For these religious groups, worship won’t be back in service just yet
Rabbi Hillel Lavery-Yisraeli said he was ‘stunned’ by the decision to reopen places of worship in Ontario
Come Friday, some churchgoers in Hamilton won’t be able to flock to their places of worship in the city.
On Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced that, as part of Stage 2 of reopening from COVID-19, places of worship across the province can open on June 12.
Beth Jacob Synagogue
Rabbi Hillel Lavery-Yisraeli says the news of being able to reopen the Beth Jacob Synagogue left him “stunned.”
“We thought places of worship would be a part of Stage 4,” said Lavery-Yisraeli.
But, that element of shock didn’t leave the Rabbi rushing to get everything in order.
Instead, they’ll be waiting it out until at least the fall.
“Just accidentally infecting one person is too much,” he said. “Most of our members are in that high
risk group and it makes absolutely no sense to expose them.”
Putting anyone at risk would also be a violation of “Jewish values and Halakha (Jewish Law),” which puts health, safety and life “above all else,” said Lavery-Yisraeli.
“We don’t need to open the church and synagogues, that’s not something that we should do at the expense of people’s lives,” he said.
Anglican Diocese of Niagara
step in our decision-making process,” stated Bell.
The Muslim Association of Hamilton
Imam Sayed Tora says knowing Muslims in the community are “thirsty” to get back to the mosque after an “unusual” month of Ramadan, they plan to reopen in the coming weeks.
A tentative date has been set for June 19, if the mosques feel they are “ready,” said Tora.
To get there, all mosques will create a floor plan that allows for physical distancing, set up sanitizing stations and volunteers will be appointed to the door to ensure attendees are accounted for.
Tora said those that do attend prayer at the mosques will be required to sign in to “make the job of the health authorities easier” in case there is an outbreak connected to their congregation.
Congregation members will be screened at the door, have their temperatures taken and will also have to bring their own prayer mat and mask. Even then, there will only be one service per day, as opposed to the normal five, added Tora.
The mosques will also be limiting prayers to those between the ages of 18 and 60 years of age.
“We’re taking this precaution measure to ensure the safety of our senior members,” said Tora. “Their physical health and wellbeing is a priority for us.”
Diocese of Hamilton
Catholics in Hamilton will see a gradual reopening of their churches in the coming weeks, according to Bishop Douglas Crosby of the Hamilton Diocese.
In a statement Wednesday, Crosby announced that churches can begin to open for personal prayer and weekday mass starting June 16 and Sunday mass on June 20.
Crosby said pastors and their teams are working to prepare the building to once again welcome parishioners.
Those measures include sanitizing, setting up seating and floor markings to allow physical distancing and installing sanitizer stations and signage “to provide, as much as possible, a safe environment for all who gather in our churches for worship.”
Mass will also look different for attending parishioners, said
Crosby.
There will be no bulletins, no hymnals in the pews and a contactless communion will be received in silence.
Parishioners will also be screened for symptoms, there will be no socializing and masks are encouraged, he added.
St. Andrew’s United Church
Minister Laurie White of St. Andrew's United Church says they will not be reopening to their congregation in the near future.
“We feel that in order to keep everybody safe, we’ll continue on as we’re doing with an online service,” said White.
She said the thought of normal service, which includes free coffee, the singing hymns and shaking of hands, is “mind boggling” in the time of COVID-19.
Reopening would also put their members at risk, she added.
“We darn well know that the first people in line would be the most vulnerable,” she said.