First ever shared parish area in Co Waterford
Sarah Slater
A new Parish Pastoral Area has been formed in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore to manage the challenges of several churches being ministered to by one parish priest and assisted by two others.
The move comes after the four Parish Pastoral Councils discussed the idea of formally amalgamating all seven churches and four parishes into one named pastoral area.
The new name will be the St Carlo Acutis Parish Pastoral area, which will be the first in Ireland. Relics of the saint, who was recently canonised, are permanently available in Holy Family Church, Ardfinnan.
The parishes and churches of Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, Grange, Newcastle, Fourmilewater, Touraneena and The Nire have worked closely together to maintain the liturgical life of each parish and supported one another in various ways.
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, officially declared the new pastoral area at the Mass of installation of the relics in Ardfinnan on St Carlo’s feast day on October 12th.
Much of the groundwork has already been implemented, with one main parish office now looking after all parish records, finances, and administration.
Each church also has its own sacristan, team for readers and extraordinary ministers, altar servers, and safeguarding, thanks to the commitment of the parishioners, schools and members of the parish and finance councils.
Fr Michal Toomey, who is parish priest and administrator of the seven churches, explained that the benefits of “combining our resources under one parish pastoral area is mainly for the more efficient use of resources and training and support in ministry, but also in the management of finance, buildings, and clergy across a large area”.
Fr Toomey added: “I am so grateful and blessed to be working with so many kind and dedicated parishioners who are serving their communities so well despite the challenges of the lack of priests we face into the future.”
The parish councils also noted that while amalgamating these parishes, the actual church names and parish identities would be unaffected.
Each church will keep its own identity as is currently the case, but it is all under one parish pastoral community.
“The parish councils feel (this) would (strengthen) the seven churches and reassure them in sustaining and in keeping each church open into the future with the reality of the lack of priests, which is of grave concern”, said Fr Michael.
The parish pastoral area has its own website on www.stcarloacutisparish.ie and an image of St Carlo Acutis is installed in every one of the seven churches in the pastoral area.
