Church Reopening

We look forward to welcoming our Catholic community home again!

Please contact your parish for information about their reopening schedule which will vary across the 44 parishes in the Diocese of St. Catharines. Church opening schedules will depend on each parish’s readiness, including having a team of cleaners and other volunteers, and availability of sanitizing and other PPE.

Since COVID-19 is still a public health threat, Catholics are dispensed from their obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

Many parishes will continue to livestream Masses and other liturgical celebrations. Churches may be open to a maximum capacity of 30%.

Funerals and weddings in churches may be celebrated to a maximum capacity of 30%. Outdoor funeral services are limited to 50 attendees.

Please take appropriate precautions including taking your temperature before leaving home to attend Mass, ensuring proper hygiene especially hand washing. If you have any symptoms that might be COVID-19 related, or if you have been in contact with someone suffering from possible or confirmed COVID-19 symptoms, please remain at home and contact your doctor/public health.

Screening and public health protocols are in place. It is strongly recommended that parishioners over the age of three wear a mask when attending any church service. BYOM.

There will be no Children’s Liturgy of the Word at this time. Crying rooms will be closed.

We are taking precautions to protect the health and safety of everyone who comes into our churches. However, there can be no guarantee of complete protection from infection. There can be risks of contracting viral infection in large gatherings of people.

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms in the days following your attendance at Mass, please phone/email the parish office, in addition to contacting your doctor/public health.

Parish offices remain closed to the public at this time. Parish ministries, meetings and activities are still on hold.

Please address any questions or concerns to your parish, or you may direct them to the Diocesan Catholic Centre at diocese@saintcd.com.