The Witches of Dysart Parish were established in the 18th century and had the same ethos as the United Irishmen. Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters were all equally welcome. However discussion regarding religion was strictly off limits at Coven meetings, that is until the fateful year of the COVID Pandemic. Miss Denise, just back from Brussels, where her culinary skills had brought about a reprieve for the tottering Brexit negotiations, was greeted with the news that she couldn’t go to Christmas Mass in Ratheniska, as she had done for the past seventy decades as she had no ticket. “What do you mean , a ticket? for Mass? What ever happened to ‘Oh, Come all ye Faithful’?”
Miss Justine, a regular at the same Church, explained that due to COVID restrictions only a small number of people could attend Mass at Christmas and the Monsignor had arranged ticket distribution through Eventbrite. She failed to get one herself as the tickets were all gone by the time she figured out how to use the Parish Website. Like Miss Denise, she had been reared on the myth of priests who risked their lives to say Mass for the faithful. Priests who said Mass on rocks, in woods and in fields were the stuff on legends when she was a child. To think that Mass was now an exclusive ticketed event, like a rock concert was a blow.
Miss Julianne was of the Protestant persuasion. She was also disgusted that the Catholics had turned their services into ticketed events. The Protestant services were always fairly exclusive . No huddled masses crowded into the aisles for them. But those Catholic were always trying to copy them. First they came for their hymns–“Abide with me” was sung at nearly all Catholic funerals nowadays and now stealing their mantle of exclusivity- really it was taking this ecumenical nonsense much too far!
Miss Norah, the Dissenter, was delighted with this turn of events. She didn’t have to explain her non attendance at church to anyone, and this year no one noticed.
She could just have that extra hour in bed. Lovely.
