Killaloe makes plans for shortage of priests

Families face the prospect of priests no longer officiating at the graves of loved ones at funerals in one Catholic diocese.

The prospect of priests not receiving remains at a church or officiating at graves at funerals is contained in the Killaloe Pastoral Plan to 2020 .

Against a background of declining vocations, the plan states that “we have to plan for a situation where members of the local community will lead liturgical celebrations on weekdays and also on Sundays when no priest is available”.

The plan also states that on any given weekend, Masses will not be held in all of the existing churches, but will be scheduled for parish clusters.

Receiving funerals
The plan also states that roles previously performed by priests such as "visiting the sick, bringing Communion to the housebound, receiving funerals at the church and officiating at graveside" will be done by lay ministers. It says: "We need to continue making significant shifts in thinking and practice, if we are not to find ourselves struggling beyond our capacities in the middle of the next decade."

The diocese has one seminarian who is due to be ordained next year. Diocesan spokesman Fr Brendan Quinlivan said yesterday: "After that we have no one, but I know that our director of vocations is in talks with a number of people who have expressed an interest in joining the priesthood."

Elderly priests
More than half of the 82 priests in the diocese are over 66 years of age, with the priests serving 56 parishes stretching from Loop Head in west Clare to Kinnity in Offaly.

Fr Quinlivan said the number of serving priests in the diocese had reduced from 100 to 82 over the past decade.

The steep drop in vocations in the diocese comes in spite of the church there having more than €1 million in cash to promote vocations to the priesthood. The money was bequeathed to the diocese to promote the priesthood and education of priests.