Limerick priests to visit Paris to see what future holds - The Irish Times

Eleven clerics travel to Evry-Corbeil-Essonne, where laity is more involved in church work

Eleven priests from the Limerick diocese, where more than half of all priests are over 65, will on Tuesday travel to Evry-Corbeil-Essonne in Paris to see how the Catholic Church there is dealing with the collapse in vocations.

 

A total of 28 of the churches in the French diocese, one of seven in the city, are served by just five priests. For some, Evry is the future for the Catholic Church in Ireland, too.

 

Faced with collapsing numbers of priests, the Parisian diocese began 20 years ago to create teams – with a priest in charge, but with the laity involved doing much of the work.

 

“There are other examples of it around the world where there has been a break from the traditional parish model,” explained Fr Eamon Fitzgibbon, director of the Limerick Diocesan Synod and Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Planning.

 

“We are going over on an exploratory visit, to see if we could do something similar here, or if we could adapt to this model. In many ways Paris is where we will be in 15-20 years. It is something we could learn from.”

 

Like others dioceses, Limerick is struggling with a shortage of priests. More than half of all of its 71 priests are over 65. Research carried out a number of years ago found that more than 50 per cent of clergy in the diocese were over 65.

A Synod Sports Conference

Limerick is a city and county in love with and passionately interested in Sport. One of our themes for the Synod is ‘Building Community’ and sporting organisations have much to teach us in this regard. This one-day conference will be a mix of keynote speakers and workshops.

Keynote Address One:

‘Building Community – Lessons from the World of Sport’

Michael "Mickey" Harte is the current—and most successful—Gaelic football manager of the Tyrone senior inter-county team. He has led Tyrone to three All-Ireland titles, four Ulster titles, one National League, and eight Dr. McKenna Cups to date (as of January 2015). Harte has been very forthcoming with his Christian views.

Workshops

A variety of workshops will be provided by sporting personalities including:

• Gerry Hussey has been working at the fore front of Olympic and International Sport since graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 2003. In his role as Performance Consultant, Gerry has coached elite athletes for Olympic Games, Heineken Cups, European and World Championships.   
• Ger Downes and local GAA personalities including Cian Lynch, Seamus Hickey and Declan Hannon.
• Pat O’Sullivan from Limerick Soccer.

Keynote Address Two:

'The Fellowship of Sport'

Gerard Hartmann is a native of Limerick City, Ireland who, over the past twenty two years, has developed a reputation for treating many of the world's elite sport stars. Gerard has treated 61 Olympic medal winners, 47 World Champions including World Record holder. He has worked with a record seven winners of the London Marathon including world record holders Paula Radcliffe and Khalid Khannouchi. In this input Ger will elaborate on the concept that sport connects people and communities giving identity, purpose and unity.

Venue: Mary Immaculate College

Date: Wednesday 24th February

Time: 6p.m. to 9.30p.m.

Sinner & Pilgrim - A Synod Culture Event - REPOST

Peacach agus Oilithreach
(Sinner & Pilgrim)    

A Synod Culture Event  

This evening of culture will incorporate elements of poetry, music, Gaeilge and local history marking the tercentenary of the birth of Tadhg Gaelach Ó Suilleabháin. 

 

The poet Tadhg "Gaelach" O'Suilleabháin was born in Tournafulla in 1715. Most of his well-known poems were of a religious nature and he wrote these poems while he was living in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Tadhg also lived in East Cork for a while. From about 1760 on, his life changed and he became a pilgrim and it was at this time that Tadhg began to write his religious poems. He died in Waterford Cathedral in 1795 and after his death, the first edition of his poetry was published in Limerick.

The evening will be hosted by Neilus de Róiste.

The key note address will be given by Salvador Ryan with poetry readings by Canon Micheál Liston and music by a variety of local musicians. 
 

Iomainn á chanadh Gile mo Chroí do- chroí-se

Mo Ghrá-sa mo Dhia

Dr. Salvador Ryan is Professor of Ecclesiastical History in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth since 2008. Alongside Bishop Brendan Leahy he has co-edited two volumes of Treasures of Irish Christianity.

Date: Friday 29 January

Venue: Devon Inn Hotel

Time: 7.30p.m.

Céad fáilte roimh ghrástaibh mo Thiarna anois.

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Limerick Diocesan Synod 2016 - Your Church, Your Voice

The Limerick Diocesan Synod will take place in 2016 and will be one of the largest meetings ever held in the Limerick Diocese, bringing delegates together from every aspect of life throughout the diocese. It will be an opportunity to look towards the future of the Church in Limerick.
It is important that everyone has the opportunity to shape this future and influence what the Church will look like in Limerick in the years ahead. We need to hear from you so have your say.

The following six themes have been selected for the Synod

1. Community & Sense of Belonging
2. Faith Formation
3. Pastoral Care of the Family
4. New Models of Leadership
5. Liturgy & Life
6. Young People

How can you have your say?

Have you any ideas of what actions could be taken to address the issues within these themes?
If so, please suggest them to your delegates or email them to synod@ldo.ie

In the Spring we will be firming up concrete proposals for action under each of these themes which will then be brought forward and voted on at the Synod in April.

