New role created to reach out to hard-pressed priests

Dwindling numbers forces action in Down and Connor

The Diocese of Down and Connor is to create a new position to help hard-pressed priests struggling with the increased demands of their ministry.

As the number of clerics continues to decline and faced with an increasingly older age profile, Down and Connor is set to appoint an episcopal vicar for the care and support of priests in the diocese.

The soon-to-be appointed Episcopal Vicar for Clergy will be responsible for providing professional and personal support for priests at breaking point due to the increased demands placed on them.

Commenting on the new role, a spokesman for Down and Connor said the diocese had an “obligation to ensure that all priests are given the support they need for their life and ministry, taking into account the changing context within which these priests minister”.

“It will be the responsibility of this episcopal vicar to co-ordinate in-service training and on-going formation for the clergy and provide support for their professional and personal requirements in the exercise of their priestly ministry,” he told The Irish Catholic.

News of the new position follows figures published in a recently released diocesan review which indicate a dramatic drop in the number of clergy over the next 10 years.

Down and Connor’s Living Church Review reveals that diocesan priests under the age of 50 will be reduced from 27 this year to 17 in 2024, a 37% drop in 10 years.

The figures also show the diocese will be left with 92 priests under the age of 75 by 2024, a drop of 20% from 116 this year.

Noting that while the analysis of the data collected remains incomplete and on-going, the diocesan spokesman said a number of emergent issues can already be identified.

The figures reveal “the need to support and nurture current priests in their ministry,” he said.