Renata Steffens
Storm Éowyn Storm Éowyn left many households without power, water and heat around the island, but the difficulties became an opportunity for the community to unite and support each other.
Fr Diarmuid Hogan, Communications Officer for Galway Diocese said that some parishes in the diocese are opening their doors to providing phone-charging, toilets and tea-making facilities. “Across the diocese and beyond, the resilience and fortitude of both our urban and rural parish communities have again shone in difficult times,” he told The Irish Catholic.
For the Communications Officer, the storm brought up the understanding and cooperation of the community, similarly to what happened during the pandemic. “Mass and other liturgies were cancelled across the diocese on Friday, during the Red Weather Warning. Since then, some evening Mass times have been rearranged because of electricity outages. However, the experience of Covid has made our parishioners resilient and more open to postponements and cancellations and parishes are coping and cooperating admirably.”
Fr Hogan said that some of the parishes providing support to those who still don’t have their power restored include Oranmore, Claregalway, Clarinbridge and Renmore.
Galway was not the only one with parish priests opening their doors to the community. In Dunleer Parish, Co. Louth, a parish within the Archdiocese of Armagh, the parish priest Fr Damien Quigley opened the sunroom at the side of the parochial house for those in need of access to sockets, kettle, or a microwave.
In Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, St Brigid’s Hall, a multipurpose community centre, built on the site of the first Catholic church in the town opened their doors to those in need of a warm place to charge their phones or make tea and coffee. Showers were also available, only requiring the community to bring a towel and toiletries. The Tubbercurry Family Resource Centre also offered similar facilities.
“We just wanted to offer showers and tea, and let people charge [their phones] and sit in a warm room,” Mary Barry, a committee member of St Brigid’s Hall said. Ms Barry believes it’s important for the community to open their doors to those in need.
“I thought that was a great idea… and then I realised there’s people five days [without power] and some people don’t even have water. People are moving away to other places, to family, they’re moving in and out of the area,” Ms Barry said. “But then, there are people that are very caught off, they don’t have the option of family.”
Ms Barry said she knows people who cannot move in with family member while power is restored and travelled long distances to have showers in a hotel. “They were charged €12… It’s just nice if you have a community facility that’s responding to needs.”
Fr Vincent Sherlock, PP Tubbercurry-Cloonacool believes it is important to exercise generosity and help each other in moments like these. “People have risen to that. People are doing it. Apart from churches…people are inviting folks to come in to charge up their phones or have a cup of tea. It is very important, and I think it has happened for a lot of people. Lot of goodness out there. Thank God,” Fr Sherlock concluded.