Some Manitoba churches keep doors closed for Easter, others look for COVID-safe ways to welcome congregations
Diocese of St. Boniface churches will open for Easter this week; some others maintain online services
There is a sense of excitement in the Kautz home in Kleefeld, Man., as Easter approaches.
James and Dawn Kautz and their eight children are looking forward to being able to celebrate mass and Holy Week services at their church in St. Malo this year.
Last year, due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic churches in Manitoba, like most other places of worship, closed down in the middle of Lent — the 40-day period prior to Easter in which the faithful pray, fast, give alms and do penance.
Ella Kautz, 16, says while the family has been celebrating online mass at home for months, she has missed being part of a larger community.
"I really like the community of church and going there and being able to see people — just having the priest actually there right in front of me is much more special to me, and being in the church with the tabernacle up there," she said.
"Especially as Catholics," added her mom, Dawn. "It is so important to us, because we believe that the real presence of Jesus is in the church, in the tabernacle, and we want to be there celebrating."
About 80 churches in the diocese of St. Boniface are opening up for Easter services this week, though many are still maintaining online services. Several are adding extra services and masses under the latest provincial restrictions, which allow up to 100 people or 25 per cent capacity in a place of worship, whichever number is lower.
At St. Timothy Parish in southeast Winnipeg, Father Brian Trueman has replaced cloth-covered chairs with brown plastic ones that can be sanitized. The church has a congregation of about 600, but only about 90 will be allowed in due to the capacity limit.
For Trueman, preparing for Easter and Holy Week — the week leading up to Easter Sunday — is a whole new experience this year in many ways. On top of the pandemic, it's his first Easter as a priest.
"Everyone is happy to be back. It's going to be a lot of work to adapt to make everything COVID safe, but still trying to celebrate these times with as much festivity and reverence as we would like that are worthy of God," said Trueman.
For public health reasons, some sacred traditions will be missing, such as the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday — which imitates Christ's gesture of washing the feet of the apostles. As well, parishioners won't be allowed to kiss or touch the cross for veneration on Good Friday. Instead, they are being asked to bow.
Some churches remain closed
Pastor Jared Clarke at Calvary Temple knows the importance of keeping people safe during a pandemic. He recovered from COVID-19 in November.
With a congregation of more than 2,000 people, his Winnipeg church will stay closed. The 100-person limit means opening up doesn't make sense, Clarke says.
"About 30 or 40 volunteers are needed to just get up and running. With all of our technical requirements, all the volunteers would take up too much of the 100-person capacity," he said.
"If regulations loosen up, and let's say we are allowed 250, then we will look to open up as soon as we can."
Even though Calvary's doors won't be opening, Clarke marvels at stories of about how faith is moving people in the midst of the pandemic — from massive quantities of diapers and formula being donated to help people in need, to a jump in the number of people enrolling in online Bible study classes.
His church is collaborating with other Pentecostal churches to mark Good Friday.
"I am so excited about it. We are actually joining together with about 15 other churches across the province to produce a really special online Good Friday service," said Clarke.
Charleswood Mennonite Church had decided to open its doors, but rescinded that decision after a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases involving the more contagious coronavirus variants of concern.
At Charleswood Community Church, pastor Gavin Hall says he will open up, splitting services into two — one with children and one without. He's also adding more services to allow more people in.
Offering hope
Whether they're opening or not, the churches all agree that faith communities have to keep presenting hope.
"Our faith is not limited to a building," said Calvary's Clarke. "So in the midst of this pandemic, the church has something powerful to say.… You can have a relationship with Jesus and you can find hope in a pandemic outside of bricks and mortar."
In Kleefeld, James Kautz and his family say it has been a year of spiritual growth and hope.
"It has forced people to self-assess, 'How internal is my faith?' It has always been a strong personal thing for me," he said.
"Easter is the highest, most solemn celebration, and it will be a highlight no matter what restrictions are there."
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