Fr Brendan Hoban (“On the edge of the abyss in Ireland” 8 November) accurately describes the pastoral reality in which my family finds itself. Since retiring to this beautiful area seven years ago I have seen significant organisational decline, a reduced number of priests and a 25 per cent reduction in Sunday Masses.Ours is reputed to be the largest geographical parish in the country. Recently its most isolated community saw Sunday Mass replaced by a Thursday Mass and its Catholic school handed over to secular patronage. Last weekend saw the death at age 93 of our last curate, Fr Nicholas Walsh, who remained fully active in the parish until six years ago.Three months ago when the priests of our pastoral area announced their latest Mass cuts together with new Mass times, there