I received an email concerning a recent change in Ontario, Canada, where they are removing the obligation for daily Mass for children in the schools. I have omitted the name of the Priest and the school involved unless it is absolutely necessary to include them. Below is the announcement along with the justification provided:
Dear Parents, Faithful and Friends,
“The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the great prayer of our Lord. Calvary was the great prayer of our Lord. It was there that he truly offered himself to God His Father, and it is there also that you will find the source of your apostolate and the zeal which you are going to need in order to go out and preach to souls. You are going to attract souls to Our Lord Jesus Christ; you are going to attract them to the altar.”
These words of Archbishop Lefebvre highlight the place and importance of the Holy Sacrifice in the life of a Catholic.
Nonetheless, Archbishop Lefebvre directed his priests not to make daily attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass obligatory for the children in our schools. This prudent advice was aimed at awakening the generosity of the young by giving them the opportunity to choose to attend Mass, rather than being obliged to attend; and at avoiding the occasion for a possible disrespect or distaste for religious ceremonies by holding them to an objectively desirable but not universally beneficial standard.
As a result, having deliberated and taken advice, I have decided to implement the following modifications to the Mass schedule for the parish and school: