THE PARISH OFFICE IS OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY 10 am to 12.30 PM

ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH DUN LAOGHAIRE

We warmly welcome everybody back. We are concerned for the safety of everybody and it is important to remember that the obligation to attend Mass in person was lifted at the start of the pandemic and will continue for some time to come.

Face masks are highly recommended, please bring your own.

The dispensation, issued by the Irish Bishops Conference, from attending Mass on Sundays and holydays remains in place. You don’t have to attend Mass on Sundays and holydays but you might like to attend the weekday Mass (Monday to Saturday) at 10 a.m.

Physical Distancing:The capacity of the church has been reduced, numbers attending have to be restricted. Please enter & leave the church in an orderly manner. Do not cluster in aisles or doorways. Follow the instructions of ushers & signs around the Church. Pews have been marked to facilitate physical distancing. Please remain in your pew throughout Mass. Those in the same household may enter and sit together. All others please maintain a distance of 2 meters (6ft). There will be no Offertory Procession or Sign of Peace. Holy Communion will be distributed to the congregation in their seats and may only be received in the hand.

Hygiene: Always cough or sneeze into a tissue/elbow. You are encouraged to carry & use hand sanitiser. The Celebrant, Eucharistic Ministers & Ushers, will wear face masks if they approach the congregation. On Sundays, the church will close between morning masses to allow cleaning of pews, kneelers etc. On weekdays the church will not close.

If you are feeling unwell please do not attend church services.

Volunteers are needed to help with stewarding at all Masses and prepare the Church for each Mass. Please contact the Parish Office at 280 4969 between 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday if you wish to volunteer. 

SEASON OF CREATION

The Season of Creation or Creation Time, is marked throughout the Christian world from 1 September to 4 October (Feast of St. Francis of Assisi) and celebrates the joy of creation as well as encouraging awareness-raising initiatives to protect the natural environment.

It has a special significance for the Catholic Church, particularly since Pope Francis established 1 September as an annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This Season unites the world’s 2.2 billion Christians around one shared purpose. With so much injustice all around us, now is the time for Christians everywhere to come together and show the world how to love each other and creation.

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through repenting, repairing, and rejoicing together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home. This year, amid crises that have shaken our world, we’re awakened to the urgent need to heal our relationships with creation and each other. During the season this year, we enter a time of restoration and hope, a jubilee for our Earth, that requires radically new ways of living with creation.

NEW PILGRIM PATH WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything... Silence is the think-tank of the soul”. Gordon Hempton is an acoustic ecologist who has circled the globe three times, exploring and collecting disappearing natural sounds. A ten-minute film made with National Geographic is a beautiful and moving reflection on what may well be another form of endangered species. We feature his film to mark the Season of Creation, which runs from 1st September to 4th October this year. Celebrated throughout the Christian world, it is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation as we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home. Watch the short film at: www.newpilgrimpath.ie.

CROSSCARE COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) UPDATE

Crosscare’s focus has always been to serve the most vulnerable in our society. During this crisis we are working hard to ensure that the essential services we provide remain available to our service users while operating in line with Government and HSE advice to ensure that our service users and staff are protected. While some of our face to face services have had to be adapted to meet HSE requirements, as much as possible we are continuing to provide supports through other remote means including phone and web based technologies. 

Homeless Services

Our Homeless Services including our residential facility for young people are open and operating normally and in line with HSE guidelines. We are working closely with the HSE, DRHE, Tusla and other government bodies, local authorities and colleagues in other similar organisations to ensure that our service users’ needs are supported and our people are kept safe. Crosscare opened a new inner city 100 bed cocooning services for people who are homeless to keep them safe from the virus.

Food Services

Our Food Banks remain open to support those most in need at this difficult time and we have made changes at a local level to ensure that the health of all involved is safeguarded. Close to 7,000 emergency food parcels have been delivered to vulnerable individuals and families as a crisis response since the pandemic began. Our Community Cafes remain open providing takeaway services to protect the health of our teams and customers. Our Carecall team are operating a normal service making calls daily to all our clients.

