Catholic Bishop Addresses Thunder Bay District in Grey Zone Lockdown
Important Update on Covid-19 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay which includes (from East to West) Our Lady of Lourdes Church (Manitouwadge), St. Francis Xavier Mission (Heron Bay), Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Church (Marathon), St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church (Terrace Bay), Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church (Schreiber), St. Theresa Catholic Parish (Beardmore, Greenstone), St. Hilary Roman Catholic Parish (Red Rock), Annunciation Of BVM Parish (Nipigon) shared the following letter from its Bishop regarding safety protocols in light of COVID-19 and the diocese’s Catholic churches in the Thunder Bay District’s GREY ZONE Lockdown.
March 1, 2021
My Dear Friends,
as you are aware, the city of Thunder Bay is now in the Grey Zone, designated by the Thunder Bay Health Unit due to the Covid-19 spread. This also includes the regions around Nipigon, Schreiber and Marathon. This means that all our churches in the city and in these regions must cancel their public celebrations of Mass at this time. Weekday private masses will be celebrated by our priests, and attendance is limited to 10 persons. If you wish to attend a weekday Mass, please check with your parish to see if this is possible. All health and safety protocols remain in effect.
Funerals, weddings and baptisms are now all limited to 10 persons, including the priest, in the Grey Zone, and most funerals will be conducted in the Funeral homes at this time. Parish offices will be open for telephones inquiries and parish meetings are limited to 10 person. Parishes located in other colour zone areas are not affected by these restrictions, and may continue their public masses and funerals with the 30% capacity for religious services in churches. Once again I thank you for your patience and understanding while we struggle through this pandemic. Please pray for your priests and please follow the Mass on Sunday through live-streaming from your parish or at our Diocesan website (dotb.ca). Thank you again for your continued support of your parish community both emotionally and financially during this uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Bishop Fred Colli
