No more holy water finger-dipping and other new rules for mass in Whitehorse

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions for places of worship have eased in Yukon, and people are coming back to familiar places of worship — but with unfamiliar new rules.

"Certainly, it's not the same and it's not easy, pastorally speaking, to shepherd the people," said Héctor Vila, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Whitehorse. He was between mass services at Sacred Heart Cathedral Sunday morning.

Showing a sign of peace no longer entails shaking hands, and dipping fingers in holy water to then trace the sign of a cross has stopped.

Several pews in the main hall have been taped off so that people sit separated by an empty pew from each other.

When members finish mass with a procession around the block, the doors are kept open so that handles don't need to be touched as much.

There are a couple of bottles of hand sanitizer on the front desk for people to use as they walk in. There's also a list there for people to sign so that if there is ever an exposure to COVID-19 in the building, the church administration knows who was there at the time.

"I guess we will get to learn to live with it since this is the new normal," said Veronica Odita, who attended mass with her goddaughter.

Not being allowed to go to church at all earlier in the year was the most difficult adjustment because she likes to attend service whenever possible, she said.

Odita said she has resorted to watching the service online, which she still does, "but it kind of doesn't give me the sense of having fellowship."

"It's kind of strange, but being back is refreshing. It just gives you that sense of community, coming back to worship with people of like minds," she said shortly after the service with about 45 people concluded.

Vila said the church reopened on April 30, only allowing 10 people in at a time. At that time, members phoned to sign up to attend different services.

Earlier this month, the church started allowing up to 50 people in the main hall.

Usually, the church has about 250 people for the 10:30 a.m. mass, Vila said.

So far, the 50-person limit hasn't been an issue because not as many people, especially those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, are comfortable attending yet, he said.

There is another hall in the basement that accommodates another 50 people.

People are supposed to attend mass on Sundays but, given the circumstances of the pandemic, those who don't aren't doing anything wrong, Vila said.

Members of the church can watch services on the church's website, something the administration is offering for the first time due to the pandemic, he said.

With about one-fifth of the regular number of people showing up, building maintenance and bill payments have been challenging, Vila said.

"But God is providing. There are people who, you know, they do not come but yet they are very willingly offering, you know, their help economically, knowing the circumstances and situation, so we are happy for the faithful and the way they are responding," he said.

Odita said that one of the silver linings coming out the pandemic is a better understanding of the things that people take for granted.

"It brings to my mind, those who are incarcerated, those who have lost freedoms, not being able to do the things they want to do. I kind of identify a lot now with some of the difficulties that other people go through," she said.