Belfast priest hopes reopening of church today will bring `semblance of normality to parish life'

THE Administrator of a Belfast city centre church which will reopen today after being closed for eight weeks, has said he hopes the move will bring a "semblance of normality to parish life".

Fr Eugene O'Neill, parish priest of St Patrick's Church in Donegall Street, said life without parishioners as a result of church closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had been "difficult" but added that he was "delighted" that the doors of the church were being reopened.

Following guidelines from the Diocese of Down and Connor, and after carrying out a risk assessment, the church opens its doors again today with a number of new measures in place, in accordance with safety guidance.

The church will open every day for two hours from 1pm to 3pm and a one-way system will also be introduced along with signage.

"People will come in and pilgrimage through the church. They will follow the arrows on the ground," he said.

"We have chairs in a section of the church, which are two metres apart and those are the chairs where people will sit if they wish.

"They will be disinfected before and after and there will be signs explaining. We have bins to put the cloths in once they have been disinfected."

Fr O'Neill said tape would be used to close off the main body of the church, adding that it was safer for people to use chairs instead of pews.

Shrines will also be open for people to visit, he said.

"We will have a number of gas lighters on the table as you go in and they will have been sanitised," he said.

"They can take the lighter, carry it through, light candles. At the very end, they return it to the table and it will be sanitised again.

"Hand sanitiser will also be available at the door, going in and going out. We have got social distancing tape to create two-metres stretches so people don't have to guess it. We have got kneelers if people want to kneel, spaced apart, near the Blessed Sacrament and St Anthony's statue."

He also revealed that it will be the priests from the parish who will be cleaning the church.

"It has to be cleaned twice a day, before we open and as soon as we close," he said.

"It is a strict schedule of cleaning all surfaces and chairs. We have a tick list with about 10 things on it.

"Most priests I know, we are doing it ourselves. Whatever risk is there, we want to absorb it ourselves."

Fr O'Neill said he was seeing the "positive side" of the changes, adding that he was "convinced" parishioners would follow the rules.

"It is a gradual move towards normality," he said.

"I am delighted we are re-opening in this safe way and let's see how it goes."