Mags GarganPosters appearing in the porches of churches urging Massgoers to oppose the diaconate
The Diocese of Killaloe has vowed to press ahead with the introduction of the permanent diaconate, despite a campaign calling on parishioners to reject the move.
In recent days, posters have started appearing in the porches of churches urging Massgoers to oppose the diaconate because women are not permitted to be ordained.
The move has sparked a stand-off between local Church leaders and some female parish volunteers who feel they are being excluded.
Since Bishop Kieran O’Reilly issued a pastoral letter at the beginning of August inviting applications to the permanent diaconate, a ministry open to married or celibate men, a campaign of posters and flyers has appeared in parishes across the diocese. They say ‘Women have had enough of this discrimination’, ‘No to the permanent diaconate’ and ‘No to the permanent diaconate, yes to all laity trained to work in pastoral ministry’.
A number of women heavily involved in their local parishes expressed their anger on local radio, Clare FM, saying the diocese had left them feeling like second-class citizens
Kathleen McDonald from Cross said she was “absolutely livid, very hurt and very angry”.
Rita O’Brien from Scariff said the introduction of the permanent diaconate “was a personal insult”. “The hierarchy must be excluding at least 70% of the workforce on the ground,” she said.
A spokeman for the diocese, Fr Brendan Quinlivan, said that the bishop was “trying to explore all different kinds of ministries available to us” and it was not the bishop’s “intention to be discriminatory or hurtful”.
“We wish to continue to develop and grow lay ministry in the diocese and are investing heavily in training and formation of people to take on ministerial and leadership roles, including appointing three female lay pastoral workers,” Fr Quinlivan said.
“We are fully committed to exploring where that will lead us and are equally committed to exploring other kinds of ministries that the Church allows us to do. One of those is the permanent diaconate and we hope to see where that brings us but it is not a case of ‘either, or’ but ‘both’.”