Clonskeagh Parish RCN:20016166

A Few Words from Fr Joe…………………..

On Wednesday morning, I saw a video clip of Archbishop Farrell speaking to Pope Leo at the end of his weekly audience. There he was in a line of Bishops, from all over the world, who formed an orderly queue, and then one by one they got to stand with the Pope for a short time.  As they stepped forward, Pope Leo shook their hand firmly, and for maybe a minute or two they had his full and undivided attention. Naturally we couldn’t hear what was said, and without a lip reader to hand, it’s left to our imagination to work out what words were exchanged. Maybe Archbishop Farrell got a chance to mention that this weekend he has issued a very important Pastoral Letter to the Dublin Archdiocese. Like many of the Bishops in the line, our man has to deal with the changing church, the cultural shift away from Sunday observance, the aging and diminishing number of clergy, the falloff in funds and huge costs involved in sustaining the mission of the church. To all the challenges and problems of the present day he has to bring a message of hope, and a strategy for change that gives faith filled communities their very best chance to grow and thrive. It was lovely to see the senior church leaders chatting with each other as they waited in the line, then to see the quality of listening and respect in the encounter with Pope Leo and then I imagine every one of them walked away wanting to share with others what happened. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus maybe their hearts burned within them, as the encounter gave them encouragement and new strength.

This Pastoral Letter is accompanied by a document, “Process for the Modification of Parishes for Mission”

In the weeks, months and years ahead our Trinity of Faith Partnership, with its three parishes, will need to enter into this process as we discern our future. The letter and document are available on the Diocesan website and everyone is invited to read them.