Archdiocese says it ‘does not approve’ of plans for drive-in Mass at car park
THE Archdiocese of Dublin has said it is investigating plans for a large-scale drive-in Mass at the car park at Leopardstown Racecourse in Dublin on the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi on June 14.
A spokesperson for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told the Irish Independent the matter was being investigated and the event was not authorised by the Diocese or parish but appeared to have been organised by a private company.
“The Diocese does not approve of drive-in liturgies, which do not satisfy the true community dimension of people coming together to worship and have no roots in Catholic tradition,” Dr Martin’s spokesperson warned.
“There are still limits on the number of people who can attend outside gatherings which is a matter of public health concern.”
The drive-in Mass is being organised by Marian Pilgrimages, a well-known company which organises tours to shrines such as Lourdes, Medjugorje and the Holy Land.
Niall Glynn, head of Marian Pilgrimages, said that up to 100 cars will be able to take part in the outdoor Mass at noon tomorrow week.
People will be able to watch from the safety of their cars as Mass is celebrated on an outdoor altar in Leopardstown car park and screened via Ireland’s biggest mobile LED screen while the priest’s words will be heard over car radios, he said.
The drive-in Mass has adapted the technology used by the company Retro Drive In Movies which usually screens old films at the venue.
Mr Glynn said Marian Pilgrimages had teamed up with the company, which has worked with the HSE and gardaí to ensure all standards on health and safety and social distancing are adhered to.
Stewards will ensure people stick to the guidance, he said.
When asked if the Mass had the support of the archdiocese, Mr Glynn said he had been waiting for the Government’s announcement yesterday on the roadmap for opening up the country and phase two.
“We haven’t talked to the archdiocese of Dublin,” he said. “We wanted to wait until we got the go-ahead from the HSE, the Government and the police before we started talking to the archdiocese.
“We will do that on Monday morning and make sure that they are happy enough with what we are doing.
“If they aren’t willing to condone it or approve it, then we might be heading into a sticky wicket. But I can’t see really any major problem with the archdiocese.”
He said the matter of communion at the drive-in Mass was “still up in the air” and they were “still negotiating with the priests about how that will happen”.
As the number of cars that can attend is limited to 100, the businessman said that if there was a lot of interest from people who want to attend, they might host up to three drive-in Masses over the course of the day.