Vincent and Adrienne Clarke, owners of The Irish Pub in Howald, were enjoying a peaceful holiday in the Canary Islands when they received an unusual call out of the blue.
“I was on holiday in Lanzarote at the time and I received a call from a very official voice. They said they wanted to say Mass at our pub. At first, I thought this must be a scam,” Adrienne told Delano, recounting her experience. “It wasn’t until they agreed to meet in person that I thought this actually might be legit”.
The person on the other end of the line was Father Michael Cusack, an Irish Redemptorist priest based in Luxembourg. Father Michael told Adrienne his church was undergoing renovations and would be closed for some time. In urgent need of a venue at short notice, he asked the couple if they could host Mass at their pub.
The two arranged to meet the following week in Luxembourg and Father Michael’s wish was granted. Over 250 people from his congregation attended Mass at The Irish Pub on two consecutive Sundays in January.
Ample space at The Irish Pub to host a birthday party or Sunday Mass. The Irish Pub
Congregations at the Church of Saint Alphonse in Luxembourg city centre attract up to 1,000 people. Finding a suitable venue to accommodate such a large group of people proved a serious challenge, according to Father Michael.
“I was desperately looking for a venue that had sufficient space to accommodate the congregation,” he told Delano. “We looked at a hotel, but it was out of our budget. We considered renting smaller venues. That would have involved organising multiple gatherings. In the end, we had to think outside of the box.”
Father Michael said somebody raised the idea of using The Irish Pub in Howald as a venue and that’s when he reached out to Vincent and Adrienne.
The pub turned out to be a good venue, given its large open space and available parking. “People were gathered around close to me in a circular formation. And the musicians were close to the people. Everybody was singing and it was a really nice celebration,” he said.
The bar remained closed during the religious ceremony, however a social event with drinks and music was organised after the second Sunday Mass.
Father Michael is holding Mass on Sundays at the Church of Saint Pië X in Belair until the congregation finds a permanent home. But he hasn’t ruled out a return to The Irish Pub.
“I think we should never exclude locations. In this case, it was responding to a need we had. But the church needs to open its doors and get nearer to the people. There's a lot to be said for the church moving out of traditional thinking, as well as traditional buildings”.