My Dear Parishioners, as the Province of Ontario enters Stage One of the Roadmap to reopen, the Diocese of Sault Ste Marie authorizes public celebration of Mass in the churches up to a maximum of 15% Capacity. As per this authorization, St. Gerard Majella is excited to welcome you back into your spiritual home starting on Saturday, June 12, 2021 @ 5:00 pm. All procedures for public health safety measures remain in place (please click on the picture to view the entire message).

Dear Parishioners, due to a dramatic rise of new cases and hospitalization for Covid-19, the Ontario government has declared a state of emergency and a special stay-at-home order. As we adhere to the directives of the government and the decree from our bishop Thomas Dowd, as of April 17, 2021, all services of the Mass at St. Gerard Majella are CLOSED to the public until further notice. During this lockdown period, the weekend Masses will be livestreamed on our parish website and Facebook page. The live broadcast will take place on Saturday @ 5 pm and Sunday @ 11 am. While this stay-at-home order is challenging, let us try our best to keep alive the spirit of positivity and the joy of the resurrection. Let us once again reiterate our slogan: stay home, stay safe and save lives! May the risen Lord be with us and bless us all!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for over 50 years, Development and Peace has been organizing its Share Lent campaign during our Lenten Season. This year's campaign theme, Share Love, Share Lent, is inspired by the message of love and social fraternity in Pope Francis's encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (Please click on the picture to view the entire message).

As Algoma Public Health will enter Yellow Zone of reopening framework on February 16th, St. Gerard Majella is excited to welcome you back into your spiritual home starting on Ash Wednesday @ 5:00 pm. All procedures for public health safety measures remain in place (please click on the picture to view the entire message).

Ash Wednesday invites us into almsgiving, prayer and fasting, the three traditional Lenten practices that draw us into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Let the Covid-19 pandemic not get in the way of this important day (Please click on the picture to read the entire message).

Ash Wednesday is an important day in our Roman Catholic tradition. In order to allow for a maximum participation of the People of God in this first day of Lent, a new and special approach will be taken in the diocese of Sault Ste Marie (Please click on the picture to read the entire message).

In response to the rapid rise of new cases and hospitalization for Covid-19 across the Province, as of January 14, 2021, Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical officer of Health and other Health Officials, has declared a state of emergency and a stay-at-home order.

With the rise of Covid-19 cases across the province of Ontario, especially in Northern Ontario, the province has extended the lockdown in Northern Ontario, for another two weeks. Due to this, our church will remain closed until at least January 23, 2021. During this lockdown period, the weekend Masses will be livestreamed on our parish website and Facebook page. The live broadcast will take place on Saturday @ 5pm and Sunday @ 11am. In the event that the lockdown is lifted on the morning of January 23, we will resume the in-person weekend Masses (Sat @5pm and Sun @ 11am). Wishing you all a safe and healthy New Year!

Dear members of the diocesan family, dear friends of all faith traditions, It gives me great pleasure to address this letter to you just a week after the inauguration of my ministry as bishop for the diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. With Christmas arriving just around the corner, one joyous occasion follows another! [To view the entire message of Bishop Dowd, please click on his picture].

Due to the increase in the number of new cases and hospitalization for COVID-19, the Premier of Ontario announced that the entire Province will move to shutdown status for at least 14 days in Northern Ontario, effective December 26, 2020. As we adhere to the directives of the government, our church will be closed from 12:01 am December 26, 2020, to January 11, 2021. During this time, we will have online masses at 5:00 pm Saturdays and 11:00 am Sundays. There will also be an online mass on New Year's Eve at 5:00 pm and New Year's Day at 11:00 am. In the event the lockdown is extended, we will continue to follow the mandate of the provincial government. ALL CHRISTMAS MASSES WILL BE CELEBRATED AS PLANNED. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

The installation of Bishop Thomas Dowd, our new shepherd, will be held at the Pro-Cathedral in North Bay on Thursday, December 17th @ 2:00pm. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the salt + light site. To follow the celebration live, please google "saltandlighttv", then click on "live" and you are there!

On October 22, 2020, Pope Francis announced the Most Reverend Thomas Dowd, the auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Montreal, as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. We warmly welcome His Excellency Thomas Dowd as our Bishop. To read the Bishop's letter to the Faithful of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, please click on his picture.

My dear parishioners,

It has been a tough journey, having been deprived of the Eucharist and public celebration of Mass for several weeks. Thank you for your patience and perseverance. We are now excited to welcome you back into your spiritual home.

When you return to the church, while many things will remain the same there will be a number of temporary changes as to how we participate and celebrate Mass.

As we prepare to return to Mass, we would like you to know that we are taking every precaution to protect the health and safety of everyone who comes into our church. However, there can be no guarantees of complete protection from infections as there will always be risks of contracting viral infections in large gatherings of people.

In light of this, the dispensation of the faithful from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains in place until decreed otherwise by the Bishop. While it is vital and necessary for our spiritual nourishment, no one is obliged to attend Holy Mass when this dispensation is in effect. Therefore, I encourage anyone who is not feeling well or if you fall into an at-risk category or vulnerable to the virus, to refrain from attending public celebration of Mass at this time and make use of our online Masses.

After carefully and prayerfully considering the viability, practicality and strenuous volunteerism to implement the required safety measures to reopen our church, a decision has been made that at this time there will be two public Masses on the weekend: Saturday at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 11:00 am. At this time we have adopted a policy FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. The live-streaming Mass will be held at 9:00 am on Sunday morning for those who do not wish to attend the public celebration of Mass. The live streaming of weekday Masses from Tuesday – Friday will take place at 9:30 am.

As it is so important to provide a safe environment for all worshipers, I request everyone to pay close attention to all the protocols and guidelines that have been put into place by the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. Kindly read the guidelines and protocols in its entirety before returning to the church. I encourage everyone to follow the procedures and work together to provide a safe and healthy environment for all those in attendance.

Thanking you in advance for your diligent cooperation which will allow us to celebrate safely.

Your brother in Christ!

Father Alex Saurianthadathil

---

Church Reopening Process

General Guidelines

Practical Guidelines for Reopening

Self Assessment

Pope Francis appointed the Most Reverend Bishop Marcel Damphousse as Coadjutor Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall. He plans to begin his new responsibilities as coadjutor Archbishop on June 16, 2020. We congratulate Bishop Damphousse and wish him the very best!

As do many other people, I wish to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts and sacrifices being put forward by our first responders, health and spiritual care team and all other healthcare workers in our hospitals, nursing homes and home care settings...

Dear friends, During this time of quarantine, as the world is still in shock over the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis invites us to embrace the Lord in order to embrace hope. Let's come together as people of faith, hope and love...

As all Masses and church functions remain cancelled, the preparation and reception of First Holy Communion is postponed to a later date. Please look for the updates in the future communications. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Dear friends, The whole world has been devastated by this very serious crisis due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As Cardinal Thomas Collins rightly said: 'We are going through the valley of tears.' In this challenging time...

At a press conference given today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordered the mandatory closure of all non-essential services and workplaces, in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. These measures will come into effect on Tuesday March 24th at midnight and will be maintained for at least 14 days. This includes all parish properties: church, hall, office, rectory. The Diocesan centre will also be closed as of Tuesday, March 24th at 4:30 pm.

As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to evolve, Bishop Marcel Damphousse urges everyone to follow all guidelines and directives provided by our governments and our public health authorities. Therefore all Sunday and weekday Masses remain cancelled until further notice. Bishop grants all the faithful of the Diocese a dispensation from their Sunday and Holy Days obligations.