In the Eucharist we share in the divine mysteries in the company of families, communities, the universal church and the choirs of heaven. It is no small thing. In between services we are in a very special place which our ancestors called ‘the house of God’ or in the Irish language ‘teach an phobail’ (the house ofthe people). Now, there is a huge difference, in Irish, between ‘teach tábhairne’ ( the local pub) and ‘teach an phobail’. Both venues were, traditionally, the main gathering places for people not least when someone died. However, the sacred space that is the parish church (or cathedral or abbey church) is a place set apart for community worship and private prayer.
