January 23, 2021 Update on Mass Attendance 

Masks are now MANDATORY at all times within the church as per the most recent Mandatory Order from the province.

Please remember, during the Yellow Phase, if you plan to attend ANY particular Mass, you are asked to bring a piece of paper with your name and phone number, and the names of everybody coming with you. A can or a box will be at each of the entrances for you to put the papers in. We will keep the papers for 21 days in case contact traces need to be performed. PLEASE NOTE: you are asked to bring this information to EACH AND EVERY Mass you attend. Thank you for your continued cooperation.

As you arrive for Mass you are asked to follow all the instructions of the ushers. The ushers will be checking names so contact traces can be made if necessary (we are required to maintain a record of people entering our buildings), and they will be guiding you to the pews and for Communion, and at the end of Mass for the dismissal. Given the need for social distancing, and the limit to the number of people permitted to enter the churches (a limit taking into account space and the requirement for Social Distancing), people will be seated in the first available pew from the front as they arrive – this eliminates the need to walk around in search of an empty pew which are not so easy to spot due to the spacing.

If there are members of your ‘Family and Friends Bubble’ who will be arriving later, please indicate this information to the ushers.

You are asked to remain in your pew at all times until directed to move by an usher.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

NOTE VERY WELL: Please do NOT leave items in the pews – bulletins, missals, missalettes, tissues (especially used ones), if you bring it to the pew, then you are asked to take it home or place it in a proper waste receptacle.

For those not attending Mass, but wishing to receive Communion, prior to coming to the church, you must participate in the LIVE celebration of Mass FOR THAT DAY on line or on TV, otherwise you must recite the Confiteor (“I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters,…), the Lord’s Prayer and the prayer at Invitation to Communion (“Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof,…”) prior to reception of Communion. Shut-ins are asked to call the office to arrange for a time they can receive a visit.

Currently these are our Sunday Masses – 4pm Saturday evening at St. Michael’s Basilica and 6:00pm at St. Margaret’s, Sunday mornings 9:00am at St. Andrew’s, 10:30am at St. Michael’s Basilica, 11:00am at the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel (Bayside), and 5:30pm Sunday evening at St. Michael’s Basilica.

Parishioners are asked to wear masks/face coverings at all times, face shields are not adequate and not permitted without a mask. Those under the age of two, those who would have difficulty removing their own masks, and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions which would make wearing a mask difficult (such as severe asthma sufferers), are DISCOURAGED from wearing masks. Masked are mandated for when physical distancing is not possible – when you will be within 2 metres of another person.

Currently, Catholics are dispensed from the canonical obligation to attend Mass on Sunday, so if you are concerned for your health, please stay home; also, if you are experiencing ANY cold or flu symptoms, please stay home.

God Bless you all, and stay well.

Masks in Places of Worship – FAQ

NOTE: During the Orange faze of COVID protocols, the FRONT DOORS of the Basilica will be EXIT ONLY.