Youth Services

Youth services had to close initially and staff were redeployed to help keep the essential food and residential services running. Services are now open with a greater emphasis on online and telephone work and working more intensely with smaller numbers of particularly vulnerable young people. Our Drugs and Alcohol Programme team are carrying out online sessions with their clients. Our Voluntary Clubs team continue to link in with and support our volunteers by phone and other web-based technologies.

Please support this important work if you can by taking an envelope from the back of the Church or donating on-line at www.crosscare.ie

SUPPORTING POPE FRANCIS’ COVID-19  EMERGENCY FUND – WORLD MISSIONS IRELAND

On behalf of our Holy Father and the poorest and most vulnerable communities in our wider Church family, thank you for taking action and donating towards Pope Francis' COVID-19 Emergency Fund. Already, his life-giving Fund is making an impact in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In dioceses in Pakistan, the majority of people live below the poverty line. The virus has forced many to isolate. Now lack of food is becoming the most urgent and fundamental need. The Fund is being used to help feed these hungry men, women, and children. In countries, like Sierra Leone and Chad, Health and Public Announcement systems are fragile. Here a problem is the lack of information about the virus; how it spreads and its consequences. In response, the Fund is allowing the Church to use local radio to inform parishes about the virus and the simple precautions needed to take.Thank you for playing your part in making this happen. Your support and prayers for our overseas missionaries and the people they serve are always appreciated and greatly needed.

To donate go to www.wmi.ie/covid-fund or call Fiona on 01 497 2035.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown  Helpline 01 271 3199. Opens 9 am every day. Email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

South Dublin County Council - Helpline 01-4149043 with the lines initially open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week. Out of hours email contact through  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Other Support Services

SeniorLine is a national, confidential listening service for older people, run by trained older volunteers. If you are feeling worried, stressed or isolated at this very unnerving time, please feel free to ring this FREEPHONE service anytime between 10 am and 10 pm on any day of the week on 1800 80 45 91.

Age Action and the Irish Red Cross have raised funds to provide additional assistance to older and vulnerable people around Ireland who are experiencing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by making once-off grants, up to a maximum of €500, per person/household affected.

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Phone: Irish Red Cross at 01 6424600 or Tel: (01) 475 6989   Lo Call: 1890 369369

APPOINTMENT OF TEMPORARY AGENT FORM DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL PROTECTION

TO BE USED WHEN THE DEASP CLAIMANT IS PAID BY SOCIAL SERVICES SWIPE CARD AND IS UNABLE TO ATTEND AT THE POST OFFICE. Please note: A Temporary Agent Form must be completed for every collection. If you can’t get to the post office to collect your pension or any other social welfare payment, you can now allow somebody else, known as a temporary agent, to collect it. The Temporary Agent form is available in all post offices or online. We would highly recommend that a family member or trusted friend does this for you. If you do not have a nominated person available please contact the

dlr Community Call Helpline where you will be referred to a support organisation that will be able to facilitate you. Call: 01-271 3199 (Monday to Sunday 8 am – 8 pm – 7 days a week), email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Accord – important new support line  ACCORD Dublin has setup a helpline to provide support for people struggling with  relationship issues during this time of self-isolation.  The contact number is 01 9059555. The line is open from 10 until 1 pm every Monday to Friday.  More details from their new website www.accorddublin.ie

COVID-19 SUPPORT LINE FOR OLDER PEOPLE

ALONE still has in place the national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Professional staff are available to answer queries and give advice and reassurance where necessary. The support line is open seven days a week, 8.00 am – 8.00 pm, by calling 0818 222 024.

COVID-19 TECH SUPPORT FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Covid19 Tech is a  group of I.T professionals who have come together from  across Ireland to volunteer and offer free tech support to Irish seniors in our communities so they can stay connected with their loved ones and required services during the Covid19 crisis. More information visit: https://covid19tech.ie

IMPORTANT NOTICE

BAPTISMS  Baptisms in St. Michael’s Parish will take place on the second Saturday of each month at 12 noon. Please contact the Parish Office in person to make arrangements.

MONTH’S MIND MASSES

To facilitate the families of those who funerals take place in St. Michael’s Church, the 6 p.m. Mass on the first Saturday of each month will be offered for those who have died in the previous month.

Please contact the Parish Office at 01 280 4969 for further information.