Guidelines for the new celebration of Mass
THE first public Mass in the Parish since the lockdown began will be celebrated on Sunday July 5th in Kanturk Church at 10am.
The return to public worship is a deeply joyous event and very much anticipated. Requirements stipulated by the Bishop’s Framework document and Government’s Public Health instructions will be in place. The following will apply in accordance with these instructions:
The number entering the Church building in Kanturk will be limited to 100 people. Seats in the Kanturk church must be booked in advance by contacting the Kanturk Parish Office by phone only during opening hours (see above). Please use hand sanitizers at the door.
Stewards will be present to guide people to seats and around the Church, to and from Communion, and safely from the church as a one-way system will be in place, and we ask for full co-operation with the stewards at all times.
Shrines will not be in use and toilets will remain closed.
If you miss out on a seat you are welcome to gather in the carpark or the church environs and listen to the Mass on parish radio (107.2fm) on your car radio or watch the Mass on Churchservices.tv/Kanturk on your mobile phone, as several people have been doing during the lockdown. Arrangements will be in place for those outside the Church to receive Holy Communion, but please note that regulations stipulate that outdoor gatherings are limited to 200 people and social distancing rules also apply and while stewards will be in place for Communion, we ask people to make the appropriate decisions themselves on the day depending on the crowd etc.
Planning for the resumption of public worship with all the restrictions is very difficult and no solution is ideal. We ask for patience and forbearance with the first Mass in particular. It is hoped to learn rapidly from this, adjust the plan where necessary, and be able to increase the number of Masses in the parish quickly.
In conclusion , while the return to public worship has been eagerly awaited, please note that the Bishops have stated that the Sunday obligation is still suspended, and all should realise that they may continue to participate in Mass via radio, webcam, TV, social media etc., particularly if in a high-risk group for Covid-19.
In Castlemagner the first public Mass will be celebrated on Saturday 4th July at 7.30pm for the people of Castlemagner parish.
As the normal congregation of Castlemagner falls within the upper limit of 100 people, it is not deemed necessary to have a booking system in place. Stewards, however, will be present in the church building as described above and we ask for full co-operation with them.