Mary Immaculate
Dear Parishioner,
Over the last two years we have monitored closely the numbers attending Church and thankfully numbers have improved. However, the current schedule is simply too much for one priest to sustain. Canon law permits a priest to celebrate up to two masses a day and in pastoral circumstances more, but only for good reason.
I currently celebrate a minimum of four to six masses every weekend and it would be even more only for the kind assistance of The Spiritan Fathers in Rathmines and Fr Anthony in Rathgar. Under the guidance of ‘Building Hope’, we are being asked to make our partnerships sustainable in terms of personnel, resources and schedules. Tough decisions have to be made.
The 9am mass in Rathmines and the 10am mass in Rathgar are the least well attended Masses in our partnership on a Sunday morning. They both have an average attendance of 70 – 80 parishioners on a weekly basis.
I am proposing to suspend the Sunday 9am mass in Rathmines and the 10am mass in Rathgar and instead offer a mass time of 9.30am on Sundays which would be celebrated in Rathgar. It is important that we have balance between the two Churches and so on a Sunday there will be two masses in each church.
I wish we didn’t have to make any changes but unfortunately the current schedule is not sustainable. I hope you will understand why the change is needed.
As your Parish Priest I am deeply committed and work very hard serving the partnership to the best of my ability. I am doing what I can with the assistance of the Parish Partnership Pastoral Council and many others to try and build up our Christian Community where everyone is welcome and valued.
Thank you for your understanding and support. Please keep me and the Parish Partnership in your prayers.
Fr Andrew O’Sullivan PP
NEW WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE
SUNDAY 9TH MARCH 2025
(First Sunday of Lent)
Saturday 10am Rathgar Sunday 9.30am Rathgar
Saturday 6pm Rathmines Sunday 11am Rathmines
Sunday 12.15pm Rathgar
Sunday 6pm Rathmines