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!