A shortage of priests in the Catholic diocese of Derry is forcing Church authorities there to consider a radical overhaul of parish structures.According to a report in Northern Irish newspaper, The Irish News, it is thought that the bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, will unveil the new plan in the coming weeks.
Under the restructuring, some city parishes will be merged.
One of Derry City’s oldest and biggest parishes, St Patrick’s, Pennyburn, is to be merged with two other urban parishes, St Joseph's, Galliagh and St Brigid's, Carnhill, both in the Shantallow area of the city.
It is understood that priests will continue to live in their current parishes in the midst of these changes.
The decline in the number of priests the diocese since 2000 has been marked.
That year, there were 146 priests in the diocese. Now there are only 123. Of these, 37 are 70 years of age or over. There have been no ordinations in the diocese for three years.
However, the diocese has nine seminarians in training, and one deacon.
Already, measures to tackle the shortfall in priests have been undertaken in Derry, including staggering Mass times in different parishes, and cancelling weekly Masses in Altnagelvin and Gransha hospitals.
But it is believed that the amalgamation of the three substantial urban parishes of Pennyburn, St Joseph’s and St Brigid’s will be the most dramatic change.
Both of the latter-mentioned parishes were created in the 1970s as the Catholic population spread into the upper Shantallow area.
A source in the diocese said that retirements and deaths among the clergy there were the source of the changes.
He said that, with many of the priests aged over 70, the average age of those aged under 70 was 60.
As more priests retired, he added, the diocese could face a major shortage of priests in the next 10 years.
Last week, a decision by Fr Aiden Mullen, a priest in the diocese, to cancel two weekly Masses at local hospitals highlighted the shortage of priests.
Fr Mullen said that, where once he had six priests, he now only had three to cover 12 Masses on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
A spokesman for the diocese said that Bishop Hegarty was unlikely to comment publicly on the restructuring until he had spoken to all the parishes.
Fr Michael Canny, media liaison officer for the diocese, said the decision involved some personnel changes.
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