Archbishop issues guidelines for limited public Masses as of May 23-24, subject to pastors’ judgment

Archbishop J. Michael Miller has released guidelines on the celebration of Mass in the Archdiocese of Vancouver that will allow the reopening of some churches to public Masses with a maximum of 50 people as early as May 23-24.

Archbishop Miller released the guidelines on Friday, saying the decision of when to reopen a church for Masses with a congregation, no sooner than next weekend, is “left to the pastor’s prudential judgment, due to the different circumstances of each parish.”

The guidelines are on the Archdiocese of Vancouver website at rcav.org/coronavirus.

On May 8, the archbishop’s office released a statement saying it was preparing guidelines on how Masses with fewer than 50 people can take place and that the return to publicly celebrating Mass “will be gradual” and “informed by our provincial health authorities, who have guided the province prudently through the early phase of the pandemic.”

In a video interview also on May 8,  Archbishop Miller said the plan is to reopen most churches, although in “very small churches, physical distancing might not be available.”

For the latest pandemic-related updates and guidelines from the archdiocese visit www.rcav.org/coronavirus.