Holy Week Services will also be live streamed, times will be posted soon–

March 16, 2020

To the Catholic Faithful of the Diocese of St Paul in Alberta,  The spread of COVID-19 in our province and around the world is a serious challenge to all of us. Especially at a time like this, we must  strive to care for the spiritual, physical, and mental health and well-being of our fellow parishioners and citizens. To undertake this, 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. And until late Sunday afternoon, an exemption from the ban on public gatherings of more than 250 people was granted to  places of  worship.  In yesterday’s communique, that exemption was removed. It is now clearly a public health requirement 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. To ask parishes to limit the number of parishioners coming for Mass to the number of 250 or  even  50  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 usually seniors. Therefore, effective immediately and until  further  notice,  I  am  putting in place throughout  the Diocese of St Paul the following measures:

  All  weekend  and weekday  Masses  in the  Diocese  of St  Paul  are  cancelled.  For  the duration of this period, I grant to all the Catholic faithful the dispensation from their Sunday obligation. Since the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is the very heart of our  Catholic  life,  this  banning  of  public  worship  will  be  a  cause  of  real  hurt  and 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  with  Salt and Light on  T V. In addition, the Diocese will explore the possibility of livestreaming Sunday Mass which would be accessed on our diocesan website. Further information about this will be forthcoming.  With respect to the Liturgies of Holy Week, further directions will be also forthcoming in the nest week.

  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  required 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 reduction.  

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 with 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.

Finally parishes are  strongly encouraged to keep churches open during the day. 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.   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 be with  our medical professionals and civic authorities, who continue to strive with enormous effort and great skill to keep all of us safe.

In our Good Shepherd,

+ Bishop Paul Terrio