information shared indicates a flattening of the curve of COVID-19 cases. With this knowledge, I am pleased to share that on May 11 I permitted our pastors to begin celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass publicly in our churches. I hope this will provide a great sense of comfort for the many Catholics who have been longing to attend Mass to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. I want to emphasize that Catholics in the Diocese of Phoenix remain dispensed from their Sunday obligation to attend Mass during this pandemic. We need to remain cautious and vigilant during this public health crisis, and I know that many are hesitant of returning too soon. I urge those of you who cannot join us in person to continue to watch a livestream of the Mass and make a spiritual communion.

In recent weeks, I have developed a plan with our pastors that we are calling “Rising with Christ.” This plan will gradually restore parish life, but it will not be a process that happens overnight. Rather, it will occur over the course of time, and will vary from parish to parish, based on a variety of circumstances that are unique to each community. To make this work, we will need your help. Patience will be required, and it is important for individuals and families to take personal responsibility to protect themselves by adhering to social distancing guidelines, and by following CDC guidelines for hand washing and hand sanitizer use, as well as recommendations regarding the use of masks while in public.

Our goal is to balance the spiritual needs of the faithful with our concern for their physical well-being and the common good of the wider community. This means that access to Masses will be limited. It will be important to check with your parish to know when Mass will be offered and when to attend due to limitations. Stay connected through your parish website, Flocknote or social media pages for more information.

I invite you to learn more about “Rising with Christ – The Plan for Restoring Parish Life,” and to download and read our one-sheet informational flyer with guidelines for Catholics returning to Mass.

Please continue to join me in praying for our first responders, health care professionals, elected officials, priests, deacons, and parish leaders, and all those who are working tirelessly to serve us during this crisis. Together we look forward to a future post pandemic. Let us remind one another: Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen! We trust He will be with us always.

As we continue our journey through the Easter season and approach the great feast of Pentecost, let us pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom and guidance in the days ahead. Please remember: Be Healthy – Be Smart – Be Holy.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Diocese of Phoenix, pray for us.

Jesus, we trust in You.

+ Thomas J. Olmsted
Bishop of Phoenix