The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore has expressed grave concern over the steep decline in vocations in the diocese and the impact it will have on parishes in the future.
Writing in a pastoral letter to diocesan priests and lay people, Dr William Lee said parishes would have fewer priests and, within the near future, some would have no resident priest.
"As the number of priests decline, we need to ask ourselves how the reduced numbers should be deployed in such a way that priests are not over-burdened," he wrote. "However hard we work and pray for vocations, we cannot ignore the fact that even if there was a dramatic upturn in vocations in the near future, it would take many years for the effect to be seen. The position we will face 10 years from now is already clear."
He also expressed regret that people no longer saw the Church as a thriving community and part of everyday life. "Many see the Church as a place to frequent for baptisms, marriages and funerals, but not as a community to which we are invited to belong."
To tackle the problems faced by a poor sense of community involvement and the lack of vocations, Dr Lee's diocese is setting up a diocesan pastoral council and parish pastoral councils, developing ministry groups in each parish, as well as promoting prayer and scripture groups as a key feature of parish life and forming parishes into workable units providing a pastoral pooling of resources.
The bishop said he was optimistic that with proper management and the assistance of the community, parishes could be rebuilt. "Responding to this call today will mean collaboration, shared responsibilities, teamwork, and partnership between priests and people and also between neighbouring parishes.
"It will mean recognising and respecting the gifts, talents and needs of others and moving to a new level of decision-making and responsibility for our parish and our Church. The Lord asks for our wholehearted commitment. Each of us has a contribution to make and an opportunity to make it."