Canada: Dioceses cancel public Masses until further notice

Many dioceses across Canada have announced that public Masses and other church gatherings across the country are being cancelled until further notice because of the Coronavirus which is rapidly spreading across the country.

Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto writes in a message to his diocese: "I wish to provide you with a further update on our response as a Christian community to the COVID-19 situation which is evolving rapidly. Today, the Premier of Ontario has declared a state of emergency.

"Once again in the history of our archdiocese we are in the midst of an epidemic. I am deeply grateful for the priests, deacons and lay pastoral workers of the archdiocese who have acted in this emergency with such loving pastoral care. We are called to ensure that this continues even more in the time ahead. For example, I encourage all pastors to organize the members of their parish to assist those who are isolated and vulnerable, especially the elderly, while always following the directions of the health authorities.

For the duration of this health emergency, I decree that the following be implemented in all parishes, missions and chaplaincies throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto:

Mass - In view of the requirements of the Government of Ontario, during this medical emergency, beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, I instruct that all public Masses be cancelled, both during the week and on the weekend. Churches will be available for individual private prayer.

The priests of the archdiocese will celebrate Mass every day privately for the intentions of the people.

The faithful will be able to watch, via livestream, a Mass which will be celebrated every day at 7.30am at St Michael's Cathedral Basilica, which will be followed by the Angelus and the Rosary. I will personally celebrate this Mass as much as is possible. This Mass, Rosary and Angelus will also be available on the Archdiocese of Toronto's YouTube channel for those who cannot join at 7.30am. These Masses and prayers will be offered for the intentions of everyone as we go through these trying times.

In addition, Mass will be broadcast daily on Salt & Light Catholic Media Foundation, VisionTV (Daily TV Mass) and EWTN.

So many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are deprived of the opportunity to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, for many reasons. Due to this health emergency we also will now experience their suffering. Perhaps this sacrifice will help us to cherish more profoundly the great gift of the Holy Eucharist. There is no substitute for personally participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the source and summit of our life in Christ, and we pray for the time when this may be universally available once more.

It is important to follow carefully the provisions of the health authorities, but it also essential that our spiritual life be enhanced and strengthened all the more during this crisis. At this time, when we are reminded of the brevity of life and of our own mortality, we are called to go deeper to our spiritual foundations. I encourage all people who remain at home and who are cut off from regular social interaction to engage in prayer - to pray the Rosary, to read the Scriptures and to offer prayers for those who are suffering the most in this crisis. We should also pray for the health care workers and others who are engaged in fighting this pandemic on the frontlines.

Baptism - At this time, communal celebrations of Baptism are not allowed. Individual Baptism is allowed with immediate family and following the regulations established by the health authorities.

RCIA - I dispense the catechumens from the scrutinies. Information will be sent out later on the Triduum and reception into the Church.

First Holy Communion, First Reconciliation and Confirmation will be postponed for the duration of the emergency.

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Communal celebrations of the Sacrament of Reconciliation are not allowed at this time. All those who wish to receive the sacrament should contact a priest. The sacrament is to be celebrated not in a confessional but rather in another location, where confidentiality may be ensured and where the distance required by the health officials can be maintained.

Marriage - Marriages without Mass may take place with the immediate family members, provided they follow the regulations established by the health authorities. The postponement of the wedding may be requested given these circumstances, but if this is granted there may be a need for revision of the canonical requirements.

Marriage Preparation is very important. At this time, however, marriage preparation classes are cancelled and pastors are to arrange for individual couples to be prepared properly for marriage.

Visits to the Sick and Homebound should continue as much as possible. As previously communicated, visiting clergy and volunteers should take direction from the health care facility. Parishes should also take care to contact the homebound and vulnerable.

Funerals - During this emergency, there will be no vigils or wake services. The Rite of Committal will take place with the immediate family at the cemetery. There will be no funeral Mass at this time, but we encourage the celebration of a funeral Mass at a later date when it is possible.

Parish Meetings and Events are cancelled at this time.

Parish Offices - While parish offices may offer more limited operating hours, they should maintain an active presence in the community and be accessible to the faithful. Parishes are encouraged to follow the direction of the Archdiocese of Toronto's Human Resources department, providing flexibility for staff as appropriate. The Archdiocese of Toronto's Catholic Pastoral Centre will also follow this practice, ensuring that offices remain accessible.

We will review our emergency provisions regularly in accord with the requirements of the public health officials and we will provide updates at: www.archtoronto.org/covid19.

While it is a painful moment in the life of the Church to take these extreme measures, we pray that they will aid in combating the pandemic that has affected so many in our own community and around the world.

Once again, we pray for those suffering and for those who are caring for the sick. We are facing many trials during our Lenten journey this year. We take these to prayer, and look for opportunities to be the face of Jesus to all those whom we encounter. May God continue to bless you."

