SUNDAY Masses are to remain at the status quo in Annandale and Eskdale for the moment after a vote in three Roman Catholic churches.
However, using web-cam or video-link to present masses on Sundays is to be explored for the future.
It comes over concerns for the workload of Annan-based parish priest Father Joseph Holmes.
Five years ago the congregations of Holy Trinity in Lockerbie and St Luke’s, Moffat, joined with Annan’s St Columba’s and St Francis of Assisi in Langholm to form The Parish of Annandale and Eskdale. It meant that Father Holmes became the sole parish priest for all four churches.
He has the enormous task of celebrating mass on a tight schedule in each of the churches on a Sunday as well as a vigil Mass on Saturday evening in Annan. This is in addition to his many pastoral duties and weekday masses.
In 2009 it was decided that Sunday Masses should just be held at 9am at St Luke’s, 10.30am at Holy Trinity, and noon at Annan (which also has the 6pm Saturday vigil).
The Sunday Mass at St Francis’ was changed to Wednesdays.
However, dwindling attendance on Wednesdays and spiralling running costs led to the closure of the Langholm church in December. Since June parishioners at the remaining three churches have been considering the future with meetings.
They were asked to consider possible changes to the number and times of Sunday Masses.
And the results of a vote were recently unveiled.
It means the Saturday Vigil in Annan and Sunday Masses in sequence at Moffat, Lockerbie and Annan will continue and at the regular times.
Father Holmes said the discussions and voting was “a truly right and democratic way of proceeding”. In a letter to his congregations he says that he is “more than pleased” that so many took part.
He said: “It’s obvious that neither the community at Lockerbie or Moffat want the Vigil Sunday Mass and prefer instead to opt for the Sunday morning celebration.
The Annan Saturday Vigil will stay as is an “established tradition” and its loss would heavily impact on parish revenue.
Father Holmes has expressed gratitude to everyone concerned about his health and workload but says he is happy to stay with the Sunday Mass programme as it is.
He said: “The least of my worries is the masses I have to say every Sunday. I’m up to the task as long as you pray for me and support me.”
He admits that the administration of the parish, financial and economic care and the running of the Parish house cause him “far more upset than anything else”.
Measures are in place to help with this and Father Holmes has called on the Pastoral Parish Council to continue to “suss out the presentation of mass on Sundays by web-cam or video-link,” adding: “This, I think, is the answer in the long-term.”
The priest also told parishioners: “I know that in a short time I will have to retire. Things will probably be very different then in that whoever comes in my place will, I think, change Sunday Masses and times considerably. But that’s then and not now.”