The following are the latest developments in our Diocese’s efforts to mitigate the effects of coronavirus
(COVID-19) in our parishes.
1. As of this afternoon (March 6), Bishop Cantú has granted a special dispensation from attending Mass
on Sundays during March to persons at higher risk of severe illness. People in this group
include those who are over 50 years of age, those with health conditions including
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or chronic lung diseases like COPD,
as well as those with severely weakened immune systems.
2. The Bishop has also suspended pastoral care visits to the sick or the homebound by priests and
lay ministers, unless for the Anointing of the Sick, until further notice.
3. During March, the Diocese will record Sunday Masses in English and Spanish from the
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph. Recordings of the Masses will be available for viewing on
our website, www.dsj.org, for a week after each Mass. In addition, VBS from Orange County
plans to offer Masses in Vietnamese on a local Bay Area channel soon.
4. The Diocese has cancelled the March 14th Wedding Anniversary Celebration at the
Cathedral Basilica. Parishes are encouraged to postpone or cancel large gatherings for the
safety of the faithful.
5. The Diocese will add a special page on its website, dedicated to health precautions and the
coronavirus (likely available on March 9). It will include a downloadable page with key
information for viewing, printing, posting, sharing.
We will reevaluate our measures and if necessary, revise them as the coronavirus spread
unfolds