Lay people will begin leading prayers at the graveside or in crematoria in some parishes in the Diocese of Down and Connor this summer, in response to the shortage of priests.
The move is part of a pilot announced by the Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, in his role as apostolic administrator of the diocese in a new pastoral letter entitled, “Be part of God’s Amazing Dream”.
Published for Pentecost, Bishop McKeown reveals that within 15 years, the diocese will, for the first time in its history, have more priests who are retired than in active ministry.
Down and Connor currently has 86 parishes and 146 churches ministered to by around 84 priests in active ministry.
However, only seven priests in the diocese are aged under 40. In just over 10 years the number of priests in active ministry will be almost half what it is today, while twenty years from now, there will only be approximately 24 priests available for 86 parishes.
In his pastoral letter, Bishop McKeown invites clergy and parishioners to participate in the “pathways to the future” initiative, a planning process to discern the mission, structures and priorities of Down and Connor for the next 20 years.
The initiative is exploring new approaches to lay ministry and lay-led services and is led by a steering group comprised of clergy and lay people.
“We have become accustomed to daily Mass being available in all parishes, a range of Sunday Masses being celebrated in each of the parishes and churches across the diocese, and the 3,000 funerals and the 800 marriages celebrated in the diocese each year being priest-led and celebrated in the context of the Mass,” the bishop writes.
He underlines that “very soon” it is likely that in some parishes the celebration of a Requiem Mass for every individual as part of the funeral rites may no longer be the norm.
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