Light at the end of the Tunnel

At long last it seems that the end of the pandemic twilight zone is truly in sight. We have all grown weary with the restrictions on our freedom and the shut-down of so many activities that give spice and flavour to our lives. Things we took for granted now seem like absolute luxury, and the prospect of meeting up with friends for a drink or a meal or welcoming family and friends to our homes beckons like all our birthdays have come together. As more people are vaccinated we can expect the gradual relaxation of restrictions and a welcome return to normality.

This week our churches can once again welcome real live congregations albeit in limited numbers, but it does mark real progress towards a return to normality. The restrictions will limit numbers as heretofore, based on social distancing within the church building. St. Mary's capacity is 69 people and people will be admitted on a first-come-first-served-basis.

Mass times have to change to allow one hour between Masses for ventilation and sanitisation of the church.
Beginning on Saturday 16th May, Masses at St. Mary's will be as follows:
Sat Evening Vigil 5:00pm & 6:45 pm
Sunday: 8:45am, 10:30am, 12:15pm & 7:00pm.
Weekday Mass will be Mon-Sat at 10:00am.
Funeral Masses will normally take place at 11:30am.
All Masses will be available on the parish Webcam.

Stewards needed
In order to comply with the social distancing and sanitisation guidelines we will require volunteer stewards for each Mass. If you are willing to volunteer for one Mass on Sunday or weekdays contact Deirdre in the Parish office or fill in the online form on the parish website.
When the capacity (69 people) has been reached the church doors will be closed, please respect the regulations and don't shoot the messengers - i.e. our volunteer stewards.

Under present guidelines First Holy Communions and Confirmations cannot take place, and the Archbishop has indicated that these are unlikely to be permitted before Autumn.
Baptisms are also still on hold.

Confessions return
The Sacrament of Reconciliation can however resume and Confessions will be heard in the Nun's Chapel on Saturday Morning's after the 10:00 am Mass and on Saturday Evenings after the 5:00pm Mass. Confession will also be available on Monday and Wednesday mornings after the 10:00am Mass. People coming to confession are asked to respect social distancing at all times.

We look forward to welcoming you back to St. Mary's, and hopefully, without the limitation of numbers before too long.

Philip Curran
St. Mary's Lucan