Archbishop Richard W Smith of Edmonton, Alberta, writes to all those in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta: "The spread of COVID-19 in our province and around the world is a matter of deep concern for all of us. Our primary concern must always be to care for the spiritual, physical, and mental health and well-being of our fellow parishioners and citizens. To this end, we rely upon our expert medical professionals to furnish us with up-to-date and accurate information, and to guide and protect all of us with the directives they provide.

I have full confidence in the direction given to our province by the Chief Medical Officer. The liturgical directives I have given for worship in the Archdiocese have followed Dr Hinshaw's assessment of medical risk. Until late Sunday afternoon, an exemption from the ban on public gatherings of more than 250 people was granted to places of worship. In her office's communique of March 15th, that exemption was rescinded. It is now clearly a public health imperative that liturgical gatherings in excess of 250 people not take place. A further prohibition is placed upon gatherings in excess of fifty people where it is anticipated that groups considered at high-risk, such as seniors, will be present.

Many of our Lord's Day Eucharistic celebrations on weekends normally involve more than 250 people. To ask parishes to limit the number of parishioners coming for Mass to that number would not be practical. In addition, weekday Masses, Lenten missions and parish penitential celebrations will often draw more than fifty people, many of whom are seniors. Therefore, effective immediately and until further notice, I am putting in place throughout the Archdiocese of Edmonton the following measures:

All weekend and weekday Masses in the Archdiocese of Edmonton are cancelled until further notice. For the duration of this period, I grant to all the Catholic faithful dispensation from their Sunday obligation. Since the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is the very heart of our Catholic life, the inability to gather for this worship is a cause of great suffering. Let us accept this as our civic duty at this time, and offer this moment in sacrifice to God for the sake of all who are ill from the COVID-19 virus.

In these extraordinary circumstances, I encourage everyone to participate "remotely" in the celebration of the Eucharist by tuning in to daily Mass on Salt+Light TV or Vision TV, or online at: https://dailytvmass.com/daily-tv-mass . In addition, the Archdiocese will livestream Sunday Mass at 10.30am from St Joseph's Basilica. This can be accessed on our Archdiocesan website at: www.caedm.ca Some individual parishes may also offer a livestream Sunday Mass; we shall make links to those available on our website. These will provide us with yet one more way to pray for the sick and for those who care for them.

With respect to the Liturgies of Holy Week, further directions will be forthcoming in due course.

All Lenten parish missions are cancelled. Parishes may consider livestreaming or recording the presentation of the speaker for posting on the parish website, but no public gathering is to be held.

All parish penitential celebrations are cancelled. Priests will remain available to hear confessions, but the use of the confessional is prohibited throughout the period of this pandemic. Instead, confessions will be heard face-to-face in reconciliation chapels or other spaces that both protect confidentiality and allow the medically requisite distancing between priest and penitent. Those who wish to confess anonymously behind a screen are invited to wait until after the pandemic, and are reminded that the obligation to confess serious sin once annually does not need to be fulfilled prior to Easter; it can take place at any time throughout the year. Of course, our priests stand ready to visit persons in hospital or confined to home who request Holy Communion, Confession or the Sacrament of the Sick. In every case they are expected to practice appropriate risk mitigation.

All celebrations of Baptism, First Eucharist, First Reconciliation and Confirmation are postponed until the Chief Medical Officer has advised that the pandemic has ended. At that point, I shall grant to our pastors any necessary delegation enabling them to celebrate these sacraments at times they themselves determine in consultation with parents and guardians. This directive applies likewise to the celebration of initiation into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. This, too, is to be postponed until the Chief Medical Officer has advised that the pandemic is ended.

Sacramental preparation classes for both children and adults are cancelled. Catechists will provide to parents the resources necessary to help them complete at home the remaining instruction to be given to their children. In the case of the RCIA, the pastor or catechist may proceed to the personal interviews of the candidates to determine their readiness.

Funerals may continue to be celebrated in our churches. In consultation with the relatives of the deceased, the priest celebrant will determine if participation needs to be limited to family members so as to be in compliance with prevailing medical directives. Public receptions following the funeral liturgy should not take place.

Parishes that normally keep their churches open during the day will retain this practice. Especially in this uncertain and extraordinary time, we want to offer in this way the assurance that the Church remains close to you and ready to accompany you through this or any difficulty.

All other liturgical directives that I have communicated to the Archdiocese in earlier updates remain in place. They can be found in your parish church and on our Archdiocesan website: www.caedm.ca

Please join with me in prayer for a rapid end to the COVID-19 virus. May God grant healing to those who are ill, and eternal rest to those who have died. May the Lord's blessing come upon our medical professionals and civic authorities, who continue to strive with enormous effort and great skill to keep all of us safe."