The Catholic Archbishop of Tuam has warned that marriage is rapidly being eroded by serial relationships, co-habitation, divorce and a redefinition of marriage.
Dr Michael Neary said his Church does not seek to impose its religious conviction on society, but urged Catholics to give voice to the insights of their faith in public debates about the principles they stand for and the values they share.
He told the congregation at the Chrism Mass in Tuam Cathedral that today's ever-increasing demands of work mean that people have less time to spend on relationships, children, parents, friends, and as volunteers in community groups.
"In our Christian understanding of God we are invited to become His partners in the on-going work of creation and re-creation. The God who gave us the gift of freedom asks us to use it to honour and enhance the freedom of others."
Archbishop Neary continued: "Living as we do in a time of rapid cultural change with its non-stop transformation can be deeply unsettling.
We witness the breakdown of the institutions of social life. In the past people were helped to cope with change because they had what someone called "personal stability zones". There were aspects of life which did not change.
People had a sense of economic, personal and geographical continuity. Marriage is rapidly being eroded by serial relationships, co-habitation, divorce and a redefinition of marriage.
We no longer feel a sense of control over our lives. Great forces that surround us - financial markets, currency movements, technological change, the international arena, are becoming ever more volatile, complex and unpredictable."
He warned his listeners- who had come to the special Mass from every parish in the sprawling western diocese - that the consumerisation of society can be very subtle and seductive but that it is very damaging.
"We do not seek to impose our religious conviction on society, but surely we must seek to bring the insights of our faith to the public conversations about the principles for which we stand and the values we share."
And he assured the congregation, and the priests of the diocese who were concelebrating the Mass with him, that in an age of uncertainty religious faith reminds us that we are not alone, nor are we bereft of guidance from the past.
He told the clergy that they are sent by Jesus Christ to proclaim Him.
"There will always be the human temptation to preach and present ourselves rather than Christ. We can make all kinds of excuses, resort to self-pity, bemoan the culture and the climate in which we minister, but if we are not preaching Jesus Christ then we betray not just the Christ who called us and sent us but also the people to whom we are sent.
Today as priests we work with, learn from, are influenced by God's people. We have responsibility for providing pastoral care in a compassionate warm and human fashion.
Archbishop Neary thanked all involved in the various ministries and committees, parochial and diocesan, for their generosity of service. And he joined with the congregation in thanking their priests as they endeavour to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and His message and supportive of laypeople in living out their baptismal promises.
The Archdiocese of Tuam includes half of County Mayo, half of County Galway and part of County Roscommon.
Holy Week Chrism Mass - or Mass of the Oils - is the celebration of the Eucharist at which priests and representatives from every parish in the diocese gather with the bishop for Mass, during which Holy Oils are blessed for the coming year and priests renew their priestly service.
The Chrism Mass is a clear expression of the unity of the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, which continue to be present in the Church.
'Clarity surrounding Catholic ideals will only come from community prayer' - Bishop Donal McKeown
The Catholic Bishop of Derry has said many would struggle to state clearly what it is the Church stands for.
And conceding that some priests and bishops have made "terrible mistakes", he said at heart they are good men who could be living a much less pressurised life in another job.
Bishop Donal McKeown said clarity about Catholicism’s core message and its current role would only come from prayer in community and therefore, it is hard to justify not moving towards parish Pastoral Councils and their diocesan equivalent.
"Otherwise we end up exhausted, doing what we have always done and expecting that to be effective in ways that it has not been up until now," he told mass goers in the city's St Eugene's Cathedral.
