Bishop Walsh
New pastoral plan announced
A major pastoral plan for the future development of the Diocese of Killaloe has identified 'Team Ministries' as the way forward, where many parishes are without resident priests.
The plan was formally launched tonight by the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, at the Cathedral in Ennis, Co Clare.
It was drawn up after consultations with around 1,000 people.
The plan sets out a series of practical responses for the diocese in which the majority of parishes now have just one priest. For the first time in its history the diocese has no student preparing for the priesthood.
Under Team Ministries, a group of priests would take joint responsibility for the pastoral care of a group of parishes, and would be backed up by leadership teams made up of priest and parishioners to oversee key ministries on the ground.
Bishop Walsh described the plan as a new model of Church in which priest and laity work together.
