Large B.C. churches can welcome more than 50 people, schools can expect ‘near normal’ return in fall

Story updated June 17 with new guidance on the province’s back to school plan.

Churches with seating capacities of over 500 people could see more people in the pews this Sunday.

Government and health officials have announced the next step in their restart plan after the COVID-19 pandemic includes larger gatherings in places of worship. As of June 15, churches will be limited to 50 people or 10 per cent of capacity, whichever is greater.

That means churches that can seat about 1,000, such as St. Paul’s in Richmond or Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, could invite 100 people to Mass, twice what they have in many months.

For churches like St. Paul’s, it also means upcoming confirmations that were previously limited to smaller numbers of candidates and guests could welcome many more to the celebrations.

Priests in the Archdiocese of Vancouver have been encouraged to start planning what a full re-opening of churches could look like and how to inform their communities.

At a recent Archdiocese of Vancouver webinar, priests were told that once churches open fully, everyone should be welcomed to all services and sacraments, and not to “exclude anyone based on their age or whether or not they have been vaccinated, etc.”

It was recommended that as in-person attendance rises in a parish, livestreams are reduced and pastors consider whether to stream after 100 per cent capacity is allowed again. It was also recommended that online giving continue for the long term as a benefit to parishioners and church staff.

Brett Powell, archbishop’s delegate for development and ministries, is urging pastors to take the restart as an opportunity to improve parish leadership, ministry, and the Sunday experience.

“Rather than focusing on the problems such as sanitizing, organizing, and uncertainty,” some leaders “are re-framing COVID recovery into a positive opportunity for tremendous good,” he wrote on his leadership blog.

He urged pastors to recruit competent lay leaders to run everything from planning to facilities management, finances, construction, volunteer training, and preparation for marriage or the other sacraments.

“I believe with all my heart that there is an untapped reservoir of talent in every parish, that if mobilized, could lead to transformational impact,” he said.

“The crisis is forcing us to innovate and align to what was envisioned by St. John Paul II when he called for a new evangelization – ‘one that is new in its ardour, new in its methods, and new in its expression.’”

A few days later B.C. Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside announced K-12 students will be back in classes for “full time in-person instruction” and the “return to a near-normal start to school” this fall.

Whiteside said students will no longer be grouped into cohorts or learning groups and it’s expected that restrictions on gatherings, extracurricular activities, and sports will be relaxed come September.

Remaining in schools this fall are daily health checks, emphasis on hygiene, and an expectation that students or staff stay home if they are feeling unwell and get tested if they come in contact with someone who had COVID. Guidance on mask-wearing will be ironed out later.

The government released a Restart Plan May 25 outlining what general activities would be allowed based on the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated. Step 2 was set to begin June 15 with an expectation that 65 per cent of adults would be vaccinated against COVID at least once.

Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said June 14 that 75 per cent of British Columbians have already crossed that threshold. That was not expected until Step 4, which was anticipated for Sept. 7, but she announced the province will continue with a gradual re-opening.

She said she will wait two weeks to monitor the effects of Step 2 on hospitalizations and outbreaks before moving to the next step.

Besides wider church attendance, other restrictions that were lifted or changed in Step 2 include outdoor personal gatherings and indoor organized gatherings expanding up to 50 people, recreational travel opening across B.C., and up to 50 outdoor spectators permitted at sports events.

Currently, physical distancing and masks in indoor public settings are still mandatory. Masks are set to become recommended (not mandatory) by Step 3 and could become optional by Step 4.

Henry called Step 2 part of a “slow and gradual” approach to re-opening after many parts of ordinary B.C. life were stopped or severely restricted. Premier John Horgan described it as a “turn of a dial” rather than a flip of a switch.

“I am absolutely optimistic for brighter days ahead,” Henry said.