Best Catholic Parishes

A Whole New World

If a Catholic was moving to Dublin, and was looking for a good Catholic parish or church, what would you recommend? All recommendations for all reasons welcome, but here are some criteria that might help:

Vibrant
Lots of young families attending Mass
Orthodox
Nice church building
Nice hymns
Daily Mass
Church open outside Mass times

Conversely, what are parishes to avoid?

DamienKelly

I live in Swords but attend mass and other services in Balbriggan parish. I really like balbriggan parish. There is a lovely community feel every sunday. Everyone is lovely and friendly and The church building is fab. There are a lot of parishes in Dubin that I like. I dont think I have anywhere that I dont like or have negative feedback.

vicwatson

A Whole New World wrote: »

If a Catholic was moving to Dublin, and was looking for a good Catholic parish or church, what would you recommend? All recommendations for all reasons welcome, but here are some criteria that might help:

Vibrant
Lots of young families attending Mass
Orthodox
Nice church building
Nice hymns
Daily Mass
Church open outside Mass times

Conversely, what are parishes to avoid?

Id be surprised if such a place exists

tim63

i would look at the local jehovah witness, ticks all your boxes and saves a fortune at christmas....

Cen taurus

A Whole New World wrote: »

If a Catholic was moving to Dublin, and was looking for a good Catholic parish or church, what would you recommend? All recommendations for all reasons welcome, but here are some criteria that might help:

Vibrant
Lots of young families attending Mass
Orthodox
Nice church building
Nice hymns
Daily Mass
Church open outside Mass times

Conversely, what are parishes to avoid?

You're right to shop around, parishes like most things in life can vary greatly.

Iona road parish is very good by all accounts, a guy I know from college goes there, and if I'm recalling the correct parish, it even does after mass garden parties in the summer for all the kids and families, but check it out for yourself first with other people.

www. ionaroadparish. ie

No harm to boards or the people trying to run it, but for the best opinions, you're probably asking on the wrong website. From what i've seen so far here, this will thread will be a troll magnet as well.

For more helpful and serious responses, try here :

irishcatholics. proboards. com

A Whole New World

Thanks for that, Cen Taurus and Damien Kelly.

(Trolls are easily amused, aren't they? I assumed that they would be plying their trade in the other fora here...)

Delirium

tim63 wrote: »

i would look at the local jehovah witness, ticks all your boxes and saves a fortune at christmas....

The OP was asking for information about possible Catholic parishes/church to attend in Dublin.

Please bear that in mind for any future posts in this thread.

Thanks for your attention.

MRnotlob606

Why do people come on here just to make snide attacks against Catholicism ?

Roger Buck

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

Why do people come on here just to make snide attacks against Catholicism ?

They're fallen. Like we're all fallen, all in our different ways.

And we all hurt each other in our different fallen ways.

Mrs OBumble

A Whole New World wrote: »

If a Catholic was moving to Dublin, and was looking for a good Catholic parish or church, what would you recommend? All recommendations for all reasons welcome, but here are some criteria that might help:

Vibrant
Lots of young families attending Mass
Orthodox
Nice church building
Nice hymns
Daily Mass
Church open outside Mass times

Conversely, what are parishes to avoid?

It might be helpful if you could say what you mean by the two items I've highlighted.

For me orthodox means motivated by the church's justice teachings, particularly social inclusion in our current context. Other people probably focus more on aspect of orthodoxy that I regards as less important.

And my idea of nice hymns is mainly material written since 1980, presented in a way that everyone is encouraged to sing. But some people believe that the only nice hymns are those from the Latin Mass days sung by a well-trained choir.

When I decided I was staying in Ireland, I made a list of parishes in the city in a spreadsheet, and started visiting and taking notes. You may also like to check www.shipoffools.com for any recent reviews.

katydid

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It might be helpful if you could say what you mean by the two items I've highlighted.

For me orthodox means motivated by the church's justice teachings, particularly social inclusion in our current context. Other people probably focus more on aspect of orthodoxy that I regards as less important.

And my idea of nice hymns is mainly material written since 1980, presented in a way that everyone is encouraged to sing. But some people believe that the only nice hymns are those from the Latin Mass days sung by a well-trained choir.

When I decided I was staying in Ireland, I made a list of parishes in the city in a spreadsheet, and started visiting and taking notes. You may also like to check www.shipoffools.com for any recent reviews.

