A new Parish Pastoral Area has been established in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore to address the growing reality of several churches being served by just one parish priest supported by two others.
The decision follows discussions among the four Parish Pastoral Councils about formally uniting all seven churches and four parishes into a single designated pastoral area, reports Breaking News.
The new title will be the St Carlo Acutis Parish Pastoral Area, the first of its kind in Ireland. Relics of the recently canonised saint are permanently housed in Holy Family Church, Ardfinnan.
The parishes and churches of Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, Grange, Newcastle, Fourmilewater, Touraneena and The Nire have long collaborated to sustain the liturgical life of each community and have supported each other in many practical ways, reports Breaking News.
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, formally inaugurated the new pastoral area during the Mass for the installation of the relics in Ardfinnan on the saint’s feast day, October 12th.
Much of the necessary groundwork is already in place, with a single central parish office now handling all records, finances, and administrative duties, reports Breaking News.
Each church continues to have its own sacristan, readers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, and safeguarding team, thanks to the dedication of parishioners, local schools, and members of the parish and finance councils.
Fr Michal Toomey, parish priest and administrator for all seven churches, explained that “combining our resources under one parish pastoral area is mainly for the more efficient use of resources and training and support in ministry, but also in the management of finance, buildings, and clergy across a large area”, reports Breaking News.
Fr Toomey added: “I am so grateful and blessed to be working with so many kind and dedicated parishioners who are serving their communities so well despite the challenges of the lack of priests we face into the future.”
The parish councils also noted that while amalgamating these parishes, the actual church names and parish identities would be unaffected, reports Breaking News.
Each church will keep its own identity as is currently the case, but it is all under one parish pastoral community.
“The parish councils feel (this) would (strengthen) the seven churches and reassure them in sustaining and in keeping each church open into the future with the reality of the lack of priests, which is of grave concern”, said Fr Michael, reports Breaking News.
The parish pastoral area has its own website on www.stcarloacutisparish.ie and an image of St Carlo Acutis is installed in every one of the seven churches in the pastoral area.
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