Bishop Fintan Gavin has made his first pastoral visits to the two post-primary schools in Clonakilty and was warmly welcomed by students, staff and the school communities

Sacred Heart Secondary School and Clonakilty Community College serve the post-primary educational needs of a large community in the parishes in and around Clonakilty. Sacred Heart Secondary School is an all-girls school established by the Sisters of Mercy and now in the trusteeship of CEIST. Clonakilty Community College is co-educational and its trustees are the Cork Education and Training Board.

The bishop’s visits were coordinated by Paul Kelly, the Diocesan Coordinator for Post-Primary Schools who accompanied the bishop on his visits. Bishop Fintan took part in a prayer service in both schools during which representative students and staff also took part and led singing.

Family of Parishes Newsletter

9 November 2025

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

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Personnel issues and reduced congregations in some churches along with unsuitable times for some communities all suggest that last year’s winter timetable needs to be revised and reduced

The new timetable will continue to concentrate on the parish churches and the other churches will have Mass once a month. So there will still be ten to twelve Masses celebrated in the Family of Parishes each weekend.

The need for communities to think and look beyond their own local church building and to think instead about parish - and then family of parishes - is an ongoing challenge.

A sustainable timetable needs to provide for having four priests available on a given weekend (each offering three Masses in different places). In order to allow for choice for people, travel by priests and a dignified celebration, some of the Mass times are changing slightly.

This is the new timetable. It will be announced and explained over the next two weekends and will be effective from the first weekend of October.

Gathering as a community on the Lord’s Day to celebrate the Eucharist has always been at the heart of our Church

However, changes in society - some brought by the Covid19 pandemic - have seen some people’s connect with Sunday Mass weakened.

Ireland's Catholic Bishops have launched material in print and online with which they invite people to reflect on the profound importance of Sunday Mass.

Welcoming Why Sunday Matters in a video message, Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildate and Leighlin, said, “As we journey through this Jubilee Year of Hope, the Irish Bishops’ Conference invites everyone to. We recognise it not only as an obligation, but also as a precious gift – the source and summit of our faith.”