I don't really understand why someone would take choosing one's place of worship in such a way. It seems very clinical. Surely a parish and a place of worship is what you make it; it's about Christian fellowship. Would it not be a good idea to get involved in whatever parish you find yourself, and work to make it a good place to worship and to interact with your fellow Christians.

Manach

Perhaps a word that was become a bit politically load, but a diverse parish might also be a positive attribute. It would be a reflection of the wider global Christian community in which the Church draws its strength from.

Mrs OBumble

katydid wrote: »

I don't really understand why someone would take choosing one's place of worship in such a way. It seems very clinical. Surely a parish and a place of worship is what you make it; it's about Christian fellowship. Would it not be a good idea to get involved in whatever parish you find yourself, and work to make it a good place to worship and to interact with your fellow Christians.

I tried that.

There's church 100m from my front door. I even like the architecture. There's a fantastic choir. They sing very high-brow music which I love singing. But I love it as recreation, not asprayer: it just doesn't connect me with God. And of course as a non-choir member I was not welcome to sing anyways.

I tried going to their non-choir Masses, especially the one with a coffee-and-mingling afterwards. But I met different people every week: this isn't a parish so much as a city-centre devotional church, visited by people from all over the city when suits them. Their regular faith communities were out in the suburbs.

I even tried going to a few talks / seminars they held, but the locals just weren't welcoming to an immigrant. One very special lady even deliberately closed a door in my face.

So I figured out that I needed to find a parish in the suburbs, if I wanted any sort of community.

Maybe my approach sounds clinical, but it led me to an immigrant-friendly parish, and a few years later I'm actively involved and working quite hard at keeping it a good place to worship and to interact with my fellow Christians.

katydid

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I tried that.

There's church 100m from my front door. I even like the architecture. There's a fantastic choir. They sing very high-brow music which I love singing. But I love it as recreation, not asprayer: it just doesn't connect me with God. And of course as a non-choir member I was not welcome to sing anyways.

I tried going to their non-choir Masses, especially the one with a coffee-and-mingling afterwards. But I met different people every week: this isn't a parish so much as a city-centre devotional church, visited by people from all over the city when suits them. Their regular faith communities were out in the suburbs.

I even tried going to a few talks / seminars they held, but the locals just weren't welcoming to an immigrant. One very special lady even deliberately closed a door in my face.

So I figured out that I needed to find a parish in the suburbs, if I wanted any sort of community.

Maybe my approach sounds clinical, but it led me to an immigrant-friendly parish, and a few years later I'm actively involved and working quite hard at keeping it a good place to worship and to interact with my fellow Christians.

I can understand where you're coming from there. It's a shame that you feel that way about it. I wonder if the members of the church realise they are being so unwelcoming.

Slightly off topic; it's a pity the Roman Catholic church don't have a tradition of congregational singing. I grew up RC and one of the things that drew me to the Church of Ireland was the fact that everyone is welcome to sing. A choir should be there to lead the singing, not to perform.

Benny_Cake

katydid wrote: »

I can understand where you're coming from there. It's a shame that you feel that way about it. I wonder if the members of the church realise they are being so unwelcoming.

Slightly off topic; it's a pity the Roman Catholic church don't have a tradition of congregational singing. I grew up RC and one of the things that drew me to the Church of Ireland was the fact that everyone is welcome to sing. A choir should be there to lead the singing, not to perform.

When I lived in Dublin and was still a semi-lapsed Catholic, I occasionally attended Mass at James St, where the congregation seemed to be mostly Indian and Filipino. In addition to the choir, most of the congregation sang, very well I might add (true to the stereotype, I awkwardly mumbled along). Possibly it's an Irish RC thing rather than a feature of the church in general.

katydid

Benny_Cake wrote: »

When I lived in Dublin and was still a semi-lapsed Catholic, I occasionally attended Mass at James St, where the congregation seemed to be mostly Indian and Filipino. In addition to the choir, most of the congregation sang, very well I might add (true to the stereotype, I awkwardly mumbled along). Possibly it's an Irish RC thing rather than a feature of the church in general.

I think so. Friends of mine go to mass in a London suburb, and they sing in their church.

lulu1

I think that you have to enjoy going to mass and for me the music and singing where you can join in weather you can sing or not is all part off that.

katydid

lulu1 wrote: »

I think that you have to enjoy going to mass and for me the music and singing where you can join in weather you can sing or not is all part off that.

