A FERMANAGH priest has warned the Catholic Church in the county is now ‘living in fear’, stating the deepening shortage of clergy can no longer be treated as a problem for the future.
His warning comes amid a wave of retirements and a year-long sabbatical that will leave parishes facing further pressure, with more than half of the priests in the Diocese of Clogher aged over 70.
Fr Cathal Deery, who already serves Derrygonnelly, Monea and Boho, will take responsibility for Belleek and Garrison next month, bringing the number of churches under his care to eight.
The move, part of recently announced clerical changes in the Diocese, has underlined the growing pressure on priests as the church struggles to sustain parish life with fewer clergy.
“You can dress it up any way you want and put any titles around it but at the end of the day, that is a crisis,” Fr Deery told the ‘Herald.
His stark assessment comes following a warning from Bishop Larry Duffy this week that the clergy in the Diocese is now facing increased pressure as a result of the growing priest shortages.
Fr Deery said the church must confront the reality of its ageing clergy and stop relying on short-term measures.
“My thoughts are very clear. We’re at the edge of the cliff and every year we get closer to the edge of the cliff, but I think we’re on the edge now,” he said.
He said the problem was compounded by what he believes is an imbalance in the distribution of priests.
“I’m to take on responsibility for eight churches in west Fermanagh, while one of our priests who is a few years younger than me looks after one church and one parish – there’s a discrepancy there,” he said.
Fr Deery said the diocese must be prepared to consider fundamental changes to the way parishes are served, including accepting not every church may be able to have a priest celebrating Mass every weekend.
“I have no issue with Belleek and Garrison, but I have an issue when we as a diocese will not think outside the box,” he said.
Fr Deery said the figures showed the diocese faces an increasingly difficult future, with only around nine priests currently under 60.
He warned that, even if they remain in ministry and good health, that number could rise to just 12 priests under 70 within a decade, which he said was unsustainable.
“You can dress it up any way you want and put any titles around it but at the end of the day that is a crisis,” he said.
Bishop Larry Duffy recently confirmed 12 priests from abroad, mainly from Africa, are expected to arrive in September.
Fr Deery questioned whether the arrival of priests from overseas could provide more than a short-term answer to the shortage.
“I welcome our African friends, but those men are just here on holiday visas, which is for a six-month period. Those men will be gone after six months and that’s a short-term measure,” he said.
The local cleric said the Church needs to take a fundamental look at how its parishes are organised and how its remaining priests are deployed.
“The Catholic Church in Ireland has to be brave and bold. It has to say it can’t do what it is doing, and it has to have a better distribution of clergy,” he said.
The challenge facing parish life is also acknowledged by other senior Fermanagh priests.
Monsignor Peter O’Reilly of Enniskillen said the figures ‘bring home the reality that we are living through a period of significant change’.
Fr Joe McVeigh, who is celebrating 55 years as a priest, described the changing circumstances as ‘an opportunity, as well as a challenge’ to rethink how parishes are organised and give lay people a greater role.