The Bishop of Killaloe is hopeful that forthcoming changes within the diocese will help sustain the Catholic Church into the future, despite concern over the decline in priests nationwide.
In 2016, there were 110 priests in the Diocese of Killaloe and since then, 25 have passed away, with only 50 in active ministry under the age of 75.
However the Diocese has drafted in one priest from Poland and one from India, while there are 24 lay people in the dioese, mainly women, who’ll be qualifying as Ministers in the area of Pastoral Care and Catechesis who’ll be commissioned at Easter.
Bishop Monahan says this will provide a huge boost, but he admits that the pandemic has accelerated the prospect of amalgamated parishes, closed church and reduced services.
