Bishop of Limerick to confer with priests and Pastoral Council on radical new plan

THE proposal that parish priests throughout Limerick would voluntarily resign their positions is just one option put forward as part of a new approach of team ministry in the diocese, but it has not yet been finalised.

Bishop Brendan Leahy, in a letter read out in churches throughout the diocese last weekend, said that he will be meeting priests about the team ministry approach in the next few weeks. He also plans to meet with Pastoral Councils next month.

The team ministry proposal involves clustering three, four, five or more parishes together, where the existing parish priests would technically resign as parish priests and become parish priests or co-parish priests within the new ‘pastoral unit’.  

A new central administrative unit would deal with records for the new unit.

A draft list of possible pastoral pastoral units has been circulating for some months but in his letter, Bishop Leahy seemed to indicate this was still a work in progress.

“I am now working on a list of possible pastoral units, that is, groups of parishes that would work more closely together,” he said.

The new approach has been considered necessary because of the diminishing number of priests in a diocese with 60 parishes and because of the decline in vocations. Already some parishes are sharing priests.

Bishop Leahy also stressed that it was an opportunity for greater lay-liturgical involvement.

“It is an important time for us as we put in place new arrangements to best serve our mission in the future. I ask for your prayers,” he said.

“It was  mooted at the Diocesan Synod (in 2016) that this was down the line, that this was a new way of ensuring service for every parish,” one priest explained to the Limerick Leader.

But, he added: “The whole process is still being discussed and no final arrangements have been made.”

He predicted it would involve a lot of trial and error.

“Obviously, there would be a certain amount of tensions, anxiety and fears about the future which is a natural reaction,” he continued.

“What is important is that the right, new system is put in place and that there a general good-will,” he continued.

“You need to have good-will. It has to be worked on. It cannot be imposed.”