Archbishop Dermot Farrell. Photo: Kilkenny People The religious way of life could disappear in the Diocese of Ossory within a generation if “radical action” is taken according to the Bishop Dermot Farrell. In a homily for the World Day of Consecrated life on Sunday, Bishop Farrell told the congregation in St Mary’s Cathedral in Kilkenny that “bold decisions must be taken today, even if it is painful to do so, and we risk making the wrong decision. Otherwise we die of irrelevancy.”
“Given the current age profile of the members of the religious congregations and orders, and indeed the diocesan clergy, with no young priests or religious, nor any prospect of an influx of vocations, I can foresee a situation in which our way of life could, for all intents and purposes, within a generation or two have disappeared from the landscape in Ossory,” he said.
“When we look at the present shortcomings of structure and function within the Church then, like Jesus, we need a bold creative response rather than fleeing from the reality of the distressful present.”
Bishop Dermot said that although “we are living in times that can be very disheartening, consecrated life is about not battening down the hatches until the current storms pass over or simply ‘survival’…but the call to live out our baptismal calling”.