Closed churches still manage to draw crowds

ONE Galway priest has bucked a dramatic decline in traditional Mass attendance by attracting an online congregation of no less than 15,000 from across the globe – despite the fact that his Church, like all others, is closed.

Fr Des Forde, a native of Henry Street in the city, began broadcasting Mass from his home in Lahinch, Co Clare when he was forced to self-isolate after being diagnosed with a treatable form of leukaemia.

He is a curate in Ennistymon, which is part of the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora.

After initially reaching out to a couple of hundred people, his audience spiralled to several thousand. One Mass recorded hits of 15,000.

“I’m getting comments from people right around the world – as far away as Canada, Australia, Abu Dhabi – saying they are feeling lost and this gives them hope twice a day to pray with me.  A lot of people tune in from nursing homes. We have a lot of emigrants.”

Fr Peter Rabbitte from the Galway Cathedral said their highest number of hits reached 3,500 on Good Friday.

Mass is recorded twice a day during the week and three times on a Sunday, including the Irish service at 9am, and it is then posted on the cathedral’s Facebook page.

Diocesan spokesperson Fr Diarmuid Hogan said they have no figures on the numbers tuning into Mass online.

“Some parishes – Claregalway, Renmore, Clarinbridge for instance – broadcast Mass to a local audience but there is no way of counting listening figures. However, priests will say that they get tremendous feedback for these broadcasts and that numbers are very significant,” he stated.

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