Irish Bishops Focus on Greater Lay Involvement

For generations Ireland was fertile ground for booming vocations. Back in the early sixties, it was not uncommon for parochial schools to be staffed by women and men religious coming from the Emerald Isle. Many parishes were staffed by Irish priests as well. Ireland was highly regarded for supplying many American cities with clergy and religious. All that is changing now. Ireland is having enough trouble keeping their own parishes adequately staffed.

The Irish Catholic Bishops Conference is calling for more lay responsibility in administering their parishes. In an effort to cope with dwindling numbers of priests and a rising age profile, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has set out a blueprint for the increased involvement of parishioners in the everyday running of parishes. There are currently 1,368 parishes staffed by 2,500 diocesan priests — a drop of 30% from 50 years ago.

Under the blueprint, Pastoral Councils: A Framework for Developing Diocesan Norms and Parish Guidelines, priests will retain responsibility to the bishop but it will signal the end of the ‘one-man show’ operated in many small parishes. The plan includes:

* The establishment of pastoral councils, made up of groups of no more than 15 lay people who will serve a limited term.

* Councils to identify the challenges facing the parish and report once a year to the bishop.

* Recruitment of specialist people to provide skills for managing and organising parish affairs.

* Establishment of a structure to listen to views and complaints of parishioners.

* Ensuring the policies of the parish are implemented.

Sr Anne Codd, spokes-woman for the Bishops’ Commission on Pastoral Renewal, which is steering the reform agenda, said the problem was not just the dwindling number of priests but the traditional lack of involvement by parishioners. “There is a view I have expressed in the recent past that even now we still have too many priests in Ireland.

We got used to a way of operating within the Church where because we had plenty of priests, lay people did not have to get involved. “It was all very comfortable for us non-ordained people to sit back and accept the roles of pay, pray and obey. We did not have to take this responsibility in the way we are called to do now,” she said.

Sr Codd said the Church does not expect seamless reforms across the board and it is important people are not rushed into changes before they are ready. “I don’t pretend for one minute that this is an easy transition because it is a redefining of roles. We are turning over a way of doing things that goes back 400 years and it will take time and effort and we will lose some things along the way,” she said.

(photo taken from the classic film, "Going My Way" with Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald.)