No churches to close or parishes to merge says bishop – Pastoral Letter outlines vision for future of parishes

Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath - Ireland’s third largest diocese -  has issued a wide-ranging pastoral letter, Future of Our Parishes: Communities of Belonging and Evangelisation, calling for renewed vitality and cooperation among parishes as they face demographic change, fewer priests, and the need for deeper evangelisation.  He also reassures parishes that closures or mergers are not being considered as priest numbers decline.

“The Parish to which one belongs indicates a community, a sense of belonging and a sense of pride,” Bishop Deenihan writes. “While a parish is a church structure, it is also more than that. The parish is a place of evangelisation, a place where the sacraments are celebrated and a place where we celebrate our faith.” He said parishes are not merely geographical entities but living communities that must “rediscover [their] identity as a community of faith, hope and love.”

Drawing on Pope Francis’s definition of the parish as “the presence of the Church in a given territory … a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink,” Bishop Deenihan said that each parish must renew its mission and embrace collaboration. “One is not a Christian all by oneself,” he wrote. “To be a Christian means to believe and to live one’s faith together with others.”

The bishop said that while the number of priests in the diocese is decreasing, “the survival of a parish does not and cannot depend solely on the local priest.” He pointed to the establishment of Parish Pastoral Councils across all parishes as a vital support to the Church’s mission. “The only focus of these parish councils is the work of evangelisation and supporting the pastoral mission of the Church in their own parish,” he said.

Reassuring parishioners, Bishop Deenihan stated, “There are no plans to close churches, merge parishes or centralise parish assets.” Instead, the diocese’s 69 parishes have been grouped into 14 Pastoral Areas, intended to foster cooperation and shared ministry.

He encouraged parishes to collaborate on faith development initiatives, choirs, and training for liturgical ministers, saying that “no parish can survive in isolation.” He also urged local discussion about Mass schedules and priest availability, noting the universal norms limiting how many Masses a priest may celebrate each weekend.

Concluding his letter, Bishop Deenihan said, “We are all anxious that the local parish will continue, be vibrant and be a place of welcome and evangelisation.”