BREAKING: Major clerical reshuffle in Tipperary impacts seven churches and four parishes

A new Parish Pastoral Area has been formed in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore to manage the challenges of several churches being ministered to by one parish priest and assisted by two others.

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This development comes after the four Parish Pastoral Councils discussed the idea to look at formally amalgamating all the seven churches and the four parishes into one named pastoral area.

The parishes and churches of Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, Grange, Newcastle, Fourmilewater, Touraneena and The Nire in the last few years, have worked closely together to maintain the liturgical life of each parish, and supported one another in various ways.

As there has been a great interest in the newly canonised St Carlo Acutis, and relics of the saint are permanently available in Holy Family Church Ardfinnan, the four parish councils decided to call themselves the ‘St Carlo Acutis Parish Pastoral Area’ – the first in Ireland.

Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, officially declared the new pastoral area at the Mass of installation of the relics in Ardfinnan on St Carlo’s feast day – October 12.

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Much of the groundwork had already been implemented with one main parish office now looking after all parish records, finances, and administration.

Each church also has its own sacristan, team for readers and extraordinary ministers, altar servers, and safeguarding thanks to the commitment of the parishioners, schools and members of the parish and finance councils.

Fr Michael Toomey who is parish priest and administrator of the seven churches said: “The benefits of combining our resources under one parish pastoral area is mainly for the more efficient use of our pastoral resources and training and support in ministry but also in the management of finance, buildings, and clergy across a large area.”

“I am so grateful and blessed to be working with so many kind and dedicated parishioners who are serving their communities so well despite the challenges of the lack of priests we face into the future,” said Fr Michael.

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The parish councils also noted that while amalgamating these parishes, the actual church names and parish identities would be unaffected. “Each church would keep its own identity as is currently the case, but to have it all under one parish pastoral community, the parish councils feel would cement stronger the seven churches and reassure them in sustaining and in keeping each church open into the future with the reality of the lack of priests which is of grave concern” said Fr Michael.

The parish pastoral area has its own website on www.stcarloacutisparish.ie and an image of St Carlo Acutis is installed in every one of the seven churches in the pastoral area.

The churches and parishes now under the new pastoral area are:

Holy Family, Ardfinnan, St Nicholas Grange and St Mary Ballybacon
Our Lady of the Assumption Newcastle, Our Lady and St Lawrence Fourmilewater
St Helena’s The Nire, & St Mary’s Touraneena

All of the churches are in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore and cover West Waterford and South Tipperary.

They are served by Fr Michael Toomey (PP VF)- Fr Jim Denmead (AP) and Fr Bernard Frawley (CSSR)