West Lake residents attend first church service in two years

West Lake Terrace residents recently had their first in-house church service since the COVID-19 pandemic began, an event that helped meet residents’ spiritual needs and also brought some normality back to the Prince Edward County long-term care home.

Janie Denard, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator, says several residents attended the March 1 service that was led by Rev. Fran Langlois of St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Picton and her husband, Mike, who led hymns on his guitar.

“The residents were so thrilled to have Fran back, and her husband, Mike, came as well to play guitar,” Janie tells The OMNIway, adding the residents needed an in-house event like this one.

“One of the residents commented to me afterwards, ‘I wasn’t going to go, but that did me a world of good.’ ”

To keep everyone safe during the ongoing pandemic, social distancing was practised and there were Plexiglas barriers set up during the event, with Fran and Mike on one side and residents on the other, Janie notes.

This was the first church service held at West Lake Terrace since March 2020, Janie says, and it meant a lot to residents to be able to see Fran again.

“We haven’t had our churches visiting us; residents have missed the spiritual (programs), and Fran has been a big part of our home for so many years and the residents have missed her,” she says.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.