Saying Mass and hearing confession in a garage, shopping centre, airport or prison is all in a day's work for the Catholic chaplains who minister to 'parishes' with a difference - but each chaplaincy makes its own demands.Alison Healy writes.

Bus drivers have one. So do prisoners, airport workers, students, and even the staff at Blanchardstown shopping centre in Dublin. All these groups have access to their own chaplains, who provide religious services, spiritual guidance and a listening ear.

There are hundreds of chaplains in the Catholic Church, but it is a part-time position for many priests who act as chaplains to their local school, or girl guide or scout group. However, in institutions such as prisons, hospitals and the Army, being a chaplain is a full-time job - and it can take several years to adapt to the role.

Chaplaincies are introduced where a need is identified in a group of people, explains Father Martin Clarke of the Catholic Communications Office. There is a chaplain for the deaf, a chaplaincy for Travellers, chaplaincies in ports and barracks and, most recently, a chaplaincy for non-nationals.

With the increased demands on chaplains, the Mater Dei Institute in Dublin now runs masters programmes in school chaplaincy and healthcare chaplaincy.

One of the newer chaplaincies is provided by Father Dan Joe O'Mahony in the unlikely setting of Blanchardstown shopping centre. "Come for the prices and stay for the prayer" is the logo on the oratory's website (www.bcoratory.irishcapuchins.com). Father O'Mahony, a Capuchin Friar says the oratory is a sign of hope, and an oasis of peace in one of the State's busiest shopping centres.

The 70-seat oratory opened four years ago and now attracts about 200 people a day. With about 4,000 staff in the complex, and an estimated 15 million customers this year, the shopping centre provides an interesting parish for O'Mahony. Staff drop in before they begin work, he says, while shoppers come in for the 4.30 p.m. Mass or just for a bit of peace and quiet.

"People come in here to chill," he says. "It's an antidote to the marketplace."

He is often asked about the strange bedfellows that God and consumerism make. "There's a place for God in the marketplace too," he says. "I think it's great that we are here and that we are so well supported by the centre. It was a great move on behalf of the Church, to go to where the people are."

The oratory has a counselling room and confessions are provided on request. "Sometimes it's like an A&E ward in here," O'Mahony says. "We get some crisis situations."

The oratory is also home to Dóchas, a support group for people bereaved by suicide, and mental health meetings are held there too.

Another oasis of calm can be found in the heart of Dublin Airport, right in the middle of the car parks. As you sit in the Church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, you would never imagine that you are just a couple of hundred metres from the terminal, through which 15 million people will pass this year.

Airport chaplain Father Declan Doyle jokes that he is the only Irish priest who lives in a car park. His home, attached to the church, is the only house in Dublin Airport. That took a bit of getting used to, he says, particularly when he realised he had no neighbours. "But it's a fairly unique place in that people are always coming and going. I could get called at any time."

He is chaplain to the 14,000 people who work at the airport. The staff built the church, which opened in 1964, and now he celebrates their weddings and baptises their children. The church also gets a steady stream of visitors from the neighbouring suburbs and, of course, from the aeroplanes.

He has seen a significant increase in callers to his church since September 11th, 2001, particularly from Americans wishing to make confessions before travelling.

There is also a mortuary at Dublin Airport and more than 1,000 bodies are taken through it every year, on their way to burial here or abroad. One of the most difficult parts of Doyle's work is the breaking of bad news to passengers arriving in Dublin.

"You might have to tell a passenger that a family member has died," he says. "They might be rushing home to be with someone who is sick and you have to break the bad news to them. You have to do it a few times a year, but it's still a few times too many."

He has seen death in Dublin Airport and says it's not surprising, as airports are very stressful places. "People think of airports as a place connected with holidays, but now you have people going to work or going to look for work abroad or you have people whose marriages have broken down and they are going to see their children. There's a lot of emotion here," he says.

The job is very rewarding, he adds, as people have to seek out the church in the airport and this makes for an interested and committed parish.

Father Fintan O'Shea also has a connection with travel, but it's of the double-decker variety, as he is chaplain to the staff of Dublin Bus. O'Shea is based in the Franciscan friary on Merchant's Quay, but is always on call for Dublin Bus. Years ago, one of the main tasks of a chaplain to the company was the blessing of the fleet, but this custom has been dropped. "Maybe it's a sign of the times," he says.

Many of the staff still have great faith, he adds, especially the older members. He sees his role as "being a presence for when I'm needed".

O'Shea travels around garages to celebrate Mass on the eve of holy days and on holy days, for workers who would otherwise miss Mass. The Masses are said in the canteens, and usually attract about 40 people.

With 44 nationalities represented on the Dublin Bus staff, he is conscious of the fact that many employees do not share his faith. "But if they need me, I'm here," O'Shea says. "I do find it interesting. They are a very solid group of people."