Mayo parishes facing further cuts to religious services due to fewer priests
The parish of Castlebar, the largest in the Tuam Archdiocese, is facing unprecedented challenges due to fewer priests.
The loss of five priests within the past seven years has forced a reduction in the number of weekend Masses in the deanery while other religious services, including funerals, weddings, First Holy Communion and confirmation ceremonies, will be impacted going forward.
Fr. Conal Eustace PP has informed parishioners that the number of weekend Mass is being reduced from the start of 2004.
In order to be able to provide cover, when required, there will be changes to the times and number of Masses at weekends from January 1 next.
The Saturday Vigil Mass at the Church of the Holy Rosary will move from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m and and the number of Masses on Sunday is being cut by one to two - they will celebrated at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The Mass in Ballyheane Church will change from 8 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. on Saturday while only one Mass will be celebrated at Breaffy Church on Sunday, taking place at 10 a.m.
The changes do not end there, however.
Fr. Eustace elaborated: "Planning for weekend Masses is relatively easy and manageable.
"What will be much more difficult when the time comes will be managing the extra demands of visiting schools, school boards of management meetings, First Holy Communions, confirmations, funerals, weddings, baptisms and First Friday calls, Pastoral Council and Finance Committee meetings, all of which are not as easy to plan for or manage.
"All those will require much thought and further planning to see what will be possible given our reducing priest numbers."
Fr. Eustace said the changes were not unique to the county town and surrouding areas.
He explained: “Our Archbishop Francis Duffy has highlighted the implications of the shortage of priests. He has said that inevitably there will be more parishes without a resident priest and an increasing number of churches which will need to share weekend Masses within and between parishes. This is already the situation in a number of parishes.
"Consequently, he asked all parishes within a deanery to meet with representatives of the various pastoral councils to make plans for there being one priest less in each deanery."