The News on Re-opening

Holy Family, Rathcoole, Sun. 19 July 2020
Checklist by Ronan McDermott

Resumption of Public Masses

Mass happily resumed in our churches from Monday 29th on, as well as on certain weekday evenings. (See Mass Times on menu-bar.) Since there are still restrictions on numbers of people attending, volunteers were at the door for Sunday Mass to give guidance on procedures. The photo shows the check-in system in operation now for Saggart and Rathcoole. Newcastle is continuing with entry by token. These volunteers consist of people who help out in various capacities already in the two parishes and are now very kindly answering the call for a further effort. They hold weekly Zoom meetings to review and adapt the procedures.

Provision of Sacraments

General Situation   
Parishes across the country are starting to grapple with the logistics of “clearing the sacramental backlog”, as they plan to organise Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and Wedding ceremonies that were indefinitely postponed when the lockdown was declared in March (News. catholicireland.net, 18 July 2020 : full report here ). With regard to the Dublin diocese, it will not be possible to hold the traditional large First Holy Communion and Confirmation ceremonies for each parish or school. “A series of separate ceremonies will have to be planned. The final decision on how to administer the sacraments is being left to parishes.” 

Our Parishes

Baptisms have been held over the past few Sundays and are continuing to be held. As regards First Holy Communion, parents should contact their school about the date for the ceremony. Groups will be small and schools are being asked to select who goes and on what day and time.

Dates Fixed So Far :  
Pupils from Citywest Educate Together NS and Citywest and Saggart Community NS will receive their First Holy Communion in St Mary’s on Saturday 25th July (11 a.m.) and Saturday 8th August (11 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.), while on Friday 18th September, for pupils of Holy Family NS, three ceremonies will take place at 9.30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12.30 p.m.

Pupils from St Mary's NS will receive their First Holy Communion in Saggart Church at 11 a.m. on three successive Saturdays in October, the 3rd, 10th and 17th, while pupils from St Martin's NS Brittas will receive theirs in Saggart on Saturday 31st, also at 11 a.m.

So to those receiving Holy Communion this coming Saturday, as well as those doing so on the other days to come, we say

               
               Have a Lovely Day!

Re-opening of Churches

On Friday 3rd July the Government announced that the limit of 50 people allowed to attend Mass since June 29th has been raised to whatever number each church can accommodate while adhering to government health and safety guidelines. (See newspaper report here.)  This means that our three churches can proceed to welcome to Sunday Mass tomorrow the number of people each of them has been judged capable of safely accommodating, i.e. 100 in Saggart, 70 in Rathcoole and 50 in Newcastle (see our Checklist ). The number limit of 50 for all churches announced in the previous post is, therefore, no longer applicable.

For revised times of Masses see here. 

The token system in operation since July 5th has, from Sunday 19th, been replaced by a checklist one. Two volunteer ushers will check numbers entering by filling in a pre-prepared number sheet. 
(On the subject of volunteers, please don't assume that someone else will do all the jobs that have now very unexpectedly and urgently arisen.) 

How to use gel dispensers
In Saggart church porch the dispenser is mounted on the wall. It consists of a plastic container surmounted by a projecting handle/lever. The spout, which is underneath the lever, cannot be seen. Place left hand under the lever while pressing down smartly with right elbow on the lever.  The gel will drop onto the palm of your left hand.

Letter to Parishioners from the Wider Parish Team

Dear Parishioners,

First of all, we would like to thank all of you including parishioners, volunteers and parish team members for your patience and support in recent months. The lockdown has disrupted parish life in a way we could not have imagined. We look forward to the day when parishioners including choirs can get together again without all the restrictions. In the meantime we will work within the guidelines provided by the government and the diocesan office and we will do our best to keep you updated especially via the parish website. The following is a summary of recent developments.

The monthly parish pastoral council meetings in Saggart have been interrupted by the lockdown. We will resume as the lockdown restrictions are lifted. Since the beginning of the year we have lost a great servant Patricia Redmond RIP. Also some long serving members have expressed their intention to step down in 2020 and we thank them for giving their time and talents. We also look forward to new members coming on board and bringing new energy and ideas to the team. (There are no special qualifications other than a commitment to Christian life, supporting the parish and working as part of a team.)

Our parish pastoral worker Breda Carroll has retired from her full-time role which involved many aspects of parish life not least working with the local schools and helping to prepare children for Communion and Confirmation. We thank Breda for her great service and we wish her all the best in her retirement.

Our parish deacon Don Devaney was very unfortunate to be infected with the virus and spent several weeks in hospital including time in ICU. Thanks to excellent medical care and many prayers from many people Don is back home in Clondalkin and continuing his recovery. We wish Don all the best as he continues his recovery.

Fr Michael McGowan who has served the parish for many many years and recently passed his 91st birthday has finally decided to retire from active parish duty. Fr Michael continued to offer daily Mass in Rathcoole and weekend Mass in Brittas up to the beginning of the lockdown in April. We thank Fr Michael for his many years of service and we wish him good health and happiness in the years to come.

Our parish office in Saggart is currently open on Thursdays and the parish secretary Martina Hopkins will take calls on the mobile on the other weekdays. We also remember that Martina lost her husband recently RIP, making this a more difficult time for her. It reminds us that many people have invisible crosses to carry, made more difficult in the current circumstances, and we need to continue to be patient and kind towards each other.

From Monday June 29 daily church services will resume in our parish with some restrictions including physical distancing in the churches, limits on numbers, strict protocols for holy communion and, unfortunately, no choirs until further notice. The timetable of services is published on our parish website along with a diocesan Covid 19 safety checklist and guidance.  [See here:  Revised Mass Times  and  Safety Checklist.]

The transition back to daily Mass with people physically present together in our parish churches is a very welcome step and we hope it will be a safe and enjoyable experience for everybody. At the same time we know the virus has not gone away and we need to follow the guidance to keep each other and our communities safe. We all have a part to play and we look forward to working together with this in mind.

Kind regards,

On behalf of the wider parish team,

Frs  John Gilligan,  Kevin Doherty,  Colin Rothery  
Matt O'Sullivan

Note from Website Administrator

Tomorrow is Cemetery Sunday for Saggart.  Most unfortunately, since government guidelines are in operation until Monday 29th, there will be no public Mass, followed by blessing of the graves, in St Mary's tomorrow.  Fr John wishes it to be known that he has personally blessed each grave. 

From Monday personal attendance is allowed for up to 50 in our three churches, while streaming of the 11 am Mass will continue in Saggart. 

Please note that (very unfortunately but unavoidably) only 50 people will be admitted into our three churches next Sunday, 5th July. You will, as it were, 'sign in' by taking a token from the basket on the right-hand side of the porch and leaving it in the one on the left-hand side.  Thank you for your understanding.