THE ARCHBISHOP OF Dublin has said parishes should postpone first holy communions and confirmations until September after the government said it hopes to lift restrictions on these sacraments next month.  

Earlier this week, Archbishop Dermot Farrell wrote to his priests indicating that they could proceed with these sacraments if they “consider it safe” and suggested “shorter, simpler and smaller ceremonies”. 

Public health guidelines advise that communions and confirmations should not currently take place.

However, the government said on Friday that it hopes to lift these restrictions next month depending on the Covid-19 situation at the time.

A statement said the government will “engage further with relevant faith group leaders in the coming weeks”.

In a homily at a mass in Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral yesterday evening, Farrell said: “In the light of the Government’s statement yesterday, I have renewed my advice to parishes to postpone the celebration of the sacraments until September.  

I can understand, however, the frustration and the resentment of those who feel that the public guidelines are unfair and discriminatory.

The archbishop said the church has “fully supported necessary measures to protect health and welfare”.

“We have encouraged the faithful to see recent restrictions on public worship a form of self-sacrifice, enabling them to perform a Christian service,” he said.

“In the same way, we encourage all those who are eligible to be vaccinated, for their own good and to help to protect others.”

But he said the church has a responsibility to “ensure that the faithful have reasonable access to ‘the living bread which has come down from heaven’”. 

“It has been a source of deep frustration to many families, and to parish communities, that for so many months they have been unable to celebrate the sacraments of first holy communion and confirmation.  

“They have been perplexed, as am I, that of all of the types of events which might give rise to mingling between households, it is uniquely these sacraments which are prohibited under public guidelines,” the archbishop said. 

Farrell said after other “aspects of life” such as family celebrations or sport events, “people are trusted and expected to observe the guidelines on household mixing”. 

“Households are permitted to mix, in homes and in restaurants, in ways that take account of the age and vaccination status of those present.

“I find it difficult to explain, or justify, that it is only parents of children receiving the sacraments who cannot be trusted to observe these guidelines.”