While some churches in Moose Jaw have eagerly reopened their doors and welcomed back their members, others are still closed and waiting until it’s safer to meet in large groups.
It has been more than a month since St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Parish reopened its doors and welcomed back its parishioners, explained Deacon Lamont Dyck. The parish began having its regular weekend services of 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 and 11 a.m. on Sunday. As per provincial regulations, members have had to register when they arrive so the church can ensure it doesn’t exceed the maximum number of people.
Although the church building can hold more than 100 people, parish leaders have capped that number at 90 people so they can observe proper physical distancing guidelines; the parish serves roughly 600 families.
Meanwhile, the parish has thoroughly trained a team of greeters to direct people to pews and sanitize surfaces between services. Furthermore, one set of doors is for entry only and another for exit, so there is no cross-contamination.
The Saskatchewan Government’s recent guidelines for houses of worship require that physical distancing of two metres be maintained and allow for religious gatherings of up to 30 per cent of a building’s capacity or 150 people, whichever is less. Within that amount, groups of 30, with physical distancing of two metres between households/individuals, must also be separated by at least five metres.
Having a big building has been beneficial to ensure people can maintain their distance, Dyck said. He was thankful that the parish had not yet had to turn anyone away due to capacity issues.
During services, the ministers serve communion from behind plastic shielding while the priest wears a mask when speaking.
There is no singing, though, which is difficult since that activity is an important part of the service, Dyck said.
“You do what you do. Whatever special requirements, at least in the sacrifice of the Mass, we’re meeting Jesus and that’s the most important thing,” he continued. “If you have to wear a mask or you can’t sing, those are little sacrifices to make to have that happen there.”
Congregants have been “super positive” about being able to meet again since they have missed it quite a bit, Dyck said. While the parish had two contactless barbecues during the pandemic, it’s still a good feeling to have Mass again. After all, being away from church has been tough on many people.
“For Catholics, it’s very important because it’s a requirement for our faith to keep the Sabbath holy (and) go to church even though the bishop has … said we don’t have to at this time,” he added. “It’s still very much ingrained in Catholic culture that you … come and experience Jesus.”
Over at Zion United Church, the building is still shut and will not have any in-person services or rentals anytime soon, volunteer Ed Shostal said. The parish leadership is considering reopening the church in September, but that is still not certain. Moreover, most United Churches in Moose Jaw are remaining closed while being “super cautious.”
Pastor Tim Ellis and organist Bruce Learmonth have been holding online Sunday services on Facebook, with Ellis later uploading the video to the church’s website for congregants who don’t have Facebook.
“I’m not on Facebook and not a fan of that stuff,” Shostal said. “There are many members who tune in to watch. The minister says there are (also) many people who tune in to watch from across the country.”
Shostal greatly misses the in-person church services, along with being able to go to the library and attend the usual activities in his seniors’ apartment building. He pointed out that an important part of attending church was the after-service coffee hour when people could socialize. Although the church has a phone-tree, he prefers face-to-face interactions.
“All we can do,” he added, “is sit and wait it out.”
