The Bishop of Kilmore says dwindling priest numbers is an opportunity for people to play a greater pastoral role in their parish. Martin Hayes also said the lack of priests will create greater partnership between parishes.
There has been one ordination in Kilmore this year with Jordan MacGabhann taking up his role in Cavan Town. There has been two in the past four years and the average age of existing priests is 71. When compared with figures from the recent past. Bishop Hayes, says it's obvious something has to give. During the 1960s there was 31 ordinations in Kilmore, 21 in the1970s and, in the 1980s, 26. There is currently no one training in the seminary.
A new course is being launched this Autumn for the training of new pastoral lay workers, with successful applicants beginning their orientation in the new year. Apart from passing on some responsibilities to lay members of the church, Bishop Hayes envisages a reduction in the number of masses. "It is best to have full churches, and fewer Masses with maximum participation," the Bishop said. "For example," Bishop Hayes told the Joe Finnegan Show, "If you have a church and a daily mass maybe with two or three people there then it makes sense for people to gather in one church each day but, I'm more particularly concerned with masses at the weekend on Saturday and Sunday and so, rather than having a church that is quarter or third full, it makes more sense to gather in bigger numbers and to encourage participation by way of choirs and participation in mass."
