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UPDATE: As of September 4, 2021, Provincial regulations require all persons to be masked indoors.

On August 19, 2021, Archbishop Kerr-Wilson distributed a letter outlining the situation and recommendations from the COVID task force. The full letter can be viewed on the Diocesan website here, or by opening the attached file below.

Main points:

  • Vaccination continues to be our best defence against the Delta Variant 
  • We suspect that within our Anglican congregations that the proportion of people who have been double vaccinated is higher than the general population. Even so, there will still be unvaccinated people present at our gatherings so we should continue in our vigilance to reduce the potential spread of the virus in order to protect those who are most vulnerable. 
  • We continue to strongly recommend to parishes that have returned to in-person worship, that every precaution designed to mitigate the transmission of the virus be practiced, including the use of masks and social distancing. 
  • In parishes where children’s programming has resumed, we strongly recommend mandating the use of masks among children old enough to wear them, and staff/volunteers working with them. 

An Excerpt from the Letter

I have often been asked about why Christians would be fearful in the face of the COVID pandemic; after all, do we not live by faith in the saving love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit? And the answer is, of course, yes – we do. However, our issue is not one of fear. Living by faith in our Lord and Saviour does not equate to assuming that we can do whatever we like, or whatever takes our fancy, and God is obligated to protect us from the consequences of our actions. Most often God permits us to live the consequences of our foolishness. We don’t walk off cliffs and expect that God will allow us to walk on air – either on a whim or to demonstrate our faith ... Faith is not license to do as we please, it is trust in God’s ultimate goodness and love by which God gives us, not what we think we want, but what we need. 

The first commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind and all your strength” and the second is “to love your neighbor as yourself.” Neither of those points us towards having things the way we want them, or getting the things that we want. As Christians we take the precautions that are set before us seriously because they demonstrate our love for our neighbor. 

Gregory Kerr-Wilson

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