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The church that gets packed out every Sunday

Posted Saturday, May 16, 2009

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St Pius Church

Last year in Ireland only 8 people were ordained priests.

Everywhere congregations are falling away - but not in Moville.

Every week St Pius' Church in Moville is packed out.

Indeed at the mass on Easter Sunday there were crowd worries as there were so many people trying to get in.

All the seats downstairs were taken and the aisles full, as well as the choir upstairs and at the back of the chapel and beyond.

Standing Room Only

Several time the priest had to appeal for people to move further up the aisles to let people in as some couldn't get in at all.

There were worries that there might be problems with crushing.

I'm told that people were milling about outside unable to get in and several people came to the church and had to go away as they couldn't even get in the door of the church.

So, what's the reason for this?

It's the new innovative mass put in place by Father Paddy O'Kane and the Gospel Choir that sings at it.

Choir

The 25-piece Gospel Choir plays there every second week and pulls the crowds.

The choir are not hidden away upstairs but are in full view of the congregation on the altar facing then as they belt out their Gospel songs.

It seems that it is highly impressive.

It's not just the Gospel Choir though.

Popular Sermons

I've been told by one guy that he has started going back to mass just to hear Fr. Paddy's sermon.

Imagine that - people turning up at church just to hear a priest's sermon.

What's this phenomenon that is happening in Moville?

Fr O'Kane always has a good joke or funny story at his lively sermons.

Indeed the jokes and stories are gleefully passed around town during the week to those who couldn't make it or went to another mass.

Huge Impression

Fr Paddy has made a huge impression since he came to Moville and was CraicOn's Moville Man of the Year for 2008.

Moville was well served by Fr. George McLaughlin and people wondered how he could be replaced when he retired but Fr Paddy has been a replacement out of the top drawer.

Perhaps he could pass on a few tips to Catholic churches across Ireland on how to please your congregation and bring back again those who had stopped coming.

Moville is very lucky to have this dynamic priest and the excellent Gospel Choir.