Christopher David’s letter (29 March), describing circumstances in Lanzarote when it unexpectedly found itself without its priest for Sunday Mass, provides a warning for all of us. Surely it is incumbent upon all parish pastoral councils to include in their risk management procedures planning scenarios for the unexpected non-availability of a priest. Puerto del Carmen church community has a very good reputation for lay involvement and goes out of its way to be multilingual. On the Sunday described by Christopher David, a female member of the community was able to read the Gospel in Spanish and an elderly former Welsh priest was able to deliver a well-prepared explanation of the readings. In these times of priest scarcity, parishes should be aware of the personnel resources within th