The Archdiocese of Armagh has outlined a six-year plan to strengthen parish life, including proposals for new regional youth and family hubs, changes to sacramental preparation and initiatives to encourage young people to remain involved with the Church after Confirmation.
The proposals, covering 2026 – 2032, build upon the Archdiocese’s Congress on Youth, Family and Faith from earlier this year, along with Archbishop Eamon Martin’s pastoral letter from earlier this month, ‘Go, Rebuild My Church’.
The plan brings together 14 proposals under five missionary pathways: faith formation, liturgy, youth and family outreach, evangelisation and prayer.
Among the proposals are regional ‘Youth and Family Belonging Hubs’ which would bring young people and families together across parish boundaries, alongside a new post-Confirmation discipleship and leadership programme. Other proposals include a family-centred approach to sacramental preparation, further formation for clergy and lay ministers, and a diocesan strategy for digital evangelisation.
The Archdiocese also acknowledged the difficulties facing parishes, including “fewer active clergy, changing patterns of participation and differing levels of local capacity”.
“Our response, however, cannot be limited to managing those pressures or maintaining existing structures,” the proposals document states. “The Congress calls us to look again at how we encounter Christ, grow in faith, pray and worship together, accompany young people and families, and share the Gospel with others.”
The accompanying reflection guide emphasises that the plans must extend beyond existing parish communities, seeking to reach those who have become less connected with the Church.
“The five pathways are not separate projects, but different expressions of the one baptismal calling we share,” it states. “Through prayer, formation, welcome, accompaniment and mission, each of us is invited to play a part in renewing the life of the Church and carrying the Gospel beyond ourselves.”
Five regional gatherings will take place across the Archdiocese in November, when parish, school and community representatives will consider how the proposals might be put into practice.
Communities are being encouraged to identify one or two priorities suited to their local circumstances, with the Archdiocese stressing that the proposals are “not presented as a finished programme”, but rather a starting point for further discussion and implementation.