The challenges that the Catholic Church has had to face in Ireland over recent years have been well documented, and a lot would say that many were of the Churches own making.
But another challenge facing not just the church, but also the “faithful” is the lack of vocations and a consequent reduction in the flexibity and accessibility of some of the things, like funerals and christenings, that had been taken for granted in the past.
Three parishes in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois presently have no resident priests, and in a pastoral letter read out at local masses recently, Bishop Francis Duffy admits that by the year 2030, which is just 13 years away, there is likely to be just 25 priests to cover 41 parishes, down from the present number of 53.
So is Bishop Duffy being frank with us in telling us there isn't likely to be any more vocations between now and then, and maybe he should be congratulated for”telling it like it is”.
Father Brendan Hoban, a spokesperson for the Association of Catholic Priests told Joe Finnegan that the situation is becoming very serious and some thinking "out side of the box" will be needed.
