Diocese to allow Sunday weddings to clear backlog

WITH wedding couples across the country forced to postpone their big day as a result of Covid-19, the Diocese of Ferns is hoping to help accommodate couples and clear the backlog as restrictions are lifted by taking the historic step of introducing Sunday weddings.

‘For the purposes of rescheduling already cancelled bookings – priests are now permitted to apply to the diocese of Ferns - for permission to undertake weddings in their parishes on Sundays,’ explained the Bishop’s secretary for the diocese, Fr John Carroll. ‘ The coronavirus has taken its toll on young couples who were all set for their big day in 2020.

It has also had a major effect on hotels and on jobs in the catering, clothing, entertainment and styling industries. The diocese is mindful of the already onerous schedule of priests and of the variety of Sunday Mass, baptismal and other celebrations that already occur on Sundays.

‘Priests are asked only to facilitate such bookings on Sundays where their health, workload and local circumstances permit.’ Fr Carroll hopes the announcement will come as good news to young couples around the diocese keen to finally tie the knot, while he hoped it would also be a welcome development for those in the industry whose livelihoods have been so severely impacted by the pandemic.

He added that the diocese would hope to return to the normal practice of no Sunday weddings post Covid-19.