For more than 9 years, parishioners of St Teresa’s Parish have gathered to celebrate a Saturday Vigil Mass in the Church of the Holy Spirit at 5pm. The Saturday evening Vigil Mass is well attended and seems to be very convenient for the congregation. While there may be an occasional Funeral or Wedding celebration held during the week, the church building is generally not used by the parish on a Sunday.
Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ recently received a request from the Catholic Coptic Egyptian Church in Belfast to have use of a church to celebrate Mass on a Sunday and perhaps on some weekdays.
Bishop Alan McGuckian invited the parish priest, Fr Gabriel Lyons, and the Parish Pastoral Council to consider the possibility of allowing Fr Angelos and his Catholic Coptic Egyptian congregation to use the Church of the Holy Spirit for the celebration of Mass.
In conjunction with Fr Lyons, the Parish Pastoral Council have discussed this request and agree that there is no reason why Mass cannot be celebrated on a Sunday morning. Very few church buildings are ordinarily available on Sunday mornings, but the parish is in a position to accommodate this request in the Church of the Holy Spirit.
In light of the opportunity to make greater use of parish resources, and with two other churches serving the parish community on a Sunday, it is a heartfelt gesture to welcome Fr Angelos and his parishioners to the Church of the Holy Spirit for an initial one-year period beginning in September 2026.
Contact: g.lyons@downandconnor.org
The Coptic Catholic Church, also known as the Coptic Catholic Church of Alexandria, is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the Catholic Church. Along with the Ethiopian Catholic Church and Eritrean Catholic Church, it belongs to the Alexandrian liturgical tradition. Uniquely among the Alexandrian Rite Eastern Catholic liturgies, the Coptic Catholic Church uses the Coptic Rite and the Coptic language (derived from Ancient Egyptian) in its liturgy.
The Parish of St Teresa of Ávila, Glen Road, Belfast 