Scottish Catholic Observer

A liberal organisation representing some of Ireland’s priests has warned that, as vocations are now so low, priests may need to ‘double-up’on funerals.

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP)—which provides a forum for priests to discuss issues affecting the Church in Ireland—issued the warning ahead of its annual meeting to be held today in Athlone, at which vocations will be the main subject of debate.

The association is calling for three radical changes, seem by some as highly controversial, to prevent the possibility of parishes being unable to perform single funerals and Masses. These include the ordination of married men, the invitation back to priests who left the priesthood to get married, and the ordaination women to the diaconate.

“Unless the bishops make changes, we’re facing a catastrophic situation in the next ten to 20 years because there simply won’t be enough priests to supply Mass to our people,” Fr Brendan Hoban, a founder of the ACP, said. “And if you haven’t got Mass, then you no longer have a church.

“The average age of a priest is 65 and their numbers are dwindling all the time. If you look at the Dublin diocese where there are 199 parishes, there is just one priest under the age of 40.

“In my own diocese of Killala there are 30 priests in 22 parishes, but we estimate that the way things stand there will be just seven in 15 years’ time. The reality is that there are not sufficient male celibate vocations to keep our parishes alive. This year just 13 new seminarians have started at Maynooth—that’s the future for the 26 dioceses of this country. When I started as a student in Maynooth in the early 70s there were 84 students in my class and well over 100 in the year above me.”

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