Offering hope to Newmarket in COVID times
“NO act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”: words of hope from Doctor Zelie Gaffney-Daly as she stood outside the new Health Centre, making her contribution to the series of videos that Father Francis has been posting online in recent weeks.
These past few months have been hard on people. Older members of the community have had to isolate themselves to stay safe and have been unable to avail of the weekly – or for some, daily – solace of taking a trip to the church.
Our local businesses and schools have had to come up with unique solutions to keep going whilst also keeping our community safe.
Our local parish priest, Father Francis Manning, has gone above and beyond the call of duty in bringing his reassuring messages of hope to his flock.
Mass is live on a daily basis at 10am and can be viewed on Facebook (Newmarket and Taur Parish) and also on the local parish radio.
Hundreds have been logging in on a daily basis, including some of our diaspora. His sermons have not been limited to the church, with Mass being celebrated at the Mass Rock in the Island wood and at Clonfert.
The church is now open again to the public between 11am and 6pm, for private visits and personal prayer.
Safety procedures are in place, and social distancing must be observed at all times.
People are being asked to sign in, sanitize hands on entering and leaving the building, and to sit in designated seats only.
Cleaning is carried out on a daily basis to maintain your safety.
Aside from the daily Masses, Father Francis has also been filming short ‘Messages of Hope’ featuring local musicians performing, and also members of the community taking time out to share their personal messages of hope.
Doctor Zelie, in her message, reflected on all that has happened since the new centre was opened on the 23rd of March.
“We have come a long way – we weren’t sure what we were facing. There was great fear and we have been humbled by the great efforts made by everybody in the community.
“The efforts of all members of our community has really made the difference.” she said.
She drew parallels with the Spanish Flu, which hit our community hard over one hundred years ago.
The guidelines then are no different to the guidelines now: wash hands and stay apart.
She had much praise for people in the current situation: “A great sacrifice has been made by people. The more senior members of our community actually became the leaders. They put themselves forward to make the biggest sacrifice.
“We should, as a community, be very thankful to them.”
She finished her piece with a beautiful Irish blessing: “Go mbeidh greim lámha Dé orainn go deo” – that god will hold us in his hands forever.
Dónal O’Sullivan, Chairman of the juvenile GAA club, spoke from the very empty GAA grounds.
These should be busy places this time of year, and yet, for the past few months, they have been idle.
He spoke of the important role that the GAA plays in bringing us all together and forming a strong sense of community.
“We miss that at the moment, but people are putting their shoulder to the wheel and supporting each other in the fight against COVID-19,” he said.
“We will be back coaching and playing soon. The important thing is that, when we do get back and gather on these grounds, that we will be gathering as an entire community, that we will be missing nobody due to our efforts under lock-down.
“That time won’t be long coming if everyone sticks to the guidelines that the government have put in place”
All these messages bring hope and reassurance to many in our community who are feeling anxious about the current crisis. Mairéad McCarthy, a second-class student from the girls school, put it most succinctly in her message of hope:
“Play, have fun, dream about us all meeting up again and say a prayer,” she said.