Archbishop Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv., has announced that on Saturday, May 22, 2021, prior to the celebration of the Vigil of Pentecost, the general dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass will expire in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

While the general dispensation is removed, there are specific persons for whom the dispensation will still be applicable. One does not have an obligation to attend Mass on Sunday or a holy day of obligation in the following circumstances:

  1. You are ill or you have a health condition that would be significantly compromised if you were to contract a communicable illness.
  2. You are experiencing flu-like symptoms.
  3. You have been exposed to someone who has tested positive or you have reason to think you might be asymptomatic of a contagious illness.
  4. You care for the sick, homebound, or infirm.
  5. You are pregnant.
  6. You are 65 years of age or older (per the CDC’s recommendation of high-risk individuals).
  7. You cannot attend Mass through no fault of your own.
  8. You have significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.