Author: John

Although the Government has issued certain guidelines we have been urged to keep in place social distancing in light of the still highly contagious nature of the virus. We are slowly introducing gentle changes over the next few weeks. We will still be continuing the seating system that is in place enabling people to gather safely in the church. After all Masses the church continues to be sanitised.

We are asked to sanitise our hands on the way in and out of church and to wear our masks for the short term. The Sign of Peace a and Offertory procession are still to be omitted and we are asked to continue to receive Holy Communion on the hand. You are invited to join us online in particular if experiencing Covid-like symptoms or are close contacts with others who may have contracted the virus.

The only change that will be evident is during private prayer during the day. The barriers are being extended and people are encouraged to visit the different shrines as normal. Our thanks to our ministers of the Eucharist and stewards who are on hand to help with the organisation of our safe celebration of the Eucharist each day.

Ballygall Abroad

If you would like to greet your family members who are living abroad for our Christmas Services, please leave their names, town / country in the Parish Office. 

We will welcome them through our internet broadcast on Christmas Eve / Christmas Day before each of our Masses begins.

Christmas Eve Mass Schedule.

6.30 p.m. Mass – First Mass of Christmas.

8.30 p.m. – Night Mass

Christmas Morning – Masses at 10.00 a.m. and 11.30 a.m.

St. Stephen’s Day – Masses at 10.00 a.m. and 11.30 a.m.

11.30 Mass update
Thanks to a number of volunteers, who agreed to steward and clean the church after Mass, we are able to inform you that from Sunday (5th December 2021) we will be re-introducing the 11.30 Mass.
People are reminded of the importance of face masks, sanitising and social distancing.

Update on Return to Mass
We are still being urged to be careful despite allowances for full capacity in church.
With this in mind we are continuing to keep the same safety measures at all church services.
Hand sanitising and mask wearing are mandatory for all.
We will continue to keep every second seat empty. We will continue to fill each seat from the main aisle out to the wall to ensure maximum capacity keeping social distance.
Ventilation is paramount. With this in mind some doors will be kept open despite the cold weather. The church will continue to be sanitised after each Mass. The area for private prayer will continue to be only at the back of the church. The church will continue to be open later in the evening to facilitate private prayer.
Thank you to the stewards and volunteers for facilitating this.

Trócaire Special Appeal for East Africa – November 6^th & 7^th November

The Bishops of Ireland have called for a national Church collection on the 6th and 7th of November to support Trócaire in providing life-saving aid to vulnerable communities in East Africa and DRC, where millions of people are being pushed to the edge of starvation.     

Trócaire teams are already responding on the ground, and are ready to provide more life-saving assistance but need more resources.

This Emergency Appeal will replace the SHARE collection next weekend. For more information see www.trocaire.org.

We are delighted to extend a very warm Ballygall welcome to Fr. Paul St. John who has joined our parish.  

Fr. Paul is a member of the Divine Word Missionaries and worked overseas in Mexico before returning to Ireland. 

He has been Chaplain at Mountjoy and also served in the parishes of City Quay and most recently Walkinstown.

We wish him well and hope that he is very happy here.

On behalf of the Parish we would like to thank Fr. Damian most sincerely for all his support over the past seven years. He has been very loyal to our parish and in particular to our 7.25am Mass. He has also given the parish huge support throughout COVID times in all our liturgies. We wish him all the best in Castleknock,. As the saying goes, our loss is their gain. Fr. Damian is also leaving his Diocesan Role in the liturgy office, where he has contributed not only to the enhancement of Liturgy of the Dublin Diocese but also was instrumental in the Liturgical celebrations of the World Meeting of Families and The Papal Visit.

Thank you to all who have donated towards our farewell to Fr. Damian. We will make a presentation to him next Saturday, 21st August, on your behalf.

Sadie wants to thank all the people of Ballygall for their kind wishes on her retirement last week. She was overwhelmed with your thoughtfulness to her. The cards and gifts and well wishes were way more than she could ever imagine. “Please say a big thank you to all the parishioners for their kindness to me”.
She always operated quietly in the background and she retired in the very same way. No Fuss, no pomp, just slipped out the door, the way she wanted it. We wish her well in her retirement and pray that she will have many happy years with her son and family in England and at home when she returns after a well-deserved break.

Sadie Farrelly has informed us of her intention to retire as sacristan. She has been with the parish for almost 40 years as sacristan. The Tin Church where it all began and for over the past 30 years here in our current building. She will finish on Saturday 31^st July. Sadie has always led a quiet lifestyle and wants no fuss as she leaves us. Covid with all its restrictions has aided this and it is with regret that we bid farewell to her over the coming week in a quiet and gentle way respecting her wishes. Thank you, Sadie for your support to Ballygall over the years.