Alan puts retirement on hold to help abbey through Covid crisis
The long-serving minister of Paisley Abbey has postponed his retirement for more than two months.
Rev Alan Birss, 66, was due to leave his charge at the 12th century church on June 7.
But Mr Birss, who has been minister there fore more than 30 years, decided it would not be appropriate to leave the congregation during the pandemic.
He will now retire at the end of
August.
Mr Birss, who is married to Carol, said: “We have rescheduled it for August 31.
“We are disappointed but we didn’t want to leave the abbey in the present circumstances.
“And we feel that we can be usefully employed putting out daily online prayers, and keeping in touch with the congregation through phone and email.
“We feel that’s quite important to do at the moment.
“And by the end of August we hope there will at least be a pathway for the reopening of churches.”
Worship for the abbey congregation has been continuing in imaginative ways during the lockdown.
“We have been doing as much as we can online,” Mr Birss added.
“We record services for each day of the week and for Sunday – sometimes from the abbey itself, just me obviously there in person recording it; sometimes from the manse and sometimes from the home of our students assistant.”
Mr Birss has tried to maintain the abbey’s core focus as a place of worship, as well as keeping up the pastoral side of his ministry during the lockdown.
“We are trying to keep up the abbey’s life, doing what we can.”
The minister added that he believed the people of Paisley as a whole have followed the lockdown guidelines.
He said: “They are making the best of it. Some people are finding it quite difficult, especially single people, initially when you were not supposed to be out very much. “They found it quite hard.
“And I think we have found by phoning round that it is not just elderly people who are struggling but younger people who are on their own and are used to an active social life, and that has all been taken from them.
“We try to phone people individually just to see how they are, and we try to have one or two meetings on Zoom.
“And the Kirk Session is having a quiz night next Monday.”
Paisley’s married Roman Catholics have been given advice on how to make strained relationships better during lockdown.
The diocese website says couples do not always have to make huge changes to improve their situation.
Advice includes reminding yourself of your partner’s positive qualities, tell your partner one of the things they do that you really appreciate and find gratitude for positive actions - when did your partner last hear a genuine‘thank you’for something positive they have done?
To find out more, visit www.rcdop.org.uk
We feel we can be usefully employed putting out daily online prayers, and keeping in touch with the congregation