Taking into account the wishes of parents and the wisdom of the school principals, and mindful of the reasoning behind the government’s concerns about the celebrations that are customary after these ceremonies, here are the dates and times for First Communion and Confirmation in 2021, preceded by some important guidelines.

For all public worship in our Churches, we have been adhering to strict guidelines including capacity limit, 2 metre distancing between people not of the same household, sanitising of surfaces, sanitising of hands on entering and leaving the Church, wearing of face-coverings by those over 13 years of age, restriction of movement at Communion time. These procedures will of course apply also for Confirmation and First Holy Communion. This means that, like last year, only a certain small number of people may accompany each First Communicant or Confirmation candidate in the Church, based on the number receiving the Sacrament at that ceremony.

In order to be responsible about not transmitting the virus, all families are asked to abide strictly by the government rules regarding gatherings in homes, inside and out. Please make sure that the Confirmation or First Holy Communion does not become the occasion for dropping our guard at celebrations at home.

While we are announcing the go-ahead of the Confirmation and First Holy Communion now, in order to give families a chance to get ready, please understand that if the virus situation gets out of hand, we will have to postpone, even at short notice. Please note that we are not taking the exact same approach for all the schools, as there are different factors of size, etc, involved, and that other parishes, based on their own situations, may not be taking the same approach.

It is totally understandable if any parents or candidates would prefer to defer your Confirmation or First Holy Communion until the pandemic situation changes. Please make contact with Fr Hugh, and we can work out an arrangement that will best suit you. Options could include receiving the Sacrament at a parish Mass.

We hope that, like last year, the Confirmation Day will still be a joyful celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our young people, and that First Holy Communion Day will be a memorable day of happiness, when the children receive Our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time.

Confirmation:

Northampton N.S.: The Northampton NS Confirmation ceremony has been postponed and a new date will be announced after further discussion. Each Confirmation candidate can be accompanied by four people.

Thursday, 26th August 2021: Ballinderreen N.S. at 10.00am and 12.30pm. St Colman’s Church, Ballinderreen. Each Confirmation candidate can be accompanied by three people.

Friday, 27th August 2021: Doorus N.S. at 11am. St Joseph’s Church, Kinvara. Each Confirmation candidate can be accompanied by three people.

Saturday, 25th September 2021. St Joseph’s NS, Kinvara at 10.00am and 12.30pm. *N.B. This is a changed date from the previous provisional date. * St Colman’s Church, Kinvara. Each Confirmation candidate can be accompanied by two people.

First Holy Communion:

Saturday, 4th September 2021: St Joseph’s NS, Kinvara at 10.00am and 12.30pm. St Colman’s Church, Kinvara. Each First Communicant can be accompanied by two people.

Saturday, 11th September 2021: Ballinderreen N.S. St Colman’s Church, Ballinderreen. We will give more clarity about the time and number permitted closer to the date.

Saturday, 18th September 2021: Doorus N.S. at 11am. St Joseph’s Church, Kinvara. We will give more clarity about the time and number permitted closer to the date.

Northampton N.S. First Communicants of 2021 will wait to receive First Holy Communion together with the class of 2022.