'Many parishes soon won't have a priest': Bishop

The Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois has reiterated the need for the church to adapt to a continuing decline in the number of clergy, saying in the very near future many parishes in the Diocese will not have a resident priest.

Bishop Paul Connell issued a pastoral letter on the weekend of Sunday last, July 21, in which he outlined the need to put a restructured pastoral council in place in every parish in the diocese by the middle of next year.

And he said that "in the medium to long term" there would be a need to set up "a network of parish secretaries, catechists and pastoral workers who will work with our clergy to ensure the future of worship and faith formation".

Bishop Connell was ordained just over a year ago, in June 2023.

"As I remarked during my Ordination ceremony, the model of church we have at present cannot continue. We simply do not have the numbers of priests and religious necessary to sustain it," he wrote in his pastoral letter this month.

"There has been, and will be, a continual decline in the number of our full time priests and religious.

"In March 2017, Bishop Francis (Duffy) wrote a pastoral letter to you which outlined this reality. He pointed out that, by 2030, there would be at best twenty five full time priests ministering in our forty one parishes. Everything that has happened since has re-enforced and confirmed that trend."

He pointed out that a Diocesan assembly in Ardagh and Clonmacnois had identified three main priorities for the future: family ministry, formation of the laity, and ministry to young people.

The diocese has also been divided into nine 'pastoral areas', which are groupings of parishes that co-operate with one another.

"The reality is that in the very near future your parish may not have a resident priest, or if you have, then your priest may be called upon to provide pastoral care in a neighbouring parish that does not have one," stated the Bishop.

He said a Diocesan Pastoral Committee has been formed inside the last year and met with representatives from every parish in the diocese in May.

"From those meetings has emerged the need going forward to provide training and support for parish pastoral councils," Bishop Connell stated.

He said restructured parish pastoral councils in each parish should be put in place by the middle of next year, with a template for these new councils to be completed by the coming autumn.

"A network of trainers and a programme of training will also be made available to assist parishes to roll out the new model from the end of this year into 2025," said Bishop Connell.

He added that a commissioning ceremony for the new parish pastoral councils would be held in St Mel's Cathedral.

The Bishop also asked the people of the diocese to continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

"This year, for the first time in a number of years, we hope to have two seminarians beginning the journey to priesthood. Please pray for them in particular," he wrote.