Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy recently commissioned 30 lay men and women who will serve in funeral ministry across the Clogher Diocese which covers Co Monaghan. The new funeral ministers are part of Bishop Larry's plan to move from a model that is clergy dependant to one where lay people are carrying out many of the roles traditionally performed by a priest. These lay men and women will accompany and support families at a time of bereavement and loss in terms of preparing for a funeral. They are also trained and commissioned to lead some aspects of funeral liturgies at the church and cemetery. Those commissioned come from 9 different parishes in the diocese. Frances Callaghan from Killeevan in Monaghan and Una Porteous from Lisnaskea in Co Fermanagh were one of 30 women commissioned by Bishop Duffy.
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan Show, Frances said that lay people like herself have undergone extensive training and play a pivotal role in providing support to grieving families. She added that the reaction from local families has been positive so far; "Part of our training was to expect that there would be some families who may not want a lay person and would prefer a priest. However, my experience to date has been hugely positive and I've been pleasantly surprised. Families have came up to me and said that they were absolutely delighted to say lay ministers and women ministers. The predictions for the next 2o years for the number of priests are not good so this is something that people will have to get use to over a period of time." Una Porteous from Lisnaskea highlighted the importance of "activism" within the church. She added that although this new structure is "undoubtedly" in recognition of the declining number of priests, it also has to do with people like herself wanting to "act out" her faith.