Synod 2016 - Call for Proposals

We are into the final months of preparations for the Synod 2016 in April. We have named the six themes we will be discussing, and now delegates have to create specific proposals under each theme.

To assist the delegates in creating proposals for action we are currently issuing a call for a submission of ideas for action to the general public.

Parish Pastoral Councils have been asked to create space at a meetings to hear from members their ideas of what actions could be taken to address the issues that have been named through the Listening Process last Spring. If you personally have specific ideas to propose too, we would like to hear them.

Any such ideas can be forwarded to Karen at karen@ldo.ie or shared with local delegates. Hopefully these ideas will ‘spark’ the delegates, who are charged with developing formal proposals, with some ideas that might not otherwise have occurred to them

18th October 2015 - Synod Sunday - Limerick Diocese Synod 2016

On this weeks programme John and the team are joined by Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon and Martina O'Sullivan to speak about the choosing of the themes for Limerick Diocesan Synod 2016. We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as other liturgical odds and ends.
 
You can listen to the podcast of this weeks first programme HERE.
 
Limerick Diocese Synod 2016 - The Chosen Themes
 

 

Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon

This weekend across the diocese of Limerick we are marking another Synod Sunday to inform the diocese where things are with the synod process and also to seek their continuing prayer and support.
 
On this weeks programme Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon comes back into studio to update us on how things are going with Limerick Diocesan Synod 2016 especially following the last Synod Delegate gathering on 3rd October when the themes to be discussed at the Synod were chosen and voted on by the delegates following the listening and discerning phase of the Synod during the early months of 2015.
 
Martina O'Sullivan who is a regular panellist on the programme also joined us on this weeks programme to share with us her experience of being a delegate at the Synod to date since the whole process started twelve months ago and especially of the Delegate day on October 3rd and the discernment of the themes for Synod 2016.
 
The delegate day on October 3rd was a gathering of over 300 delegates – 70% of whom were lay people – to the Limerick Diocesan Synod, which takes place next year, who selected the six themes from a shortlist of 12 compiled over a ‘Listening Process’ in the first half of 2015.  The process connected with 5,000 plus people, from primary school children to the elderly and drawn from all socio economic backgrounds and ethnicities, across the Diocese.
 
The Listening Process included a questionnaire responded to by 4,000 people, amounting to the largest poll of the faithful in relation to issues facing the Church in Ireland in the modern era, as well meetings attended by over 1,500 individual people.  All 60 parishes engaged in the process, as well as 25 other groups, including primary, secondary and third level education, healthcare workers, members of the travelling community, the migrant community and people with disabilities.
 
It culminated at the Delegate Day when the six themes were voted for after a day of intense reflection and discernment.
 
The themes, in order as they were selected by the delegates at the weekend, for the Diocesan Synod are:

1. Community & Sense of Belonging
2. Faith Formation
3. Pastoral Care of the Family
4. New Models of Leadership
5. Liturgy & Life
6. Young People

You can listen to the interview with Fr Eamonn and Martina excerpted from the main programme HERE.
 
To find out more about the Delegates Day on October 3rd and more about the themes chosen for the synod HERE.
 
Gospel - Mark 10: 35-45

 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 
Reflections on this weeks gospel:
 
Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
 
Mission Sunday

October is the month dedicated to prayer and support of the missions of the church through out the world with a special focus on the work done by missionaries on Mission Sunday which this year in Ireland is 18th October.

In October and especially on Mission Sunday Catholics are invited to be specifically conscious of the Church's missionary activity abroad (ad gentes) through prayer, sacrifice and financial contributions. The funds collected in all Churches throughout the world on Mission Sunday, is coordinated by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, founded by Pauline Jaricot 190 years ago. The funds are used to assist Churches who need financial support and directed towards communities in need, both spiritually and materially.

In October 2014, Irish Catholics contributed more than €1.78 million on Mission Sunday. The Mission Sunday collection is made available to be distributed to as many as 1,100 young Churches who are supported by the generosity of Churches that have been blessed with a greater quantity of financial and material gifts. Our Mission Sunday figures for October 2014 are available to view in the Mission Sunday magazine.

Contributions will be used to build simple mission churches, to educate seminarians as well as female religious novices. Your support also assists in the formation of catechists and lay leaders. The Mission Sunday gift may also be used for building health facilities for children and adults as well as for providing emergency aid in times of war or natural disaster or to assist missionaries in their efforts to care for refugees.

The theme for Mission Sunday 2015 is ‘Abundant Life’.

On Mission Sunday, in a special way, we celebrate the work circa 1,300 Irish born missionaries and all missionaries throughout the world. We thank God for them, for all who support them in our own country and during mission month we unite ourselves in prayer with them and with the communities with whom they work.

Click on link to get the 2015 reflection and information sheet.

To find out more about World Mission Ireland please go HERE.

Liturgical odds & ends
 
Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 1; 29th week in ordinary time
 
Saints of the Week
 
19th October - St John de Brebeuf and Companions (martyrs)
20th October - St Paul of the Cross
21st October - St Tuda of Lindisfarne
22nd October - St John Paul II
23rd October - St John Capistrano
24th October  - St Anthony Mary Claret