A chronic shortage of priests has resulted in one of the biggest restructurings the Wexford Parish has seen.
With the departure of Fr Billy Swan to Rome and the retirement in Clonard of Fr Denis Lennon and Fr Barry Larkin, the Wexford churches are left chronically short, with only Fr Michael O’Shea and Fr Paddy Browne left to cover.
It’s resulted in the Wexford parish council having to make the difficult decision to cut nine masses per week from its schedule, stating that “our present schedule of masses is unsustainable”.
The number of weekend masses at Bride Street and Rowe Street churches will be reduced from six to four and also the number of daily masses will fall from three to two.
“It is necessary to have a schedule of masses, that should one of the two priests be absent through illness or holidays, masses can be covered by one person,” a statement from the parish said.
Fr Billy Swan is due to take up a role in The Vatican in Rome.
The situation posed a major headache for the parish council, having to allow for a day off for each priest, as well as covering masses in three nursing homes, work in schools and funerals and weddings.
In addition, with both Clonard priests having retired, assistance has been drafted in from Fr John Carroll in Barntown and Fr Aodhán Marken in Piercestown to keep things going, with two large primary school in that parish also requiring pastoral care.
The new timetable for masses will commence on the weekend of November 29 and 30 and “it will be reviewed at the monthly meetings of the pastoral council”.
The current timetable is as follows:
Vigil mass – Rowe Street, 6 p.m. Sunday mass – Bride Street at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and Rowe Street at 12 noon. Weekday mass – Rowe Street 8 a.m. and Bride Street at 10 a.m.