By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

Some parishes across the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon welcomed small groups of worshippers for Mass on Ascension Sunday May 24, following new directives from Bishop Mark Hagemoen issued in accord with public health requirements related to slowing transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Other parishes have yet to start the process of permitting small groups of up to 10 people to celebrate Mass or other events, as they discern the best way to protect health and safety through cleaning, distancing, and an attendance process for their particular community. Some parishes may not be able to begin celebrations, given the age and health of their pastor or other local factors.

Meanwhile, with a general dispensation from attending Sunday Mass still in place, a number of priests in the diocese continue to live-stream celebrations of the Eucharist and provide other online faith resources, with videos posted at saskatoonmass.com. 

At the Cathedral of the Holy Family May 24, Mass with Bishop Mark Hagemoen was live-streamed as usual, followed by three more celebrations that morning, with 10 people present at each gathering. In comments at the conclusion of Mass, the bishop provided a summary about the decision announced earlier in a letter to the faithful.

Bishop Hagemoen highlights the phase-in process for the diocese:

“We will begin effective this Sunday slowly phasing in in accord with the directives of the health authorities and government authorities regarding activity in our parishes,” the bishop announced, highlighting the diocese’s “full support” for the government and health care directives.

“The government of Saskatchewan also recently updated those directives, and effective the third week of June we will see another phase in which we can increase slightly the numbers who are able to come to different activities in our churches, and I will certainly announce those in due course,” said Bishop Hagemoen.

• COVID-19 update: “Bishop Hagemoen announces plan for gradual resumption of public celebrations”
• Saskatchewan Coronavirus Information (English LINK) or (French LINK))
• COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfection for Public Facilities (LINK)
• RELATED ARTICLE: “Churches take first steps in re-opening – a look at the national picture”

Just as the government is phasing-in public activity across the province, the diocese is also phasing-in different levels of activity in the life of parishes, including gathering for Holy Eucharist, he said.

“Effective for the next couple of weeks we will gather up to the limit of 10 people for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sundays and weekdays. These directives have already been given to the parishes,” explained the bishop during his announcement at the end of Mass. “Our pastors and other people in the life of the parish are working on ways in which to facilitate a process of inviting and allowing people to come to different liturgies at their parishes.”

The bishop also highlighted a number of important factors in this phasing-in process:

“A general dispensation from Sunday obligations will remain in place throughout the entire pandemic. So while we are ramping up activities, all of our faithful need to know that if you are elderly, or you have a health conditions or are otherwise very concerned about all of this, you do have a general dispensation from coming to Sunday Mass and that will be in place indefinitely.”

“Attendance will be limited, and even as the phasing-in ramps up, there will be some limitation on the numbers gathered, ” he stressed, urging people to stay in touch with their parishes for more details as the process unfolds. “We would love to go back to the way things were, but we are not there yet,” he said.

“Personal distancing must always be practiced, so when we gather, the two-metre minimum between different people must be in place,” added the bishop, noting that family groups will need to be conscious of their distancing from other individuals or other families, following the health authority directive of being at least two metres apart.

Liturgical changes will be in place, he pointed out. “For example, one (change) will feature the distribution of communion after Mass. That enables us to be very very fastidious around making sure we are following due diligence about mitigating any virus transfer.”

Finally, the bishop noted: “There will still always be a little bit of a risk for anyone who attends public Mass.” Parishes will follow health directives from the authorities, and will implement improved cleaning and other measures, but the risk of transferring the COVID-19 virus still exists. “Again, we continue to always hold those most vulnerable as our greatest area of concern,” stressed Bishop Hagemoen.

“We continue to pray for God’s blessing on our communities – and indeed on all the world – for healing from the COVID 19 pandemic and for the care of those most vulnerable, and also for the protection of those who provide health care services and for other service providers in our community,” he concluded, before praying the prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (below) introduced earlier in the diocese with a request for fasting and prayer every Friday.

Public celebration of Mass in the diocese was suspended March 17, 2020 by Bishop Hagemoen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to live-streaming of Mass, parishes have stayed in touch with parishioners via social media, websites, telephone, and mail. Some churches have been open for prayer or for the sacrament of reconciliation, always in accordance with public health directives concerning numbers and distancing.

Find more information at: rcdos.ca/covid-19-updates

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