Dear Editor,
What an excellent article in the May 26 issue by Kieron Wood about the difficulties in finding times for Mass in Dublin parishes. I couldn’t agree more and since I moved to Co. Tyrone I experience similar problems in parishes up here. Parishes are happy to put details in their bulletins only and tough luck if you do not get a copy, which can happen if you are not at Mass in your parish on a particular Sunday.
Every church has big, prominent notice boards as you go in, but they are full of posters detailing trips to Knock, meetings of the AA, child abuse protocols etc. – all very important – but never ever telling parishioners times of Masses or Confessions in that church or any other. As a newcomer to more than one parish here, it was extremely difficult if not impossible for me to find out about Easter ceremonies or holy days. I did ask if details would be put up on the notice boards but my requests were greeted with reactions which ranged from surprise to laughter to annoyance at being asked such a thing! I was also told when one parish put up very prominent road signs advertising a big, parish novena, some regulars expressed annoyance because they said “that’s what the Protestant churches do”! So much for ecumenism! God forbidwe would copy them, thereby telling more Catholics what’s on in their parish.
Yours etc.,
Orla O’Kane,
Cookstown, Co. Tyrone.