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. 

Serving the sick and the dying has always been central to the mission of the Church. However, in light of recent legislation that legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in some cases, dioceses across Canada are giving renewed focus to pastoral care.