Reopening of churches

In a pastoral letter addressed to all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Gatineau, Archbishop Paul-André Durocher said he was happy to announce the reopening of the churches of our archdiocese.

The Quebec government has authorized the opening of churches as of June 22, so the parishes of the archdiocese will be gradually reopening starting on the weekend of June 27 and 28, 2020. Churches will be open as they are ready. A list of churches opened with the schedule of masses will be published on the website of the diocese and will be regularly updated.

In order to ensure the safety of the faithful and to respect the health measures established by Quebec's public health officials, the diocese has issued guidelines that parishes must follow for the various celebrations: Sunday Masses, baptisms, weddings and at church funerals.

Archbishop Durocher also wanted to “thank the faithful of the archdiocese for their understanding, patience and generosity since the beginning of the pandemic, while we all seek to restrict the transmission of Covid-19." Since the beginning of the confinement, the diocese and many parishes have put in place initiatives to support the spiritual life of the faithful and to reach out to those who were isolated.

Following the government’s announcement of the reopening of places of worship, the Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops (AECQ) issued a communiqué and message (in French only) from its president. A News release of the Interfaith Roundtable was also issued.