As you know due to pandemic a lot of restrictions are in place. In order to ensure that everyone coming for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation is safe, we have put in place some guidelines. Please take your time to read through the details below and if you have any question or concerns our parish contact details are at the end of this page.
What will my child wear on the day of Confirmation?
Due to Pandemic confirmation candidates will NOT be wearing robes this year. Dress well for the occasion and appropriate for the Church setting.
How many people can we bring along?
The candidate, sponsor (if the sponsor lives with the candidate) and one parent. If the sponsor doesn’t live in the same household as the candidate a parent can stand in for the sponsor at the ceremony. So in total TWO people with each candidate. We had hoped the Government would ease the restrictions to allow us to have more in the Church but are limited to just 50. We encourage others to follow the ceremony via our parish webcam or on our Facebook page.
Do we bring anything on the day?
Yes, please bring half A4 sheet of paper with the first name and Confirmation name of the child to be confirmed.
Are we going to bring a Candle?
No need as we will only use the Paschal candle. We want to minimize risk associated with hand sanitizer and flame.
Will there be a Mass?
There will be no Mass but just the confirmation Liturgy.
What time will the ceremony start ?
The ceremony will start at either 11:00am or 1:00pm depending on which ceremony your child is scheduled to attend.
How long will the ceremony last?
We hope it will not be more than 30mins. We encourage you to be on time. We also encourage you not to stay back to chat in the church at the end of the ceremony because we will be cleaning and airing the church in preparation for next ceremony.
Will confirmation Candidates take part in reading and prayers of the faithful?
No the confirmation candidates will not take part in readings or prayers of the faithful. Our parish regular readers will look after this just to minimize number of people using the microphone.
Will the Confirmation children be singing at the ceremony
Unfortunately, there will be no singing but music will be played.
Will Confirmation children be bringing up symbols or offertory gifts
There will be no bringing up of symbols for the ceremony and due to the pandemic we will not have offertory procession either. Symbols will already be placed in the scared space before we start the celebration. This is to limit surfaces being touched by multiple people.
Do we need to do anything before the day?
- Yes, you need to fill out registration form online on our parish website. https://www.lucansouthparish.net/index.php/confirmation-registration/
- You need to have discussion with your child about Confirmation and what it means.
- There will be no practise but we hope to explain how the ceremony will go before it starts.
- Download / print out the confirmation booklet and go through the responses with your child.
Can we take pictures during the ceremony?
No. Please due to GDPR and to avoid distractions, we ask you not to take pictures during the ceremony. You can however take pictures after the ceremony, but we request you do not climb the altar for this purpose.
What safety measures will be put in place?
- Doors will be held open to reduce the need for people to touch surfaces such as door handles.
- The clergy, sacristan, stewards and parish team will be wearing masks.
- We recommend everyone coming into the church should wear a mask.
- Everyone will have to use the provided hand sanitizers as they enter the Church.
- There will be a one way system and social distancing in operation in the Church, assisted by our stewards.
- All seat assignments will be 2 metres apart.
- During the celebration front and back doors will remain open (weather permitting) to allow for better ventilation.
- Surfaces which may have been touched will be sanitised afterwards.
Can I still use the toilet facilities at the Church?
Unfortunately, due to the risk of infection, there will be no access to the toilets in the Church and they will be locked.
What are the contact details for the parish office?
Please if you have any question or concern do not hesitate to email us: lucansouthparish@gmail.com or phone us: 01 4572900
