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Catechists
Preparing people to meet God in the Sacraments is a responsibility which is taken very seriously in the Parish. We are fortunate to have a team of lay and religious catechists who prepare members of our Parish for the Sacraments.
Staff from St Gildas Junior School prepare pupils in year? for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion while the preparation for the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Holy Communion, Confirmation and Marriage are carried out within the parish.
There is also a group of catechists who follow the Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and prepare uncatechised to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Parish Team
The Parish Team meet with Fr Sean on a regular basis to discuss issues which affect the Parish, such as the Parish calendar, building repairs, liturgical ceremonies, the hosting of events, comments and suggestions that Parishioners bring to their attention and other matters.
The Parish Team is currently made up of the following people – Sr Margaret Corbett, Sr Anne Heaney, Sheila Doyle, Gabriella Olaniran, Chris Hannington (Chair), Margaret Finn, Margaret Maloney, Graham Summers, Jim Donoghue, Steve Bethell, Debbie Eddleston, Claire Carballo, Fr Sean and Jennifer Graham-Dillon.
Finance Committee
In accordance with the Church’s code of Canon Law, the parish has a Finance Committee which meets quarterly to monitor our income and expenditure and advise the Parish Priest on financial matters.
If you are interested in seeing more about the parish finances, summary accounts are posted every six months and can be found at the back of the church near the inner doors.
At present, the Committee’s members are: Fr Sean, Gerald McGrath (Chair), Sheila Doyle, David Fleming, Graham Summers, Breda Cassidy and Steve Bethell.
Counting Teams
While the parish depends on the weekly collection, counting, checking and banking the money each week are not the most exciting of tasks and so we are extremely grateful to the group of people who assist in these jobs on a regular basis to ensure that cash is not kept on the premises any longer than absolutely necessary. Teams count and record the weekly donations in the Planned Giving Envelopes on a 4-weekly rota while other volunteers assist the Parish secretary to deal with the other cash collected each week making sure that each separate amount – loose cash, retiring collections, candles, papers etc. is properly recorded and accounted for before it is brought together for banking.
Cleaning and maintenance
Each Monday, after morning Mass, another small group of volunteers gathers to sweep, wash, vacuum, dust and polish before sitting down to a well-earned cup of coffee, a biscuit and a chat before going their separate ways. The team is short of helpers so, if you can spare an hour or two, you will be very welcome.
Another small group take turns, on a rota basis, to launder the altar linen each week.
There are often jobs that need to be done around the church and the priest’s house, minor things that need repairing or renewing. Again, at present this falls on just 2 or 3 people so it would be useful to have a maintenance team – people who could be called upon as a need arose, including some with trades such as electrician, plumber, carpenter, painter. If you would be willing to help occasionally in such a capacity, please drop a note giving your name, telephone number and how you can help, in to the Parish Office or contact us by email.