Paul KeenanThe working together of clergy and laity in the Diocese of Limerick for the future of the Church there has “borne great fruit”, Bishop Brendan Leahy has said.
Speaking as he unveiled a range of measures contained in a pastoral plan for his diocese agreed in the wake of a synod earlier this year, the bishop hailed as “a thoroughly participative experience” the process by which ‘Moving Forward Together in Hope’ was achieved.
“We have worked closer together, looked at where the challenges and, indeed, opportunities lie to create a more inclusive Church going forward here in Limerick and we are moving in the right direction,” he said.
The 90 distinct actions towards strengthening the Church in Limerick fall under the six synod themes of Community and Sense of Belonging; Pastoral Care of the Family; Young People; Liturgy and Life; Faith Formation and Education, and New Models of Leadership. The actions will be implemented over the next 10 years.
“We are…at the beginning and still have a long way to go,” Bishop Leahy cautioned. “As Pope Francis says, it’s not just an era of change that we are in, it’s a change of era. We must change with it and create a Church that is more ready and better prepared to meet the future than we have the past.”
Efforts
In addition to a “redoubling of its efforts” to encourage vocations to the priesthood, the Diocese of Limerick, recognising the pressures on existing clergy is to oversee the training of laity who will lead liturgies on designated dates when priests are not available. Towards this, two representatives have already been assigned for Liturgy Training in Maynooth.
Under the Young People, and Faith Formation and Education elements of ‘Moving Forward Together in Hope’ meanwhile, Limerick will create a working group to evaluate existing catechesis and religious education of young people. According to the diocese, “there will be a particular focus on the partnership between home, school and parish, with the plan recognising that while the traditional approach has largely been the remit of Catholic schools, and focussed on children/young people, faith formation is a lifelong process”.