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.”

The Rosary is recited at Emmet Square, Clonakilty on

The First Saturday of the Month

at

11:00am

Highlighing Our Lady of Lourdes and the Rosary

All are Welcome

Our faith community has welcomed into our Christian family baby Seona Jean Antezzo who was baptised at Clonakilty Parish Church

Baby Seona’s family live in Yonkers, New York, USA and her mother Sharon Moloney is originally from Clonakilty.

The Christian Community welcomes baby Daniel David Moloney, Shannonvale, Clonakilty, who was baptised at The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Clonakilty

Baby Daniel was joined by his older brothers and extended family for the celebration.

Baptisms are celebrated in the churches of our family of parishes each Saturday on a specific rota.

Read about arranging a Baptism

As well as being blessed with churches which the people before us have left for worship, our parishes also have a extensive array of places where people have gone to pray for centuries

These include holy wells, grottos to Our Lady, Mass rocks from Penal Times, shrines associated with local saints as well as ruins of former abbeys, friaries and churches where Christians encountered the Lord downthrough the ages.

There are many days throughout the year, especially feast days of saints, when people visit such sacred places. By far the most popular day for liturgical rites at these holy landmarks is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th).