Bishop Ray Browne. The Bishop of Kerry has suggested that parishioners should carpool to Sunday Mass in neighbouring parishes as one way to address the shortage of priests in the diocese.
In publishing the diocesan list of changes of priests, Bishop Ray Browne acknowledged that a sixth parish, Knocknagoshel, is now without a resident priest and that means “in that pastoral area no priest is fulltime in their own parish”.
He said “soon it will not be possible to have a weekend Mass” in every one of the 111 churches in the 53 parishes in Kerry diocese.
Priority
Bishop Browne said it is a “priority” that the “church area community continue as a separate faith community”, with its own identity, committees and schools, but that parishioners can attend Sunday Mass in neighbouring churches.
“Community spirit may involve sharing transport to ensure everyone has the opportunity to travel to a neighbouring church,” he said.