TAKING over responsibilities from overburdened clergy members, whose dwindling numbers simply do not have the scope to deliver the services they could in decades past, lay ministers in Limerick are gaining confidence as they take on a larger liturgic role in the community.
A new generation of lay ministers in the Limerick diocese – who have completed a two-year, level six course – have begun to assist in funeral liturgies, engage in ecological concerns, and reach out to those who may be distanced from the faith.
They join others in Cashel and Emly, Kerry, and Killaloe who took up the call. The new ministers, a spokesperson has said, are gaining confidence and self-assurance in their new roles.
Recently, members from the four dioceses came together in Patrickswell, County Limerick, to discuss the future of the laypersons program; their experience so far with the program; how to tackle the increasingly vacant positions of the clergy; and what changes might make the course more effective at preparing laypersons for clerical responsibilities.
Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon, who heads up the programme, said that it was evident at the review that “something new is emerging in the void created by the fall-off in vocations to the priesthood and religious life”.
“What very much emerged from our gathering in Patrickswell was a sense of hope and optimism, that even though there is a dramatic decline in the number of vocations to priesthood and the religious life, something new is emerging and opening up.
“It is really encouraging to see all of these people across the four dioceses come together to share their experience of doing the programme and also the many activities they are now engaged in.
“This is a positive response to the many challenges faced by the Church in our dioceses and parishes – not least of which is the declining number of clergy and religious now available to carry on ministry and pastoral care.”
Fr Fitzgibbon said that “the ultimate motivation for those participating in the programme is their desire to contribute, to ensure that God’s word continues to be spoken and we are really encouraged not alone by the numbers that have come forward but also their commitment and, indeed, spirituality. So many people have so much to offer, and this is their time to give.”
Those interested in participating in the next programme, accredited by Mary Immaculate College, are asked to contact [email protected].
