Irish Church foresees priestless parishes
CWN – August 23, 2012
Anticipating a serious shortage of priests in the near future, the Irish Catholic bishops are actively planning for priestless parishes and lay-led Sunday services, the Irish Catholic newspaper has disclosed.
Given the small number of young men entering the priesthood, and the advanced age of priests currently serving in Irish parishes (and the small number of permanent deacons), the bishops are likely to give permission for lay-led Sunday services, including the distribution of Communion. On weekdays, prayer services and Scripture readings could be arranged, but Communion would not be distributed.
Additional sources for this story: Church prepares for priestless parishes (Irish Catholic) www.irishcatholic.ie/content/church-prepares-priestless-parishes