Pastoral Letter - Called to Mission
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ the Lord,
Last April, on the fourth Sunday of Easter, which is celebrated each year as Vocations Sunday, I issued a Pastoral Letter launching the 'Year of Vocation' in the Diocese.
In that letter, I stated that this 'Year of Vocation', would be a year in which the prayer of the Church would be concentrated on the need to "pray the Lord of the harvest", the need to highlight the necessity to encourage young people, and indeed not so young people, to answer the call of Jesus to 'follow Him', the need to bring home to all Christian Communities the reality that 'without the Priesthood there is no Eucharist, without the Eucharist there is no Priesthood'.
The People of God is formed and nourished by the Eucharist. Indeed, the highpoint of the Christian life of each of the forty-six Parishes in the Diocese of Cloyne is when the Parish Community comes together, each week, for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The Parish is identified, not by its structure or territory, but by its Priests and People, all forming one worshipping Community.
It is a Community that comes together, that worships together, that cares for the wellbeing of the families which form it; it is the Family of God. Fidelity to the Sunday Mass is vital for the vibrancy of Parish Life and no other activity should hinder the faithful Christian from joining with the Parish Community at the Vigil or Sunday Mass, no sporting event, no commercial activity nor any other engagement. It is the Lord's Day and fidelity to it will ensure many graces for a Parish Community, not the least being a prompt response to the Lord's Call to 'follow Him'.
The late Pope John Paul II stated in his document on the Lord's Day (Dies Domini): "It is crucially important that all the faithful should be convinced that they cannot live their faith or share fully in the life of the Christian Community unless they take part regularly in the Sunday Eucharistic Assembly".
Against that background, I would like to share with you some thoughts about the situation in which we in the Diocese of Cloyne now find ourselves. As you are aware, the last twenty years in Ireland have seen a sharp decline in the numbers of men being ordained for the Diocesan Priesthood, and we in Cloyne are not immune to this trend.
The figures speak for themselves. At present, priests in this Diocese may offer their retirement when they reach the age of 75, usually after 50 years of faithful service. Nine priests, who are already past 75 years, are still active in parish work. Twenty-six of our priests are between the ages of 65 and 74. This gives a total of 35 priests active in the Diocese over the age of 65 years.
At the other end of the scale, we have at present one priest under the age of 30 years and four under 35 years. Two of those were ordained to the priesthood this year, thank God. We now have three seminarians. The conclusion is obvious. As time goes on, we will have less and less priests in our Diocese, at least for the foreseeable future.
It is obvious that the declining number of priests available for ministry will have an effect in all Parishes of the Diocese sooner or later. Priests will have to prioritise the work which they will do, and minister more and more in collaboration with all of the people of the Parish. All the lay faithful are called to be engaged in the Mission of the Church by virtue of their Baptism and their Confirmation. The Second Vatican Council clearly stated: "The lay apostolate is a participation in the saving mission of the Church itself. Through Baptism and Confirmation all are commissioned to that apostolate by the Lord Himself….Let every opportunity be given them, so that according to their abilities and the needs of the time, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church" (Constitution on the Church, par. 33). The needs of the time are now upon us and they will present us not just with challenges, but above all with opportunities. We must now ensure that all members of the Church come to realize their role in the spreading of the Gospel, and we need to find ways to allow this role to become a reality. This may lead us to new structures and ways of working that will at first seem strange, but it will be necessary as we cannot "put new wine into old wineskins."
Already one development which is taking place is the introduction in Ireland of the Permanent Diaconate, which was present in the early Church, but since fell into disuse. The Second Vatican Council called for its reinstatement. I am happy to inform you that on May 31st next year, Pentecost Sunday, a young married man will be ordained a Permanent Deacon for service in the Diocese of Cloyne. I will be writing to you again during the year explaining more fully what this will mean.
All of us, Bishop, priests, religious, and lay faithful, will need to begin to think in a new way about what our Church, our Diocese, our Parish, is about. What structures, what kind of organisation, will help us to make the Gospel a reality in our own lives, and in the lives of those around us? What will make our Parishes living Communities of faith? Over the coming year, I hope to begin a process whereby these questions can be discussed in a meaningful way, firstly in Parishes, and then at Diocesan level.
One very practical effect of the declining numbers of Priests in our Parishes is that sooner or later the schedule of Masses in each Parish will need to be revised to allow for this new situation. This will call for certain sacrifices on everybody's part, and also for a heightened level of co-operation within and between Parishes.
But again this situation need not be seen as just a negative one. As has been experienced elsewhere, having less Masses should lead to the Parish Community coming together in greater numbers for the Sunday and Daily Eucharist, thus enriching the celebration and having a greater sense of belonging to a witnessing and faithful Community. It should also lead us to examine and renew our commitment to Sunday Mass, particularly if participating becomes less convenient than before.
Nevertheless, we must not forget the command of the Lord, when he told us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into the harvest. That is one way in which we can promote vocations to the Priesthood. It is also the way to enthuse all baptised Christians to become 'labourers in His Harvest', to truly become engaged in the Mission of the Church. Another way to promote the sense of 'Vocation', especially in this 'Year of Vocation' is to live our lives as followers of Christ to the best of our ability in our own particular state of life, being faithful to the call each one of us has received from God. By doing this we will help to create a Community which will enable and encourage others to hear and answer God's call for them.
Finally, let us place all our endeavours in the hands of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, so that the Diocesan Church of Cloyne may never lack generous souls who will offer themselves for service in the Priesthood and the Religious Life and zealous lay faithful who will take up the challenge presented to them to answer 'the needs of the time', working together as God's Family in the building up of His Kingdom on earth.
+ John Magee, Bishop of Cloyne. First Sunday of Advent 2008.
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Sotto Voce
(Source: DOC)