Church and Covid

Click here to download the chart that sets out the current church and parish facilities limits by colour.

Click here to view the map detailing which areas are in which colour zones.

Churches Open
Our churches in the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall are open once again for Mass, weddings and funerals. However, the maximum capacity remains at 30 % and social distancing must be respected. You should contact your parish to confirm the time of Masses as well as the process for attending Mass. 

If you are unable to attend Mass during this ongoing time of pandemic, Archbishop Damphousse grants the faithful dispensation from their Sunday obligation to attend Mass.

Livestream the Mass
Daily TV Mass livestreamed on Salt + Light 
Salt + Light Media is pleased to provide its viewers the Daily TV Mass produced by the National Catholic BroadcastingCouncil four times a day at 6:30 am, 11:00 am, 3:00 pm and 10:30 pm (all times Eastern Standard Time).

Click here to find a local parish that is livestreaming or recording Mass.

Church Offices
Church offices are allowed to reopen to the public. Please contact your parish to confirm office hours and procedures.

The Sacraments
The Eucharist
As indicated above, our churches are now open, please contact your parish for details.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Contact your parish if you wish to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There will be an appropriate location where physical distancing can be maintained. For those waiting to celebrate the sacrament, physical distancing and the wearing of masks must be observed.

Collections
Like so many other organizations, our parishes have suffered financially (bills and salaries still have to be paid during this time). Please consider making your weekly contribution whether or not you have been able to return to Mass. Please contact your parish to find out the best way to make your donation.

Baptisms
Following the rules set out by the local health unit (masks and social distancing) most parishes are performing baptisms by appointment.

Weddings
Weddings are permitted with masks and social distancing. Please contact your parish priest.

Funerals
Funerals are permitted in the church subject to regulations set out by the relavant health unit. Please note that the rules may vary from region to region.

Funerals are permitted in funeral homes. Please speak to the funeral director who will provide you with the relevant rules.

• First Reconcilliation
• Confirmation
• First Communion

For several weeks now, I have been receiving requests for clarification on the subject of vaccination. I have taken my time to answer these questions because it is a complex
reality and it is important, in my position, to offer the faithful of our Diocesan Church statements that are truthful and clear. It is important to note that there is a lot of information circulating in social networks on this subject. Experts in the field of health seem to contradict each other on different aspects of the question. In addition, there are positions based on conspiracies, both political and religious. There is enough material in the media to confuse even the most learned.

My message today does not seek to enter the debate and argue one side or the other. I
have, however, taken the time to consult with a few reputable, local Catholic doctors
to shed some light on the situation and to help me formulate a directive that might
unite us as a Church rather than divide us. I already see too many messages that sow
fear and doubt and consequently division and judgment.

All things considered, I feel it is important to trust the messages of our public health
authorities here in Canada and in Ontario. The main message is clear and it is based
on a multitude of scientific sources using the most current information available.

On the issue of the two vaccines being proposed by public health authorities, they are
safe and necessary to control the threat of the coronavirus. Might there be side effects
for some? Possibly yes. But the vaccines are deemed efficacious by our authorities
who have the expertise to make a judgment. The pandemic is serious and is causing a
death rate that has already affected too many of our families and fellow citizens,
especially among our vulnerable senior citizens as we have tragically witnessed here in
our archdiocese. The entire hospital system is affected; talk to the doctors and nurses
who are on the front line every day addressing the crisis. It is necessary for us, as a
Church and as a society, to cooperate to reduce the spread of the virus. I thank all
those in our parishes who have followed the protocols put in place by the
archdiocese. These new procedures have made our churches as safe an environment
as we can to provide us the opportunity to practice our faith in this time of crisis;
being able to go to Mass is essential.

As for the moral issue of receiving the vaccines, I believe it is important to say
something. Vaccines are sometimes developed and/or tested using cell lines derived
from either aborted fetal tissue or destroyed human embryos. Knowing this, many ask
me if we can in good conscience receive a vaccine developed and produced from this
unethical research. This is a serious dilemma.

The short answer to a complex question is that in this particular circumstance, it is
morally permissible to be vaccinated. We are in a global pandemic that has caused the
deaths of over two million people worldwide and which has left many others with
lingering adverse affects. Since we do not have completely licit (morally pure)
alternatives at this time, we can receive the vaccines we have available to us in Canada.
To add context to the short answer, I will let the experts shed some light on the
subject. I recognize there is a diversity of opinion within our Catholic Church. I refer
you, to two resources that summarize the thinking of specialists in moral theology
upon which I base my decision: 

• Note on the morality of using some anti-Covid-19 vaccines (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican)
• Letter by the Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories

​​​​In both documents they explain that the current vaccine situation is not ideal and that
we must advocate for future vaccines that are derived or tested in a more ethical
manner. In our situation, it is morally permissible to be vaccinated and this is not a
compromise with regard to our conviction of the sanctity of human life. I encourage
you to read one or both of these documents for a more complete answer.

This being said, I will not force anyone to receive the vaccine if they are not willing.
However, in the spirit of helping one another to fight this pandemic with a limited
number of accessible vaccines, I encourage you to receive the vaccine.

In conclusion, we must not forget the power of prayer and the sacraments. Let us
implore God, through the intercession of the saints, to put an end to this pandemic
and to give us patience and perseverance in order to stand firm in charity and hope.
Please continue to pray for me, as I do for you.

+ Marcel