It’s something that has been on my mind lately.
My eldest child is in communion year at school.
We have his outfit ready and the date is set but in light of rising coronavirus cases in Ireland should it go ahead? I’m just not sure.
With the HSE advising people to avoid large crowds and the cancellation of things like the St Patrick’s Day parade, are communions and confirmations safe to be hosting at the moment?
My son’s communion is a few weeks off but I know of a confirmation taking place tomorrow and another taking place the following week.
While I’m not someone who usually gets panicked by these kinds of situations, I still think that the best measure we can take at the moment is to try and limit exposure and that’s hard to do at events like communions and confirmations.
I’m also quite concerned for people who might attend communions and confirmations, like my own mother who is going to radiation treatments at the moment, who are particularly vulnerable to the virus.
As well as the actual gathering for communions and confirmations, another aspect of the day that concerns me a bit is the gifting of money.
It’s tradition that family and friends gift children money but considering the Euro currency is used across several European countries and we don’t know where the notes in are purse may have been before we were handed them, is it really wise to give paper money to children right now?
Many shops and restaurants across Ireland will currently only accept contactless cards payments to limit their staff’s exposure to COVID-19 so as parents isn’t it our duty to do the same.
It’s a difficult situation to be in. A lot of time, money and preparation goes into communions and confirmations but they can also always be rescheduled.
As it stands schools across the country are set to close tomorrow but there’s been no mention of postponing communions and confirmations and who knows maybe it won’t be necessary.
Still, I think it’s a discussion that may need to be had in the near future if people in Ireland continue to be diagnosed.
