The Archbishop of Mid-West Parish criticised the HSE’s recommendation to postpone First Holy Communion and Confirmations due to the spread of COVID-19.
The Archbishop of Cashel-Emly, Kieran O’Reilly, has described the HSE’s decision as “disappointing.” It comes after Dr. Rose Fitzgerald, Director of the Department of Public Health Mid-West, recommended in a letter to the diocese that the first Mass and confirmation be postponed until September. Cashel-Emily, Limerick, and Killaloe dioceses were given instructions.
“It is our view that these ceremonies should be deferred unit September 2021, due to the current high rate of COVID-19 infection in the mid-west region, (and that), by September most of those eligible should be fully vaccinated against COVID,” the letter stated.
More than 500 cases have been reported in the Mid-West over the past two weeks, mostly in Limerick. This is, however, a significant decrease over the previous two weeks, when more than 830 cases were identified. The number of daily cases in Limerick has also dropped significantly. Only 16 cases were identified here on Wednesday, June 23, compared with 74 cases on June 6. Many communion ceremonies in the Diocese of Limerick have already been postponed to September.
The letter also stated that “a number of queries in relation to the holding of First Holy Communion and Confirmation ceremonies over the summer period in the Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary region”.
Disappointing… but…
Many families have already planned the ceremony, and the HSE’s recommendation is “disappointing at this time,” the Archbishop O’Reilly said. The Archbishop advised parents not to host parties for people other than their own immediate family. He also advised priests, parents, and schools in the diocese to take the HSE’s recommendation into serious account while assessing the situation in their parish. The Archbishop added that it is difficult to provide a single overall directive due to the broad variety of church situations across the Archdiocese.
He urged local clergy to be vigilant in assessing the situation and to discuss with principals, teachers, parents, guardians and parish personnel responsible for safety within the churches.
Villain is Delta!
A spokesman for Public Health Mid-West said: “While we are confident that churches and places of worship have been generally safe environments within the parameters of Public Health guidelines, indoor gatherings and celebrations traditionally associated with Communions and Confirmations are considered high-risk settings for those who are unvaccinated.”
“While the incidence of this variant remains low in the Mid-West region (<10), we are concerned about the increase in transmission of the Delta variant nationwide.” The spokesperson urged everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves against all COVID-19 variants, including the Delta variant.
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