COVID-19 GUIDANCE IN OUR PARISH CHURCH
This page is designed to capture in one place the guidance applicable in our parish for celebration of liturgies in our parish church. It will be kept updated and all are asked to familiarise themselves with this guidance and that of the public health authorities.
In light of the current pandemic, parishioners are encouraged to give due thought as to whether it is advisable for them to come to Mass and other celebrations at this time. Given that the Sunday obligation remains suspended, you may wish to consider attending weekday Mass in place of Sunday.
Those most at risk should not present at the church.
Anyone showing any of symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, a fever/ high temperature, or a loss, or change in, their normal sense of taste and smell) must not attend their place of worship under any circumstances due to the risk that they pose to others. They must self-isolate at home immediately with other members of their household and get tested.
The link to our live broadcast page is here: Live Broadcast
UPDATE/REMINDER OF SAFETY MEASURES
13th February 2022
On the basis of advice received from the Irish Bishops’ Conference, many measures remain unaltered including:
Face-coverings
These remain mandatory while entering / exiting places of worship, and when moving around inside, and their use at other times remains strongly recommended.
The parish asks that parishioners continue to wear their masks/coverings throughout our Masses/liturgies.
Sign of peace:
This remains suspended until further notice.
Holy Communion
Will continue to be administered “in the hand”.
Holy Water
While a “Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling of water” may be celebrated again on some occasions, the reservation of Holy Water in fonts at entrances/exits remains suspended.
Sanitising/Cleaning
The necessity for this remains as strong as ever, and we would ask you to maintain the same vigilance regarding the use of hand-sanitiser. We remain deeply indebted to our tireless volunteers who sanitise our church after each liturgy.
Social Distancing
Parishioners are asked to continue to observe appropriate distancing at all times including while approaching/returning from Communion.
Effective from next weekend (19th/20th Feb), we will introduce the following alterations:
Baptisms
The restrictions on numbers of family members in attendance will be lifted, but the number of children to be baptised in any single ceremony will remain limited to 2. Sundays @ 2pm will remain the only scheduled time for these in our parish.
Seating Capacity
While the number of “opened” seats will remain unchanged, in so as far as possible, our stewards will have the option to open extra seats as necessary.
Parish Bulletins/Literature
These will be available on entry to the church. Again, we would stress the need for adherence to proper sanitisation and ask that these not be left in the pews as you leave
Exiting of our church
The one-way system, currently in place, will be removed and those on the ground floor will be permitted to exit through either door. We would ask that you use the door nearest to you and stress the application of appropriate distancing.
Entrance to our church remains via the main door only.
Again, we thank you for your co-operation and apologise for any inconvenience these measures may continue to cause, but we trust you will appreciate they are for the common good & safety of all, especially the most vulnerable. As before, those most at risk should not present at the church.
These measures will be reviewed again in the coming weeks
(Used with permission of the Southern Trust)
Receiving Holy Communion
Please remember to keep your face covering on as you approach for Holy Communion, receive the Host, on your hand, step to the marked areas to the side, remove your covering with one hand via the ear loop, consume the Host, then reattach your face covering. Please use the hand sanitizer as you return to your seat and observe appropriate social distancing at all times.
SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FOR SOME CELEBRATIONS
For the latest guidance on Baptisms, please go to: Baptism
For the latest guidance on Funerals, please go to: Funerals
