In a pastoral letter issued in February, Bishop Denis Nulty said it will no longer be possible to sustain the current number of Masses in every church as priest numbers continue to decline. He called for more manageable Mass schedules within newly established pastoral areas and said lay-led liturgies would increasingly provide opportunities for communal prayer.
The letter, ‘A Time to Pull in our Nets and Take Stock’, reflects on the pastoral implications of synodality, demographic change and a growing reliance on lay ministry.
Bishop Nulty appealed for sensitivity toward elderly and overburdened clergy, noting that priests are entitled to retire at 75 and that it is no longer possible for fewer priests to meet every expectation.
The diocese is being restructured into 11 pastoral areas, grouping 56 parishes and 117 faith communities into collaborative clusters.
Bishop Nulty said the move is intended to encourage cooperation and shared pastoral planning across parish boundaries.
He pointed to the training of 25 new lay pastoral ministers and the ordination of five permanent deacons as signs of an emerging model of Church marked by fewer clergy and greater lay involvement. He stressed that mission must be rooted in baptism, cautioning against a parish culture overly focused on maintenance rather than evangelisation.
The letter echoes warnings issued by Bishop Nulty in 2017, when he spoke of a “new reality” shaped by fewer priests and the need for a radical reappraisal of parish life.