680-seat Clonmel church will have space for just 100 when it reopens for Mass

When the 680-seat Ss Peter and Paul's church in Clonmel reopens for Mass and other services, it willl have space for just 100.

These places will be for individuals, couples and small families.

Curate Fr Michael Toomey says this gives some idea of the challenges every parish church is dealing with as they prepare to safely re-open for Mass.

Fr Toomey said the parish will be asking parishioners and ministers if they can assist in any role, even for one Mass a week, to be Ministers of Welcome and help assist those coming into the churches.

He said he wants Ss Peter and Paul's to be a welcoming parish for everyone.

Fr Toomey said this week -

With the announcement last week that churches can now re-open for Mass and services from June 29th, and with the assistance of the Irish Bishops Framework document issued on Tuesday, parishes are now working on ensuring we are, where possible, able to celebrate Masses publicly again from this date.

There are a number of things to do and to take into consideration, including seating capacity with social distancing; sanitisation and cleaning; stewards and Ministers of Welcome to help and assist outside and in the churches; and to ensure everyone is as safe and comfortable as possible.

Every church will be different and will have some differences in its approach on how to ensure these requirements are achieved, and each member of the parish team, parish council, clergy and staff will all have a part to play in implementing the framework in their own parish community.

In the coming weeks, parishes will be discussing how to be best prepared, and in relation to numbers attending Mass which will be significant, especially on Sundays where the Sunday Obligation is still dispensed of at this time.

SS Peter & Paul’s in Clonmel has been looking at its own seating capacity, and where we usually have 680 seats available in the church, we will end up with around 100 spaces for individuals, couples and small families. That will give you some idea of the challenges every parish church is dealing with as we prepare to safely re-open for Mass.

Parishes will also be looking at the distribution of Holy Communion and the sacrament of Reconciliation and Confession, and how we as a parish can work and pray together while maintaining safe social distancing.

Social Distancing around shrines and statues is also been looked at to ensure everyone's safety. Some aisles are quite small in space, so some churches may have a “one way” system which will take a bit of getting used to.

We are also looking into the dates for Baptisms which will have to be managed per family, and the and First Holy Communion and Confirmation in the coming months. We hope to have clarity on this in the coming weeks, and we thank everyone for their patience at this time.

Every parish, including our own, will need help in achieving this, and so, this week, we are appealing to our parishioners and ministers if they can assist in any role, even for one Mass a week, to be Ministers of Welcome and help assist those coming into our churches. There will be support and reviews into how we can be as we always are – a welcoming parish for everyone. If you can help, please contact Eileen in the parish office on 052-6122138, or Fr Michael.

There are a lot of other things to plan for and to implement, and in the coming weeks, we will be in contact with all our sacristans, Ministers, Readers, Choirs, singers, musicians, Altar Servers and helpers to ensure everyone's safety. We will keep you updated as things develop.

In the meantime, we thank you for your support, prayers and good wishes. All priests cannot wait to celebrating Mass and sharing the Eucharist publicly with people again, once it is safe to do so.

It may be a different experience when coming to Mass again, but it will have Christ at its centre, and the people of God gathered around the Altar. That in itself is worth more than any challenge or inconvenience we face in the days ahead.

Keep safe, and God bless.