Father Norman Birch couldn’t have predicted the storm that was about to hit people in assisted living or long-term care homes when he moved into a senior’s residence in January.
In March, around the time Father Birch was celebrating his 90th birthday, the COVID-19 pandemic swept across Canada with devastating effects on vulnerable seniors. More than 80 per cent of Canada’s COVID-related deaths have been in long-term care facilities.
Before long, Father Birch, a retired cruise ship chaplain, found himself helping his neighbours weather the storm.
“I have them singing hymns. I get people up to do the readings,” said Father Birch, who celebrates private, weekly liturgies in the dining hall of Augustine House in Delta.
Father Birch was the pastor at St. Paul’s in Richmond before he retired at age 75 and began ministering as a chaplain on cruise ships with the Apostleship of the Sea ministry. For 15 years, he has travelled the world offering Mass, hearing confessions, and providing spiritual direction at sea.
His 36th and last seafaring voyage was in November. He moved into his new suite at Augustine House just before most cruise lines started cancelling trips due to the pandemic.
Due to physical distancing requirements and the temporary closure of public Masses, Father Birch said he has been unable to celebrate Mass at Augustine House, which is next door to Sacred Heart Parish. Instead, he started offering Tuesday liturgies that are focused on readings from the previous Sunday and proving to be a source of encouragement for the 30 or so seniors who show up.
Resident Cecile French recently attended a Liturgy of the Word led by Father Birch, who preaches a homily after inviting the residents to sing and read.
French found it “absolutely wonderful. It made me so happy.”
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, a priest from Sacred Heart would celebrate Mass in the chapel on the third floor of Augustine House every Saturday. That ended in March when when limits on visitors were enforced and public Masses were suspended in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Augustine House marketing and community relations manager Anne Sanders said Father Birch is filling a great need.
“He is such an optimistic person,” she said. “His conversations have helped some of our residents get through a time when it may be lonely and they are missing longer visits with their families.”
If it wasn’t for this initiative, Catholics at Augustine House would likely still be without access to any services, since it’s “hard to get out” of the residence, Father Birch said.
Augustine House has taken strong precautions to keep its residents virus-free, including introducing strict limits on visitors and trips outside the home. That has led to zero cases of COVID-19 in the home so far, said Sanders.
“We are doing all we can to keep residents and staff safe,” she said.
After about three months without public Masses, Sacred Heart Church reopened its doors, government regulations limit the number of people in the church to 50, making Mass still hard to access for the elderly living next door.
“While this time has been difficult and life has been strange, our residents really do remind us every day that we are all in this together,” said Sanders.
Augustine House is run by the Augustine House Society, a non-profit founded by the Knights of Columbus in the 1990s. After years of planning, the home opened in South Delta in 2003 and currently offers assisted living, complex care, and independent living.
Augustinian priests have served in the Sacred Heart Parish community since the 1940s. They donated the four acres of land Augustine House sits on.
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