Dear People, Neighbours, and Friends of St. Thomas’s,
I have several items of good news and a couple of items of bad (though not catastrophic) news to share. I’ll highlight the important parts below so I’m not accused of burying the lede, particularly with regard to the latter.
First, the good news: On Thursday, the Office of the Bishops decreed that in-person choral music is now allowed in church! I wish I could also say that the diocese has authorized congregational singing, but we have some reason to hope this will also change sooner rather than later. For now, starting this Sunday, we will be able to welcome back several members of the choir, who will remain masked and at the prescribed distance, of course. For a diocese that has exercised such extreme caution during this pandemic, I am sure this decision was not taken without much prayer and deliberation, and I commend the reasonable and holy hope that this announcement reflects.
That said, I’m not quite ready to order up a Te Deum. I’m still waiting for the “all clear” for masks to come off and for all the people to be allowed to sing. When that happens, we will break out two thuribles and the choir will certainly rejoice with a Te Deum, and perhaps as a congregation we will also lustily sing the hymn “Holy God, we praise thy name,” a metrical paraphrase of that canticle that is near and dear to my heart.
On the subject of masks coming off, on Friday afternoon, the Office of the Bishops surprised us all by decreeing that preachers and lay people with spoken parts in the liturgy may remove their masks whilst speaking under certain circumstances. This means that you might now be able to hear my preaching a teensy bit better, and will at least see the expressions on my face. I’ve missed communicating using non-verbal clues, such as the ironic twist of the mouth, or the crinkling of my (prominent) nose. Still, it won’t be the same without (yet) being able to see your faces. From the preacher’s perspective, wearing masks in the congregation creates a sea of poker faces. I really miss the silent give-and-take that some people (often unselfconsciously) engage in when actively listening to a sermon. Without masks, it’s also easier to spot someone who’s snoring during the sermon. For now, however, you may still doze off with some hope of remaining undetected.
So that’s the good news: as of this Sunday, choirs are coming back (masked) and sermons (unmasked) will be marginally more intelligible, if not entirely audible, even when they’re unfathomable and soporific.
Outside of church, the good news continues to grow: 1) Infections in Toronto are on a downward trend. 2) Over 80% of eligible Toronto residents are fully vaccinated. 3) Yale University just released a new study that affirms the efficacy of vaccines against sixteen different variants of the SARS-COV-2 virus, including the highly contagious Delta variant. 4) On Friday, CBC Radio reported that the Pfizer vaccine is on track to be approved for use in children from age 5 to 11 in November, and studies for children six months to 5 years old are well underway. By late fall or early winter, and almost certainly by early 2022, Canada may be able to vaccinate schoolchildren, and perhaps even infants, confident that these measures are indeed effective against even the dreaded Delta variant.
The bad news is that you can still catch COVID, even if you’ve been fully vaccinated. You are far less likely to suffer with a prolonged case, and you are far less likely to be hospitalized (or die). And because you can still catch the plague, some continued precautions continue to make sense.
On the subject of plagues, we do not yet know the extent of the problem, but the newest piece of bad news is that three bedbugs were found at church on Friday. One was found on clothing in a garment bag brought in from outside the church, a second on an item that had been taken from that same garment bag to another room, and a third on another item of clothing in that other room. If the garment bag was in fact the origin of all three bedbugs, they were detected within one hour of the bag’s being brought into the building, and the bag was promptly removed and inspected. Rest assured that the areas in question were not the nave or parish hall. My hope is that none of the parasites escaped, but we will not know that until we have had a professional inspection, which was supposed to happen on Friday night, but the inspector was a no-show.
After my initial visceral reaction, the more rational part of my brain regained control. Just as one swallow doesn’t make a spring, three bedbugs are no cause for panic. They are certainly a concern, but unlike COVID-19, Toronto Public Health does not consider bedbugs a health hazard. Nevertheless, we called the exterminator right away, and were informed that they have bedbug-sniffing dogs! So we will let the pups sniff away in the affected areas and elsewhere on church property, particularly where clothing and vestments are stored, and pray that they don’t find anything. We will keep you posted. In the meantime, I advise you to take any necessary precautions, including inspecting your own bedding and wardrobe, and to keep us all in your prayers.
In many ways, it should come as no surprise that the occasional parasite should invade our ecclesiastical precincts: we are host to all sorts and conditions of human beings, and parasites, like viruses, are indiscriminate when it comes to socio-economic status, race, level of education, or even religion. I hope that we are not infested with these insects, but even if we are, we will act responsibly, and trust that you will as well.
One thing that being a parish priest constantly hammers home for me is that life is full of risks. Despite it all, life is worth living, particularly when it is lived in faith, hope, and love. Those in leadership at St. Thomas’s, both ordained and lay, are committed to confronting the most brutal facts of our current reality, whatever they might be, whilst simultaneously maintaining unwavering faith that we can and will prevail over anything that keeps us from flourishing, with God’s help.
So, as they say, “Good night. Sleep tight…”
Yours in Christ’s service,
Thanksgiving at St. Thomas’s
On 11 October, I observed my first Thanksgiving in Canada by assisting with the Friday Food Ministry’s special Thanksgiving Day meal. The menu featured the traditional turkey, stuffing, gravy, etc., though vegetarians also had three options to choose from. Fr. Shire worked with a cadre of volunteers, both younger and older, over the days leading up to Tuesday to prepare for the feast. In all, they prepared 14 turkeys and around 135 meals, and every single meal was served to one of our 108 guests that evening. Everyone who wanted seconds received a second helping, and everyone who lined up for a third helping received one, though by that time they were all vegetarian options.
My job, along with Mother Johanna Pak from St. Mary Magdalene’s, was to take the guests’ orders and inform the line workers (seen in the bottom picture, with a sliver of me in my cassock), who were busy putting bags together, which we would then deliver into our guests’ hands.
If you’ve never seen FFM at work, it’s very impressive. Everyone initially lined up on Huron Street running north (toward Bloor), and then those who came back for more lined up on Huron Street running south (toward Sussex).
Photos: Fr. James Shire