Weather doesn’t deter some from attending Sunday Mass

Some faithful attend Sunday Mass despite blizzard, state of emergency, Bishop’s dispensation

CLIFTON  With some towns in the Paterson Diocese receiving nearly 3 feet of snow from a blizzard that hit the East Coast Jan. 23, Bishop Serratelli issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass over the weekend, Jan. 23-24, due to the state of emergency declared by Gov. Christie to all residents of New Jersey to stay off the roads. Several other dioceses along the East Coast also gave Catholics a dispensation from Mass attendance including the Dioceses of Trenton and Arlington in Virginia.

In his dispensation message posted for all the faithful in the Diocese on the morning of Jan. 23, Bishop Serratelli wrote: “The governor has just issued a state of emergency warning where he asked all residents of New Jersey to stay off the roads. As long as the severe weather conditions continue, the obligation to attend Mass does not apply.”

Many from the diocese who were attending the 43rd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 22 also had to adjust their plans, leaving the nation’s capital early in the afternoon so that they could avoid being caught in the blizzard conditions there.

Some parishes canceled Masses especially the Vigil Masses on Saturday night and the first Mass on Sunday morning. But many of the faithful in the diocese still headed to Mass on Sunday with most opting to attend a late morning Mass. At St. Philip Church in Clifton where almost two feet of snow fell, Barbara Saltzer, parish secretary, said, “As the day went on, Mass attendance seemed to be better.”

Areas of Morris County were hit with more than 30 inches of snow and at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Mountain Lakes, the parish reported having more than 300 people in total attending Masses on Sunday.

In Sussex County, which had the lowest snowfall amounts in the diocese, Masses were well attended at St. John Vianney in Stockholm — even with a foot of snow on the ground. Father Jhon Madrid, parochial vicar, said, “Fortunately, the roads were clear in the area and many did attend Mass.”

On Monday, some diocesan Catholic Schools were closed or had delayed openings — as did the Chancery Office —as the snow clean up continued.

At press time, Richard Ziccardi, diocesan risk manager, said he had no reports of damage to churches or other diocesan properties from the blizzard.