Well, at the end of the day, mass is mass. It's not meant to be a concert. Singing is an important part of worship, but the point of the mass is to share in the eucharist, it's not about enjoying yourself. Wherever you go and whatever they do during the ceremony, you should go for the right reason. Enjoyment of music etc. is a bonus.

lulu1

katydid wrote: »

Well, at the end of the day, mass is mass. It's not meant to be a concert. Singing is an important part of worship, but the point of the mass is to share in the eucharist, it's not about enjoying yourself. Wherever you go and whatever they do during the ceremony, you should go for the right reason. Enjoyment of music etc. is a bonus.

Op I didn't say it was meant to be a concert. I said for me that i enjoy the singing and the music. You say it is about sharing in the eucharist and not enjoying yourself.Why go if you cant enjoy it.
Do you think everyone should sit with long faces and hands joined?
Op you do it you're way and I'll do it mine
Now I must go and dig out a headscarf for tomorrow

katydid

lulu1 wrote: »

Op I didn't say it was meant to be a concert. I said for me that i enjoy the singing and the music. You say it is about sharing in the eucharist and not enjoying yourself.Why go if you cant enjoy it.
Do you think everyone should sit with long faces and hands joined?
Op you do it you're way and I'll do it mine
Now I must go and dig out a headscarf for tomorrow

I don't mean you have to sit there with a long face on you. But I'm not sure "enjoy" is the right word to use in regard to a church service, especially a celebration of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is at the heart of our Christian worship, and I would expect that those participating would feel fulfilled and content, and spiritually uplifted. The purpose of Christian communion (I mean "communion" in the more general sense is not to entertain.

Cen taurus

Well I must say I enjoy mass every time I go to it. When you sing you pray twice, and I enjoy the joyful hymns. When I have the Eucharist, I feel filled with the joy of the holy spirit and I also enjoy the real presence of Christ, and the peace and joy in receiving the Eucharist after the sacrament of reconciliation.

I wonder would someone be so critical if someone dared to mention they enjoyed an Anglican service ?

katydid

Cen taurus wrote: »

Well I must say I enjoy mass every time I go to it. When you sing you pray twice, and I enjoy the joyful hymns. When I have the Eucharist, I feel filled with the joy of the holy spirit and I also enjoy the real presence of Christ.

I wonder would someone be so critical if someone dared to mention they enjoyed an Anglican service ?

It's nothing to do with any particular denomination of Christianity. My point is only that the Eucharist, or any aspect of Christian worship, is not about enjoying yourself. People here are talking about enjoying the music, for example, and not "enjoying" a mass where the music is not up to scratch.

"Enjoyment" takes many forms, of course, and in its widest sense, the sense of fulfillment and joy that one hopefully gets from sharing communion and worship is, or should be, "enjoyable".

My only gripe is people expecting to be entertained, and rejecting churches which don't offer them this; which is what some comments sound like to me.

Cen taurus

Well I'm only too glad to hear someone gets the joy of Christ at their mass, prayer service, church, home, or wherever they go. Rejoice! Christ Has Risen. Enjoy the joy of the Gospel.

katydid

Cen taurus wrote: »

Well I'm only too glad to hear someone gets the joy of Christ at their mass, prayer service, church, home, or wherever they go. Rejoice! Christ Has Risen. Enjoy the joy of the Gospel.

Indeed. Still confused as to why you would think that the issue would differ in different Christian denominations. We all participate in worship for the same reason.

lulu1

Op I am an ordinary joe soap who goes to mass on a Sunday I am not into debates with big words. I said I go to Mass and I enjoy the singing and the music I mean hymes which our priest often says are just as important as prayers. I am not talking about the top 20. I didn't go through the other posts again but I certainly didn't say I go to Mass to be entertained.If the music stopped tomorrow I wouldn't run to another church.

Mass is a celebration So lets sing and be merry

Cen taurus

katydid wrote: »

Indeed. Still confused as to why you would think that the issue would differ in different Christian denominations. We all participate in worship for the same reason.

You're the one doing the complaining not me.

katydid

Cen taurus wrote: »

You're the one doing the complaining not me.

I'm not complaining about anything. Just commenting.

