AHEAD of Easter Celebrations, Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has warned that there may be “difficult decisions” ahead in relation to the future of local parishes which “must be faced head on”.
Addressing all priests in the diocese at the annual Chrism Mass, Bishop Leahy said the church must be “anchored in the hope that Easter brings in responding to new times and new needs”.
Bishop Leahy was addressing future challenges facing the church in terms of finance, the number of volunteers taking part in church life, and the growing age of priests in diocese across Ireland.
Bishop Leahy asked “looking forward 10 years, can our parish go it alone? Can we sustain the maintenance of our church and other buildings? Do we need perhaps to amalgamate with neighbouring parishes?”
He posited that the church needs to take “serious steps in terms of lay ministry”.
“It should normally only be lay people saying prayers in funeral parlours or leading removal ceremonies. We should also see lay people becoming members of pastoral unit teams,” he said.
Bishop Leahy said that already 24 out of 60 parishes in the diocese are without a resident priest.
“We have only one native Limerick Diocesan priest under 50. Many wonderful priests are going to retire in the coming few years. We have one ordination coming up in May with Deacon Tim Collins being ordained here in the Cathedral,” he said.
“Thank God we will have one man entering priestly formation for the diocese and we thank God also for the priests who come from other countries. But the situation is clear, we will possibly have two ordinations in 15 years. I don’t need to spell it out much more.”
However, Bishop Leahy noted a feeling of positivity as the church celebrates Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Hope that “we should be encouraged to meet these challenges head on”.
“The past is done, and we must meet the needs of the future. This week, we have the message of the risen Lord to inspire us to go again, to tell the message anew.”
Bishop Leahy will be celebrating mass across the Easter weekend, including the Lords’ Supper Mass in the Cuan Mhuire Addiction Centre in Bruree, the Easter Vigil from 8pm in St John’s Cathedral on Holy Saturday, and Dawn Mass on Easter Sunday.
On Good Friday the ‘Way of the Cross’ pilgrimage will take off from 12pm at St John’s Cathedral, passing through the city before finishing at St Mary’s Cathedral.
