Bishop Fintan Gavin said that he has been approached by people who say they worry for their children or grandchildren not being active in the Church community.
He read a message to pilgrims attending the annual Mass at St. Finbarr’s Oratory at Gougane Barra as "unprecedented change in society" and declining numbers of people attending regular Mass continues to impact the Catholic Church in Cork.
"Understandably, people are concerned about their parish’s future," Bishop Gavin read out at the Mass this afternoon, "Many have a strong attachment to their local church, some worry about the sustainability of their preferred Mass times, and some communities miss having a resident priest."
The most recent census revealed a 10% drop in the number of people who say they are Catholic, and a significant rise in the number of people who have no religion at all.
The question of 'What is your religion?' was changed in the census in 2018 to "What is your religion, if any?" with 'No Religion' as an option. In the 2022 census, 3.5 million people identified as Catholic making up just under 70% of the population. The next largest group after Catholic was "no religion" at 16%.
In Census 2022 over 414,000 people in Co Cork, 71%, said they were Catholic. This was down from 80% in Census 2016. Mass attendance was recorded at just 32% nationally.
"As I visit parishes, I meet parents and grandparents who lament that their children or grandchildren are no longer active in the faith community. Our priests are also living through these unprecedented changes," Bishop Gavin said.
He added that with a reduction in congregation sizes and a dwindling number of priests, those that are left serving multiple communities are also feeling the stress of change. The Bishop thanked the significant number of priests and chaplains who have come to Cork from abroad to boost serving numbers.
He told the Mass to 'commit to a year-long time of prayer, listening and discernment about the future of the Catholic Church' in Cork. The bishop’s message is being read at all Masses in the Diocese of Cork and Ross this weekend.
The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) released figures in 2022 which showed that 15% of priests in Ireland are over 75 while more than 25% are aged between 60–75. Just 2.5% of serving Catholic priests in Ireland were under 40.
There are 74 seminarians studying for the priesthood this year.
The 21 who began studying was the highest number to join the academic programme in more than a decade.