Doors set to reopen at many Cape Breton churches this weekend

It's been a long three months for Father Patrick O'Neill and his parishioners.

But that changes this weekend as many churches around Cape Breton reopen after closing due to COVID-19 concerns.

Places of worship are permitted to open at 50 per cent capacity for up to 200 occupants.

Roman Catholic churches in Cape Breton have permission from the diocese to reopen. O'Neill's church, Our Lady of Fatima in Sydney River, plans to do just that.

The church can seat around 700 people so there will be no problem maintaining physical distance for 200.

O'Neill says parishioners are looking forward to getting back to mass.

"I bumped into people from time to time … out walking and they're usually pretty excited and they say it's great," said O'Neill.

He said their church will be disinfected after every mass and the seats will be marked where parishioners will be permitted to sit. 

He said there will be no handshakes when it comes time to say the sign of peace. Parishioners can wave or make a peace sign.

He had already stopped using the chalice a while back for sanitary reasons, but he said communion will still take place.

"I am going to visibly sanitize my hands in front of the altar, I'm going to put a mask on my face just for communion and I'm going to sanitize my hands," said O'Neill. "They're going to … reach out a little further and [I'll] extend my arm more as well."

Meanwhile, Northside Baptist Church in Sydney Mines could reopen, but the congregation will stay outside for now.

The church has been conducting drive-thru services since May. It recently started an outdoor service on Sundays at Indian Beach in North Sydney.

Pastor Jason Homan said his church could have gone back to an indoor service when the province expanded the gathering limit to 50 people. However, he said his parishioners liked the arrangement they had.

He said he wants to have the service the way that makes parishioners the most comfortable and if that means doing it outdoors it is fine by him.

"My father was a minister in Ontario and that church actually had built a facility specifically for drive-in services," said Homan. "It's something I've been familiar with for a long time."

Homan said one of the best parts of the outdoor service experience is that people from outside their church community have stopped in to listen.

"Folks just are much more comfortable, and so we've seen more folks from our community, and not the church community but the community as a whole, come out to listen to the Bible teachings," said Homan.

Northside Baptist Church will update its parishioners when the time comes to return the service inside the church.