Come back to Mass
Priests urge elderly not to stay isolated or ‘captured by fear’
PRIESTS are pleading with elderly parishioners to return to Mass this Christmas and to stop being ‘held captive by fear’.
Bishop of Meath Tom Deenihan and priests across the country say they are increasingly concerned that isolation is becoming deeply entrenched in rural communities since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bishop Deenihan said: ‘I have been struck by the people I have met in various parishes who have told me that they have not returned to church after Covid… do not become isolated. If you believe the church is too crowded, visit when the church is quieter over Christmas.
‘Some of these people have good reasons and have medical conditions. Sadly, some seem to be captive by fear and have become isolated from family, friends, community and church. Isolation is never healthy, be it emotionally, socially or spiritually. While we must do what we can to keep safe, do not become isolated,’ said Bishop Deenihan.
His comments were echoed by other priests around the country. Fr Paddy Byrne, who is the parish priest of three rural parishes in Laois, said he is seeing a ‘deep poverty of isolation’ in rural communities. He said: ‘A lot of elderly folk are alone and feel alone and because of Covid restrictions, have not only disconnected but haven’t found the confidence to reassemble. A lot of those who practise faith regularly are of a particular generation, so their absence in the pews is apparent.
‘In Covid, we’ve all lived with it, but the elderly have suffered the most. I do think in the name of their integrity and wisdom, it is time to reassemble. The poverty of isolation is nearly worse than food poverty.’
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail, Limerick-based priest Fr Ray Donovan said people are ‘very slow’ to come back to Mass and he is meeting the ‘odd person’ who is saying that this is their first time back since Covid struck in early 2020. ‘People are very slow to come back, that is definitely true. Even the odd person I’m meeting at weekends is saying, “I’m back for the first time”. That has been part of the experience alright.
‘The real live meeting of people is diminished. People you know, who’ve always been there, I would miss them. I would miss the connection. Something happens when people come together in a live way and that has become diminished a good bit. I would miss that.
‘A lot of people have not come back because they got used to the webcam, so they are not taking any chances if they are worried about getting Covid or getting viruses. A number of people said to me that they’ve got used to watching from the warmth of their own home. I think more people are turning out for anniversaries or special occasions.’
With Christmas only a few days away, Covid numbers in hospitals have increased with a Dublinbased GP advising people to wear a mask in congested settings, particularly in the company of older people. The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has risen to 655, with 26 people in intensive care units.
Speaking yesterday, GP Dr Ray Walley said people still need to be ‘cognisant’ of the dangers that Covid presents.
‘Covid is still there. We need to emphasise how successful the vaccine is. We need to emphasise that those who haven’t had a booster need to get it,’ he said on RTÉ.
Dr Walley said that people presenting with running noses and sore throats – common with Covid – should be isolating and treating negative Covid-19 antigen tests as ‘not detected’ rather than the absence of the infection.
‘At the peak of viral load, you will pick up 50% of this. So the problem is 50% are not being picked up. Those people should be isolating and assuming that they are infectious and certainly if they have to go out and about they shouldn’t be wearing a mask
‘In the absence of a positive test, you need to be two days substantively better before you come out of isolation, and that includes not going to work, that includes not going to school.’
On the issue of mask-wearing, Dr Walley said that people congregate over Christmas more than at any time of the year and we want to keep ‘our elders well’ throughout this period. ‘Anybody over 50 has a reduced immune system and basically you want to try to keep them well. The mask is definitely a benefit,’ he said.
A HSE spokesperson said around 1,200 people are hospitalised with respiratory conditions. They added: ‘This surge in respiratory illnesses will seriously impact our hospitals and emergency departments, and will place primary care services such as GP and GP outof-hours services under further pressure.’
655 patients in hospital with Covid-19
1,200 patients in hospital with respiratory illnesses