The new Bishop of Cashel and Ossory says he is still "listening and learning" about the vast diocese, stretching from Wexford to the Cork border, for which he has assumed responsibility. However, Bishop John Neill has come to the south-east not only with an impressive diversity and breadth of experience but also with some very definite ideas and aspirations in areas such as Christian unity, the practical role of ministry in the modern world and how the energy and idealism of youth must be harnessed.
The Church of Ireland, with its flock spread particularly thinly in rural Ireland, has good reason to be acutely aware of the importance of a strong local sense of community.
Maintained solely by the generosity of its members, and striving to support its clergy and maintain its buildings in a situation of spiralling costs, the very survival of the church depends on the solid commitment of each small congregation.
The average parish consists of only some 300 souls, a small pool from which to support a priest, even though the clerical stipend is modest, at just under £15,000 a year plus about £5,000 expenses.
Yet the maintenance of both church buildings and clergy at local level is vital for the well-being and confidence of each parish. "The priority has to be the maintenance of a ministry in each place," says Bishop Neill.
To achieve this in rural regions where clergy are thinly spread and congregations small, the weekly service of worship is often moved to different local churches each Sunday rather than adopting the option of closing some permanently.
"By taking a church from a village you are actually downgrading the village," the bishop observes. In fact, the abundance of graceful small Church of Ireland churches throughout the south-east and other regions is a singularly important part of national heritage.
Bishop Neill points out that this is generally recognised and appreciated across all religious divides. "When church buildings in the local community have required attention, the members of the community regardless of religion have willingly put their hands in their pockets to contribute." The question arises whether there should be some practical national acknowledgement of and support for the maintenance of this invaluable heritage.
The continuity of active worship in these local churches is an important concern for the bishop, not just for the value of worship for its own sake, but also because of its valuable social feedback. "I also see worship as building up a community," he comments, pointing out that the multiple technological developments of modern society tend to isolate rather than unite people.
The principle of the sabbath, he believes, is a very basic human thing, fulfilling a real human need. He acknowledges the general decline in Sunday worship as a fixed weekly routine but suspects that "it's not that less people are going to church, but the people who are going are going less frequently". The church, he believes, may have to rethink the concept of this weekly cycle and consider possible alternatives to it.
The new bishop is committed to the healing of divisions and the promotion of Christian unity. He is a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches and a former president of the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland.
"In a society that is increasingly secularised, it is important that Christians pull together," he comments. However, he asserts that ecumenical progress should not require movement to uniformity of ceremony and ministry, but rather joint co-operation and worship in a spirit of "reconciled diversity".
In Ireland, in this regard, relationships at hierarchical level have been very important. He acknowledges that ecumenical relationships will vary from parish to parish, depending on local tradition or history, or perhaps on local clergy.
But he points out that the Diocese of Ferns has been particularly noted for its good relationships at local level, and he pays tribute, in this regard, to the unique ministry of his predecessor, Bishop Noel Willoughby, and his Catholic counterpart, Bishop Brendan Comiskey, in this diocese.
Bishop Neill is an enthusiastic supporter of a broader and more active role for the ministry in the community at large. "I do see, over the last generation, a growing community involvement," he says. An important role for the clergy is to encourage people in voluntary work, he believes. "I'm nervous about seeing ministry as being just for the churches. There is a role for Christian ministry in society," he remarks.
At his enthronement in St Canice's Cathedral, in Kilkenny, recently the bishop commented: "A welcoming church takes risks. It is concerned for those on the periphery as well as those at the centre."
Dublin-born, he studied Hebrew and oriental languages at TCD and theology at Cambridge, and ministered in Skibbereen, Co Cork, in St Bartholomew's, Clyde Road, Dublin, and for a year in Waterford before being appointed Bishop of Tuam.
In the West he had the care of about 30 churches, whereas in his new diocese the number is about 150. Church of Ireland membership in the diocese is approximately 15,000, and the bishop's early impression is of a fairly stable church community.
There are seven Church of Ireland primary schools in the diocese, and his new base in the ancient city of Kilkenny is adjacent to the diocesan school, Kilkenny College, the biggest boarding school in the Republic, with more than 700 pupils.
The bishop has made it clear that youth and the ministry of young people will be a priority of his work in the diocese. There is already a full-time diocesan youth officer, the Rev Susan Greene, and Bishop Neill asserts that the ministry of young people today "is one of our most valuable resources".
In his first Synod address in his new diocese, Bishop Neill yesterday provided some thoughtful suggestions on the sensitive issue for Ireland of reconciling a traumatic and sometimes divisive historical legacy with the need to build understanding and peace in the future.
It was an appropriate pointer to his intention in the future to speak as bishop, not just to his diocese but to the wider community as well.