Pastors encouraged to schedule extra Saturday services with snow, ice forecast for Maryland

With potentially dangerous snow and ice forecast for Maryland the weekend of Jan. 24-25, Archbishop William E. Lori encouraged pastors to schedule extra Saturday vigil Masses, beginning as early as 3 p.m. 

Meteorologists with WBAL Radio are predicting that it will not be just snow that falls, especially Sunday. “It will snow really hard Sunday morning, but it will likely change to sleet or freezing rain. Some of the modeling suggests over an inch of sleet,” according to Tony Pann and Ava Marie. Based on the European forecast model, there is an 85 percent chance of 6 inches or more of snow.

A message sent to priests by the archdiocesan communications department noted that it is up to pastors to decide whether to hold Sunday Masses, based on their best judgment and knowledge of anticipated snowfall and local road conditions. They were encouraged to communicate their decisions to their parishioners using the parish website, email, social media and other methods.

The archbishop will not formally lift the Sunday Mass obligation.

If Sunday morning travel is not safe and Masses must be cancelled, pastors were asked to encourage the faithful to watch a livestreamed Mass.

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