Sunday saw a return of the traditional Croagh Patrick pilgrimage for the first time since 2019 after it was postponed for two years over concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
While organisers said the numbers participating were not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, they were pleased with the large turnout which was aided by good weather. Speaking about Reek Sunday, Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy told The Tablet: “A day like today means a lot to people who have come here over the years and to people who are new to it. It can be a very moving experience. For some this is a very deep pilgrimage. Mountains, especially one like this majestic mountain, raise our minds. When you are up there you see things slightly differently – there is a great bird’s eye view of the beautiful landscape.”
The pilgrimage is traditionally held on the last Sunday of July. Mass was celebrated on Sunday morning on the summit of the 764m mountain every hour from 8am to 2pm for pilgrims. Confessions were also heard. As part of Reek Sunday 2022, a new version of ‘St Patrick’s Confession’ was offered to pilgrims. In this updated version, the word “confession” has been changed to “testimony” to reflect more accurately what St Patrick meant in writing it.
Speaking more generally about current trends in the Irish Church, Archbishop Duffy acknowledged they are “dramatically downwards with no turning point in sight”. In an assessment of the current challenges facing the Church in Ireland, Archbishop Duffy warned that there are “no quick fix solutions or approaches”. Instead, he explained, “we journey together on a path that will have many twists and turns and will not always be easy”.
Addressing parishioners in St Mary’s Church in Westport on the eve of Reek Sunday, when thousands of pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick in honour of the “apostle to the Irish”, the Archbishop said that the one certainty was the “ongoing and sustained decline both in the numbers who practice and in the numbers of those who answer the Lord’s call to priesthood and religious life”.
The landscape of the Catholic Church in Ireland has been changing for some time and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, the leader of the Archdiocese of Tuam said. He suggested that parishioners look at their priest because “he may be the last in a long line of resident pastors and may not be replaced”.
“I suggest you look at your church, you may be lucky to have a Sunday Mass or several, but for how much longer? I suggest you look at your fellow parishioners at Mass, who among your neighbours will continue to be the new leaders and carry on pastoral work in your parish, alongside a much smaller number of clergy? Who among them will lead prayer services and keep faith alive and active through catechesis and other initiatives?”
Acknowledging that some may think he had painted a dismal picture, the Archbishop explained, “it is the current reality as I see it”. He appealed to people not to give up or let the situation drift. “This is a time of decline in some respects, but it is a time of great hope. Opportunities are there to be seized,” he said.
He also highlighted that the Church in Ireland has formally entered a synodal process and said he was convinced that this would be “a fruitful new departure”.
“It is a new chapter for the Catholic Church in this country. It means learning as we journey together all the while being guided by the Holy Spirit. It means being patient with each other and respectful of differing views, being adventurous and willing to value the new, as well as the traditional, and it calls for being focused. That focus has to be on Jesus Christ. If faith in Christ is not at the centre of the synodal pathway, then what we have is merely a talking shop.”
Speaking to The Tablet at the foot of Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday, Archbishop Duffy said there was a “significant decline” in vocations throughout Ireland. “Last year there were 26 students in Maynooth. Thirty years ago there could have been 500 in the country. It is a 95 per cent drop bit by bit over the years. It is startlingly low at the moment and that tells a tale for the future. I think it is important that we prepare for that.”
He suggested that parishioners may be surprised that all of a sudden they find that their priest who has retired will not be replaced and that they may be looked after pastorally by a neighbouring priest or a team of priests who are looking after a number of parishes. A lot of parishes, he said, were preparing for this, with some training parishioners to lead prayer services and as catechists.
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