Church consults about Mass exodus

Catholicism is on the march in the city of Limerick. Traditionally a bastion of the faith, followers have come a long way from the reign of the Arch Confraternity when every "right-thinking Limerick man" was exhorted to drive the Jews from the city.

In the biggest attempt of its kind by the Irish church, thousands of people throughout the diocese have been asked to state their views on all things Catholic. Undertaken throughout last autumn, phase one of the "Listening Process" has effectively been a litmus test which found that people want a non-judgmental, supportive religion - a few of the confraternity's finest must be turning in their graves.

The Bishop of Limerick, Dr Murray, says the process is his diocese's response to the Pope's call for a new evangelisation in preparation for the millennium. In an attempt to gauge how best to do this the bishop, himself newly appointed, says he called the priests and some parishioners from each of the area's 60 parishes to a meeting.

Such was the energy and appetite expressed at this for an examination of the current state of Catholicism that he decided to conduct an extensive survey at parish level to find out more. The Listening Process was to be divided into three stages: a survey of the parishes to determine key issues, followed by a period to determine how best to implement change, then a period of implementation.

All well and good, but now that the listening phase is over will the changes it pinpointed ever take place? Niall O'Byrne, a lay person partaking from the outset, believes they will. A 32-year-old accountant, he says he would not have wasted his time had he thought otherwise. "If I had met a wall of priests trying to block our suggestions I wouldn't still be here."

Describing himself as a Massgoer "four out of five Sundays", he was approached by his parish priest, Father Donal McNamara, who asked him to become involved. He agreed to attend the initial meeting and says he decided to stay on because "something serious seemed to be happening and it was coming from the grassroots".

Along with five others he became a facilitator organising meetings and tape recording the views of people in the city centre parish of St Joseph's. Aine Cremin, a mother of four, says she decided to join the group in the hope of making the church more relevant to her teenage daughters - something she feels she is achieving through the process. "I discuss what I've been doing here and I find they are interested. For instance they're very in tune with the idea of the congregation having a say and choosing the readings etc."

She feels she has also gained in some less obvious ways: "We all received training from counsellors in how to listen effectively and probe people without being judgmental so I've definitely become a better listener."

She maintains that the process, in many ways, has been about "taking the piety out of religion". Niall is in agreement: "Many people feel the 10 Commandments are old hat and irrelevant, they need the liturgy to relate to their lives."

The group members talk avidly about their first public meeting, saying they almost got cold feet when 200 people turned up, but fortunately it lived up to their most optimistic expectations. According to Niall: "I had hoped that it would be really noisy, that people would have things to say and they did - it went on for two and a half hours." All kinds of views were expressed and the elderly were particularly happy. Some said it was the first time in 30 or 40 years that the church had asked their opinion - one man returned after the meeting and handed the facilitators five pages of notes he had written.

The more cynically minded could be forgiven for seeing this as the ultimate PR exercise following on recent church scandals and taking place during what is arguably the Irish clergy's most unpopular hour. Sister Margaret Greene, another member of the group, believes the process may be part of the church's response to these problems. "Things don't happen in isolation so maybe the process has come out of the rumblings that have taken place in the church."

Bishop Murray refutes this analysis, saying the seeds of the initiative came directly from the Pope. He alludes to this in a letter introducing the process to the priests of the diocese: "From the very beginning, Pope John Paul II saw his pontificate as `a new advent', a time of preparation, leading up to the year 2000. As the millennium approaches, he is asking the whole church to join in listening to `all that the spirit is saying to the church and to the churches, as well as to individuals through the gifts meant to serve the whole community'."

So although the initiative was drawn from the highest authority within the church, it is being driven and dictated by the grassroots. The group in St Joseph's parish maintains that the process is a democratising force, according to Aine: "While the priests here have been very supportive we are the people who have been carrying this out. They've put their trust in us and five or 10 years ago that certainly wouldn't have happened."

Undoubtedly this initiative could not have been more timely. Niall O'Byrne sees the Irish church going the same way as its US counterpart in terms of increased lay participation: "There is no reason why it can't happen. I used to live in Arizona and the congregation there ran the parish."

Some observers point out that the church actually has little choice but to democratise and devolve power, maintaining that as vocations dry up it is literally running out of steam. A telling phrase in the bishop's letter substantiates this: "I know the sinking feeling with which priests hear there will be more meetings and more demands." Aine Cremin says that the priests of St Joseph's have welcomed lay participation and wonder why the process was not undertaken sooner. "I really hope this has a ripple effect. There is a need for spirituality, people need more than the daily grind and for some people, like myself, religion can provide that."

So have other bishops resolved to embark on similar schemes having observed the positivity the process has generated in Limerick? Bishop Murray says that similar initiatives have been under way for some time in most dioceses albeit on a lesser scale. He added that while developments in individual dioceses are discussed by the bishops, ultimately each acts as he sees fit.

So will the Listening Process go nationwide? According to a leading theologian: "While good ideas have legs bishops are little popes in their own dioceses and generally suit themselves."