Still doesn't explain why you felt it necessary to try to make it a denominational issue.

Cen taurus

You're the one that's already had the warnings about attacking other Christians beliefs on this forum, not me, so you'll have to try straw manning someone else.

I'm only too glad to hear someone gets the joy of Christ at their mass, prayer service, church, home, or wherever they go. Rejoice! Christ Has Risen. Enjoy the joy of the Gospel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omLiZZDuHXQ

katydid

Cen taurus wrote: »

You're the one that's already had the warnings about attacking other Christians beliefs on this forum, not me, so you'll have to try straw manning someone else.

I'm only too glad to hear someone gets the joy of Christ at their mass, prayer service, church, home, or wherever they go. Rejoice! Christ Has Risen. Enjoy the joy of the Gospel.

Who tried to bring denominational issues into this discussion? A hint - it wasn't me.

Cen taurus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fkvyYNsjPc

A Whole New World

Thanks to everyone who replied so far. To the person who asked what I mean by orthodox, well, I am Catholic so I mean a church where I won't hear the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church contradicted from the pulpit, and where I won't witness liturgical abuses-- like the church where the priest had children celebrating parts of the Mass. I take the point about the social teachings of the Church.

This might seem like a clinical exercise and I do think it's important to embrace whatever parish you find yourself in, insofar as possible. But I don't think there's anything wrong with 'factoring in' (to use a horrible phrase) the desirability of a parish when you are deciding where to live.

I'm not especially a purist or a traditionalist when it comes to hymns. Some modern hymns are moving. Unfortunately I find more to be rather banal. But I'm not the sort of person who goes into a rage if somebody produces a guitar in a church.

credoie

A Whole New World wrote: »

If a Catholic was moving to Dublin, and was looking for a good Catholic parish or church, what would you recommend? All recommendations for all reasons welcome, but here are some criteria that might help:

Vibrant
Lots of young families attending Mass
Orthodox
Nice church building
Nice hymns
Daily Mass
Church open outside Mass times

Conversely, what are parishes to avoid?

Silverstream Abbey would be the place you would like. New benedictine abbey. They follow the latin liturgy pre V II.

Dom Mark Kirby gives an amazing homily.

They are located just outside stramullen.

(They have nothing to do with SPPX.. the Bishop of Meath invited them to found the monastery)

Thinkingaboutit

I hear High Mass most Sundays at 10.30 and Low Mass on the rare weekday at 08.00 in the morning, in St Kevin's church, Harrington Street. The Lassus Scholars make for a fantastic choir. The altar is wondrous compared to the Novus Ordo Star Trek efforts (no disrespect to Star Trek). The epistle and Gospel are read in English after the Gospel is sung. The sermons make a point and are utterly orthodox. Was there a Papal ruling against sermons with a beginning, middle and end, which I never heard about? Sin is actually mentioned and placed in context. There are plenty of young families and there is tea in the parish hall fairly often.

hinault

Thinkingaboutit wrote: »

I hear High Mass most Sundays at 10.30 and Low Mass on the rare weekday at 08.00 in the morning, in St Kevin's church, Harrington Street. The Lassus Scholars make for a fantastic choir. The altar is wondrous compared to the Novus Ordo Star Trek efforts (no disrespect to Star Trek). The epistle and Gospel are read in English after the Gospel is sung. The sermons make a point and are utterly orthodox. Was there a Papal ruling against sermons with a beginning, middle and end, which I never heard about? Sin is actually mentioned and placed in context. There are plenty of young families and there is tea in the parish hall fairly often.

I attend 10.30 Mass on Sundays at Harrington St. whenever possible:)

The incense, the singing, the Tridentine Mass offered, the diverse congregation, all make 10.30 a special time.

It is really great to see how the Tridentine Mass is becoming more accessible for parishioners in other parishes too.

Delirium

MOD NOTE

Latin Mass discussion has been moved a new thread.

Please use that thread for any further Latin Mass discussion.

Thanks for your attention.

Thinkingaboutit

A place for post Mass tea or coffee is a key thing. St Kevin's has that in its parish hall at least once a month, or more often if a new priest has said Mass, so people can meet him and get a blessing. St Jude's nearest me has a coffee shop and a fairly extensive suite of rooms for parochial activities. It was a bit of a shed originally, but a lot has gone into it to raise its standard. Anyhow the social part is key.