Catholic dioceses around the world are preparing for a  Holy Week of empty churches and virtual liturgies — and Easter Masses with empty pews — amid widespread global shutdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19.

After previously cancelling public celebrations of the sacraments including daily and Sunday Masses, the Archdiocese of Toronto has taken the additional step of entirely closing its churches to public access.

It has been a tough couple of weeks for the community of Attawapiskat.

The baby steps are out of the way, but no one is about to go sprinting through the next phase of re-constructing the Diocese of London.

An almost 50-per-cent decline in Mass attendance since just after the turn of the century has led the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth to take drastic measures concerning little used churches on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.