LATEST: Crowd limits may see queues outside churches at Christmas
Several Kildare parishes are putting on extra Christmas Masses due to concerns about large numbers of churchgoers at services in the midst of the Covid-19 public health pandemic.
Under the current Level 3 restrictions, only 50 people are allowed in places of worship which may lead to the unusual sight of queues outsides churches on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
There is expected to be extra demand for places on pews due to families attending together for the festive season.
Kildare town priest Fr Adrian Carbery said: “We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to attend Mass at this special time of the year in the Church’s calendar.”
In Kildare town, Masses will be held every day for five days between Christmas Eve and December 28 to accommodate extra numbers of parishioners expected.
Fr Carbery, who retired as Parish Priest in July but remains very active, said he has never experienced anything like the impact the pandemic has had on parishes.
The Laois-born priest, who was ordained over 51 years ago, commented: “Only last week we completed the Holy Communion and Confirmation services which were postponed a number of times since May.”
He added: “But we must remain positive and look to the future with optimism.”
Church of Ireland worshippers in the Naas, Kill and Rathmore areas area being asked to register online for local Christmas Services on December 24 and 25.
According to the Naas Union of Parishes website, Christmas celebrations will be live streamed from St David’s Church in Naas for those who are unable to attend services.
Newbridge
To accommodate its large number of parishioners, Newbridge Parish will be running almost 20 Masses during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day across its three Churches.
St Conleth’s Parish Church will see services at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm on Christmas Eve and at 8.30am, 11am and 12.30pm on Christmas Day.
Several daily Masses will also be held in Cill Mhuire Church and the Dominican Church across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Naas
In Naas, there will be several extra Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Our Lady and St David’s Church, Sallins Road; at the Church of the Irish Martyrs in Ballycane, at Our Lady of the Guardian Angels, Sallins and St Peter’s Church, Two Mile House.
Naas Parish said there will be stewards at all Masses who will be directing and guiding people.
All Masses from Our Lady and St David’s Church will also be available on the webcam.
There will be plenty of Masses over the Christmas week where worshippers will be able to attend in person and receive Communion.
Concerns
Meanwhile the Association of Catholic Priests said it had concerns about the numbers of people hoping to attend services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
A statement issued said: “Every parish is different in terms of priest numbers, size of churches and the resources available to effectively steward, sanitise and oversee the relevant protocols — social distancing, mask-wearing, etc — in order to ensure that the limited numbers allocated will gather for worship in safety.
“That said, every parish has this in common: huge numbers of people — way beyond the number at typical weekend Masses — traditionally gather in churches on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“There are fears this year that the listed arrangements will be overwhelmed by numbers gathering both inside and outside the church, creating a dangerous and unmanageable prospect, as NPHET envisaged.”