in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 9, 20 20 | 14 ANewCemetery forHaltonRegion A new cemetery has opened to serve members of the Catholic community in Halton. Located at the corner of Bronte Road and Lower Base Line, Holy Family Cemetery covers 100 acres - with space for 5,000 graves, 200 cremation lots and niche columbarium space in the first phase of development. Th e Roman Ca t ho l i c E p i s c op a l Co r po r a t i o n o f t h e D i o c e s e o f H am i l t o n i n On t a r i oh e Roman Ca t ho l i c E p i s c op a l Co r po r a t i o n o f t h e D i o c e s e o f H am i l t o n i n On t a r i o www.thecatholiccemeteries.ca For more information and to view a site plan, call 1-800-661-5985. Just minutes removed from her latest Zoom meet- ing with the church's el- ders, Rev. Carolyn McAvoy shares their decision. It's not one anybody rel- ished making, but -- in her firm belief -- was neces- sary under the circum- stances. "We're going to be watch- ing the rest of the world and seeing who people manage this ... how safe it is," said Rev. McAvoy, regardingRev. McAvoy, regardingR Trafalgar Presbyterian's choice to keep the doors closed until at least mid- September. "The risk (of be- ing infected by the coronavi- rus) is such a concern to us. We don't know enough yet,We don't know enough yet,W and we just don't want any- one to get sick." While places of worship were recently given the green light to reopen -- at 30 per cent capacity -- Rev. McAvoy and her Oakville- based church's leadership group felt the safety proto- cols needed to resume in- person gatherings would "alter the experience in the sanctuary." With that in mind, she's continuing with pre-re- corded virtual services, which have been well-re- ceived among the roughly 150-member congregation. "It was a piece of new learning, for sure," quipped Rev. McAvoy, of the crash course education she got when first starting online services in March. "But everyone's been so supportive. This has rein- vigorated people's fire to be a church family." A similar scenario can be seen at Oakville's Shaa- rei-Beth El Congregation, which has no plans to phys- ically reopen until at least late summer. "The feedback we got was that it wasn't safe enough ... no one was inter- ested in taking the risk," said Rabbi Stephen Wise, who -- with Halton's only synagogue closed for the past few months -- has served the Jewish commu- nity via live online services Friday and Saturday. "About 86 or 87 per cent of those surveyed said no thanks (to reopening). When we saw the govern- ment regulations it became a question of, 'OK, we can reopen, but should we?'" While certainly not de- nying that there's been a void felt with no in-person gatherings -- praying to- gether, general 'schmooz- ing', etc. -- Rabbi Wise said some ongoing endeavours have helped keep his fol- lowers connected. Among them are a care- package delivery to seniors -- with candles and notes of comfort -- and ice cream days for area youths. Rabbi Wise and his wife spent 10 hours on one of these sweet-treat excur- sions -- travelling across the region, and a bit be- yond -- with their vehicle decked out like an ice- cream truck. "The faces of the kids ... it made a world of differ- ences," he said. Father Martin Vallely of Burlington's Holy Rosary Catholic Church admits there was some initial con- cerns about opening again last month -- including the possibility of having to turn people away at the door. But with the official re- start coming on a Tuesday, Catholic churches had "lots of prep time" before accommodating their big- ger weekend numbers. "It's been a wonderful experience to see people again, just to be together," said Father Vallely, who's now offering a scaled-back online weekly service to the one he began when the pandemic hit. "The 10 days before reopening were frantic, but now we've got into a rhythm. I'd say about 90 per cent of people are wearing masks and every- one's been very supportive (of the regulations). I feel so blessed." Echoing those senti- ments is Father David Wal- ter of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Georgetown, where every second pew is roped off and strict cleaning protocols are in place before and after each service. He noted that many of his parishioners may be "understandably" weary about returning to church right now, and to that end he's continuing online ser- vices until the end of the summer -- perhaps longer. But a return to normal- cy -- or at least on the path toward it -- has been uplift- ing. "It's nice to look out at see people, not just a cam- era," said Father Walter, who added that there were some nerve-racking mo- ments when first going over the government's rules for reopening, but that he felt comfortable once the safety measures were put in place. In light of what he sees as a lack of specifics offered by the government -- with regard to reopening proto- cols -- Rev. Dale Skinner won't be reopening St. Paul's United Church for the time being. "We have an imperative to care for those who are most vulnerable," he said. To keep its congregation connected, the Milton church has been offering online services, as well as virtual Bible study and cof- fee groups. FAITH IN THE COVID-19 AGE STEVE LEBLANC sleblanc@metroland.com NEWS SOME PLACES OF WORSHIP OPT TO KEEP DOORS CLOSED; OTHERS REOPEN WITH STRICT SAFETY MEASURES Graham Paine/Torstar (Above) Rabbi Stephen Wise continues to hold online services at Shaarei-Beth El Congregation, which remains closed due to COVID-19. (Left) Rev. Carolyn McAvoy records her weekly online service inside Trafalgar Presbyterian Church, the Oakville church has no plans to physically reopen until mid-September. Mary Bachoumis photo