A major prize draw is underway in the parish of Headford/Claran to raise funds for urgent renovation works at St. Mary’s church in Headford.
The church at St. Mary’s is over 150 years old and no major works have been carried out for over 70 years. The most pressing requirement is to repair the roof, part of which has fallen down in recent times and has become an urgent health and safety issue. This major project will also include a number of ancillary projects to improve the heating and insulation of the church. It is planned to close the church for approximately three months to carry out the works, during which time services will relocate to the other church in the parish at Claran.
Launching the prize draw this week, Parish Priest Fr. Ray Flaherty stated that these works have been in the pipeline for a number of years but have been delayed due to the pandemic, and it is now an urgent priority to make the church safe for the people of the parish.
“This is a health and safety issue and the work is needed urgently to repair the roof of the church. We have been quietly raising funds for a few years now through our offertory collections and other minor fundraising activities but we really hope that this major fundraising draw will help us raise the funds we need to complete this major piece of work. So far, the support and feedback from the people of the parish and the wider community in Ireland and indeed internationally has been fantastic,” he said.
“We’re hoping people will support the prize draw where we have a range of wonderful prizes, the top prize being a Skoda Fabia car supplied by Monaghan’s garage. The second prize is a wonderful set of garden furniture, sponsored by Joyce’s Hardware with third prize a two-night stay at the Titanic hotel in Belfast, sponsored by Harcourt Development. There are over 30 additional prizes on offer from a number of businesses in the Headford area and we are very thankful to our sponsors for their generosity.”
The tickets are priced at €10 each with 3 for €20 and the book of 15 tickets for €100. Tickets have been distributed to homes throughout the parish and are available from the Parish office in Headford. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.headfordchurch.com
Eamon Walsh, chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council and Church Restoration Committee is hoping the draw will raise in the region of €80,000 to €100,000. “This is a major undertaking and if possible we’d like to complete all the works while the church is closed. Our estimate is that the total amount required to complete all the works is in the region of €250,000. The support and feedback from the people of the parish and the wider community has been very encouraging with many private donations also being made to the fund. This is really about making the church a warm, welcoming (and safe! ) place for people to come and worship,” he stated.
“The people of the parish love their beautiful church and want to see it maintained and improved, not just for themselves but for future generations,” he added.
To purchase tickets or find out more about the restoration project please visit www.headfordchurch.com or contact the sellers directly by email to [email protected] or by phone to the Presbytery office on 093 35448.
