Beginning Public Mass and Sacraments

We begin the public celebration of Mass on Monday, 6 July. Masses are at 10.00 am and 6.15 pm, Monday to Friday. On Saturday, Mass is at 11.00 am and 6.15 pm. Sunday Mass is at 8.00 am, 11.00 am and 4.00 pm. There is no 9.00 am Mass on Saturday for the time being. We will continue to livestream Mass every morning and evening as usual.

Until 20 July, the number attending Mass at Mount Argus is restricted to 50. In order to allow everyone the opportunity to go to Mass once a week, we ask you to phone the office to book to attend Mass. When you call, we will ask for your name and phone number. This is so that we can contact you if there is a funeral, to ask you to come to a different Mass. We will not keep your name and number after the Mass has been celebrated.

If you are able to come to your weekly Mass on a weekday, this will help those who are only free to come to Mass at the weekend. Nobody is obliged to come out to church for Mass at present.

At present, Confessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are from 11.00 to 11.30 am and from 4.00 to 4.30 pm, with the Blessing with the Relic of St Charles at 4.00 pm (as well as after morning Mass). Confessions on Saturday are from 3.00 to 4.30 in the afternoon. These times will change later. Confessions are being heard in the church, near Our Lady’s Altar.

There is no Eucharistic Adoration as yet.

The church has to be cleaned regularly when we are having Mass, so it will open half an hour before each Mass. The church will open at 9.30 am from Monday to Friday and at 10.30 am on Saturday. It will remain open after Mass until 4.30 pm. The church will reopen at 5.45 for the evening Mass. On Sunday, the church will open at 7.30 am and will close after the 8.00 am Mass. It will reopen at 10.30 am and will remain open until 3.00 pm. It will then reopen at 3.30 for the 4.00 pm Mass, after which it will close. This is to allow us to clean and prepare the church for each Mass.

When you come to Mount Argus, you will enter by the centre door. The door at the ramp for those with disabilities is also in use. We ask you to use the hand sanitisers inside the church and to observe the one-way system of movement which is marked on the floor. We encourage those who wish to wear masks/ face coverings. To ensure social distancing, only every third bench is open. We regret that for the present, the toilets are not available to visitors.

We still need more volunteers for cleaning and stewarding. If you are between the ages of 18 and 70, with no underlying health concerns, and are able to help with cleaning and stewarding at Mount Argus, even for one hour per week, please contact us either by email (office@mountargusparish.ie) or by phoning the office (01 4992000).

We are happy to be welcoming you back to Mass and Confession, but we remind you of the importance of continuing to take the necessary precautions. The pandemic is not over. The virus has not gone away. We do not want people’s lives to be put at risk in church. So let’s continue to have patience and to pray for one another and support one another.

Fr Paul Francis C.P.