How priests minister in the parishes of the Diocese of Cork and Ross will change significantly in September. The diocese will have 16 families of parishes and each will be ministered to by a team of priests. Each priest will be resident in a particular parish but ministering across the whole family of parishes.

Bringing parishes together as families of parishes presents an opportunity for much greater lay participation and shared leadership of parishes. Initially, the team will consist of priests but I hope that lay leadership and more involvement will grow in time.

It will involve parishes working much more closely together and sharing their gifts, talents and resources including their priests.

The retirement of Ann Roche as conductor of the Cathedral Choir was celebrated recently in the presence of Bishop Fintan Gavin, Canon John O Donovan, Fr. Sean Crowley and members of the choir.

Ann, who initially was asked to stand in as conductor for a six-week period, stayed on for 30 years and her commitment to music in the Cathedral throughout those years was recalled and celebrated.

Ann also taught in the North Presentation Convent School and is remembered with great fondness and deep affection by her many pupils. Her deep devotion to the choir was evident in all that she did. The Tuesday night rehearsals, while being occasions of happiness, companionship and joy, also demonstrated her profound respect for the liturgy and nothing short of excellence would suffice for the participation of the choir in the Mass.

Ann collaborated with her comrade in arms, organist Joe Higgins, to fill the Cathedral with music and song. She was also so adept at managing her choir, she insisted on quality engagement and her own faith and deep respect for the Liturgy was evident at all times.

She conducted her choir in times of sadness and happiness. She supported her choristers through the solemnity of Holy Week to the glory of Easter Sunday and the joy of Christmas Eve and was at all times so kind and caring.

Ann has now passed on the baton to one of her former choristers, Susan Ormond, who will continue to uphold the tradition of the choir and continue the work of supporting and enhancing the various liturgies in the Cathedral.

We thank Ann for her thirty years of diligence and commitment and wish her and her family every blessing for the future. Thank you for the music Ann.

Bishop Fintan has called meetings this month of parish representatives and clergy to discuss the future of the parishes of the diocese

Since becoming bishop in 2019 this is the first opportunity Bishop Fintan has to hold meetings with laity and clergy from across the diocese.

The meeting for West Cork parishes was held in Rosscarbery on Sunday June 12th..

The meeting for representatives from city parishes and from the Kinsale area of the diocese takes place in Cork this Sunday June 19th.

Between the two meetings, around 350 people are attending.

The meetings are considering how to plan for present and future needs in the light of changes in society and church, the impact of the pandemic and fewer priests available to serve.

Bishop Fintan is also underlining the need for all people in the diocese to answer the call to be missionary disciples in our time and place.

In recent months a listening exercise was conducted across the diocese to prepare for a synod of the Catholic Church in Rome next year.

This was in response to an invitation from Pope Francis to make our faith communities synodal.

People responded to an online questionnaire. School students responded in classrooms. Randomly selected parishioners from 24 parishes of our diocese attended Sunday afternoon meetings.

All the reports from these have been distilled into a 10-page document which has now been sent from the Diocese of Cork and Ross to be included in a national text which will go to Rome.

Read the report