Parish priest defies Level 5 restrictions with Mass attendees
it has come to light that varying numbers of people have been attending weekday and weekend masses in St. Brigid’s Parish church in Kilrush.
Although it has never been more than 20 people attending according to parish priest Father Joe Power, under level 5 restrictions, services should be held online and places of worship like churches are allowed to remain open only for private prayer.
Father Power said that he has been holding online Mass, but doors have remained open during Mass for a small number of people to attend should they so wish to.
During the week, less than five people might attend Mass, while at the weekend, ten to 15 people might attend on a Sunday, he said.
He explained that he had a call from gardaí after a complaint was made that the church was allowing big crowds in to attend Mass, something which he said was completely false.
‘From the word go, I was told that we could leave the church doors open for private prayer and participation and that’s what I’ve done, I’ve adhered to the law completely. It seems to me that there was a crank out there or maybe cranks, but they maintain that there were huge crowds coming to Mass in Kilrush and that is totally and completely false and untrue.
‘Last weekend, as a result, I had to keep the doors of the church closed during Mass, and it was one of those situations that was forced upon us rather than being right. I prefer to have the option of having my parishioners in front of me but I am doing an online Mass, and that’s the only reason I have the doors open. If I wasn’t doing an online Mass, I wouldn’t have the doors open but I hate celebrating Mass through a camera, but it makes no difference because I’m unimportant in all this. The health and welfare, both spiritual, temporal and mental of the people who want to attend Mass, which wouldn’t be extreme, is more important’.
Father Power said that he feels his parishioners are unlikely to contract Covid-19 in the church.
‘If you were to read into the regulations, you’d have about 1,000 pages and you’d want to be a super-dude solicitor to understand what the ins and outs of it are. As far as I’m concerned, the doors were open, there were about ten people on a Sunday and four to five on a week day, and the likelihood of them catching a virus was about the same as the likelihood of me going to Mars.
‘ The church here can fit 450 people sitting down. Ten are allowed to a funeral, six are allowed to a baptism, 25 allowed to a wedding and nobody allowed to Mass, it doesn’t make sense. They’re making it up as they’re going along’.
When asked about solidarity among other church leaders who haven’t been letting parishioners in, Father Power said that he didn’t know anything about that.
‘I know nothing about other priests not letting people in and I know that I will not let anybody in if I think it’s dangerous. For example, that would be if I saw there was over ten or 15 people on a Sunday.
‘ The law means nothing if it can’t assist these people who are on the verge of a mental breakdown because they’re not allowed go to Mass. These people are important to Christ, and Christ means everything and that’s the policy I have and it will continue until the day I die and nobody can take it from me.
‘ That’s not saying that I would complete disregard the law, I’m the most obedient person to the law of the land, but if the law of the land infringes on my position as a Christian, then I’m not going to abide by it. The only interest I have at my stage of life is that I’m going to do what I think is the Christian thing to do. If it means that I break the law, well I’ll go to jail for it, but I practise within the law,’ he said.
Father Power said that an anonymous letter was posted to him in the last few weeks on this matter, and since last week, it has only been himself and the sacristan at mass.
‘I had anniversary masses lined up and people can’t come because the church is supposed to be empty,’ he said.
Father John Carroll of Ferns Diocese said that the Mass guidelines have been clear from the outside and were sent out to all priests.
‘We were not aware of the specific details of this but we will be clarifying the guidelines with Father Power in the days ahead. We do understand the vantage point of people who feel deprived of the right to worship, and we are working towards a day that is no longer the case. But we want to be in line with those who are doing their best for the common good. The government guidelines on public worship is something we’ve had to live with and we know that a priest can be there, as well as a sacristan, possibly a reader as well as a camera person and a singer,’ he said.