Ruadhán Jones
Parishes have had to innovate to meet the demand for Mass, setting up booking systems, putting on extra Masses and appealing for charity in response.
St Eunan’s Cathedral
St Eunan’s Cathedral Letterkenny told The Irish Catholic that they usually have 4,000 attendees over Christmas Eve and Christmas day. They know they can’t cater for all and have set up a booking system to manage numbers.
“We’ve added a number of Masses to our schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” Fr Kevin Gillespie said. “But there’s a huge demand and it’s almost booked out at this stage.
Safety
“For everybody’s safety, it’s important to have a booking system in place that’s as fair as possible and to give those who can’t come the opportunity of coming.”
Meanwhile, Dundrum parish in Co Dublin has asked parishioners to nominate people for seats at Christmas Masses as restrictions mean reduced attendance.
Masses
Fr John Bracken explained that “at Christmas we normally have 3000 people coming to Mass. This year, we have 300 spots over six Masses.”
“I’m asking people over the next few weeks to view Christmas through the lens of the Good Samaritan,” he explained. “With 300 places, rather than rushing in to get my place sorted is there somebody who you know you could nominate. What a great gift we could give to someone this Christmas!”