Dearbhail McDonald
DUBLIN parishes are being forced to merge because of a shortage of priests.
Ireland's largest archdiocese, serving more than 1m Catholics, is to "cluster" some of its 200 parishes and cancel Masses because of declining priest numbers and low Mass attendances.
Until now, parish mergers have been confined to often remote rural towns and villages. But now priests in Dublin's densely populated inner city and sprawling suburban parishes, are joining forces to ease workloads. They will also increase lay participation in the running of the church through parish pastoral councils. Future closures have not been ruled out by the hierarchy."Where parishes are losing priests and they are not being replaced, that is where it hurts the most," said Sarah Barry, one of five area co-ordinators from the Parish Development and Renewal office in Dublin.
"We are still very much in the experimental stages compared to other parts of the country such as Limerick, but already the inter-parish projects and collaborations have been a tremendous success. It is inevitable, even in Dublin, that parishes will have to reach out and find ways of working together."
With the decline in vocations, workloads have increased leaving individual priests struggling to fulfil roles played by several of their counterparts in the past. "Parishioners understand the position that we are in, they know what is happening," said Fr Terence Harrington, the parish priest of Halston Street and Church Street on Dublin's northside. Last week, Harrington issued a circular inviting parishioners to identify Masses that could be discontinued. "The number of priests assigned to the parish has been reduced, so we've had to look at Mass times," he said. "It is too much for just two priests, but this is something that is happening in all deaneries. There are many positive benefits in looking to fellow parishes for support."
Earlier this year, Diarmuid Martin, the archbishop of Dublin, warned it was possible that in one generation a faith culture could be lost in the capital.
He identified parish renewal as a priority for the diocese and voiced his support for the introduction of a lay diaconate. That would see ordained lay deacons performing most of the functions of a priest, apart from celebrating the Eucharist.
Last year, the priests' council of the Dublin diocese proposed the recruitment of American-style business managers to free up overworked and underpaid parish priests. The measure was proposed as a way of dealing with the problems created by falling numbers of vocations. It is one of several reforms, including clustering, being implemented in an effort to promote increased lay participation in diocesan affairs. Some priests whose parishes have been merged see it as a positive thing.
"It has been an enriching experience," said Fr Liam O'Cuiv, a parish priest at Ballymun. "It is an excellent model, and to be able to share what you are going through with other priests is wonderful. We also benefit from working with our lay parishioners. They have a different insight into life than we sometimes have and that is enriching for the church. It has been very good for us to share on that level."
"In former times, the priest did everything, but that is no longer desirable," said Fr John Sinnott, from Bonnybrook parish. "Clustering is really about everyone working together, it's not just about priests. Parishes are teams, we share the work together. It is a process of much broader collaboration and is beneficial for everyone."
There are now just 3,000 active diocesan priests in Ireland, but empty seminaries and an ageing membership have increased the workload of parish priests.
There are approximately 700 priests working in Dublin parishes. Only 13 seminarians from Dublin are studying in Maynooth; one priest will be ordained in the archdiocese this year and none will be ordained in 2005.
The Catholic church has already recruited psychiatrists to help priests cope with stress caused by clerical scandals and an increased workload.
At least one parish is already relying on the services of a lay manager. Ireland's first "priestless parish" was formed in Killanena, Co Clare, when the parish priest was not replaced. Instead, a parish council manages the collections and the funds, and a visiting curate conducts Mass.
Last week, the director of the Catholic Communications Office acknowledged that certain dioceses will face closure of churches.
The diocese of Tuam has indicated that it will phase in the closure of churches over the next 10 years. Only two men, the lowest figure for Tuam since the mid-19th century, are currently studying for the priesthood.