Just over a year into a global pandemic, churches in the Archdiocese of Toronto began holding Masses again just in time for Easter — albeit with 15-per-cent seating capacity. The past year will go down as a significant event in the history of the modern Church in Canada, and leads to questions about the nature of theological approaches to history itself.

With rising COVID-19 cases across Ontario, the provincial government has implemented a province-wide “emergency brake” that will lower capacity for worship services.

After months of speaking out against inequity in COVID-19 capacity guidelines, the Archdiocese of Montreal was finally gifted some good news from the Quebec government.

VANCOUVER -- B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson has upheld the public health order banning in-person religious services in British Columbia.

Restrictions on places of worship in grey lockdown zones will be loosened and churches will be able to host services with up to 15 per cent of their capacity as of March 15.

Toronto’s Cardinal Thomas Collins is sending a clear message to Queen’s Park: It’s time for a “fair and equitable approach to the return to worship.”

As Quebec movie theatres welcome up to 250 patrons as pandemic protocols begin to loosen, churches remain limited to only 10 people — including the presiding priest — at worship services.

VATICAN CITY -- For believers, the ability to practice their faith and receive spiritual guidance are "the highest of essential services," and pandemic practices over the past year have shown they are not automatically super-spreader events, the Vatican foreign minister said.

The doors to our Catholic church swung open again on Sunday morning, weeks after in-person Masses were shut down for the second extended period of the coronavirus pandemic.

Canadian churches faced new restrictions as public health officials tried to contain a post-holiday surge of COVID-19.

As 2020 closed, it was regrettable that the public observations of the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom (Dec. 29, 1170) of St. Thomas Becket did not take place due to pandemic restrictions.

OTTAWA -- In a small parish on the outskirts of the nation’s capital, the new year is starting like 2020 ended — with a close eye on the weather forecast.

Cardinal Thomas Collins has approved a short service to give parishes in lockdown regions within the Archdiocese of Toronto the option of offering Holy Communion on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day while maintaining the 10-person limit in churches.

Catholics across Canada will mull whether they should attend Christmas week Masses in person or if they should just stay home and watch a virtual service.

Once again our Catholic churches are closed in Toronto. Perhaps by the time you are reading this that will have changed. It is unlikely, but possible.