Latest news with #parishes
BreakingNews.ie
06-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Funerals in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore to no longer be held on Sundays
Funeral Masses in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore are no longer to be held on Sundays. Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan has issued a letter to all parishes detailing new guidelines due to the growing difficulty in managing the pastoral and liturgical demands of Sunday funerals. Advertisement This decision follows a recent meeting of the Senate of Priests, where clergy voiced their concerns. The main reasons cited for the change are the impact on regular Sunday Mass-goers, who may feel a funeral is being added to or overshadowing the normal liturgy. The difficulty of giving a homily that appropriately reflects both the Sunday readings and the funeral context. Overcrowding in churches and the risk of a family's bereavement being diminished within the larger Sunday celebration. The added strain on clergy already committed to multiple Sunday Masses and other sacraments and the current shortage of priests in the diocese. There were 1,176 funerals held by the Diocese last year and this underscores "the significant workload borne by parish clergy—particularly over weekends when Sunday Masses, baptisms, and other responsibilities are already scheduled,' according to the Bishop's letter. Bishop Cullinan noted that many parishes have already adopted a policy of not scheduling Sunday funerals. He expresses his hope that the faithful will "understand the pastoral and practical reasons behind this new diocesan norm.' However, Bishop Cullinan outlined that in "exceptional pastoral circumstances," such as cemetery closures, flexibility around funerals may be needed.
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Church of Ireland feels financial strain as empty rectories hit by Vacant Homes Tax
Church of Ireland parishes are coming under 'significant' financial pressure because empty rectories are being charged the Vacant Homes Tax (VHT). The Most Reverend Dr Michael Jackson, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, warned the Taoiseach that the introduction of the tax was creating 'difficulties' for churches where parochial homes are left 'unintentionally' empty after a cleric moves on. It came in advance of the Church of Ireland warning the Government that it suffers from a 'credibility gap' with the public because it has missed its own housing targets. The correspondence between religious leaders and the Office of An Taoiseach were released to The Irish Times under Freedom of Information. READ MORE Last November 14th, Archbishop Jackson wrote to then Taoiseach Simon Harris to warn about the effect the VHT was having on parishes. The tax, which was introduced at the end of 2022, applies to residential properties that are used as dwellings for less than 20 days in a full year. From November 2023 to October 2024, the VHT rate was five times the basic Local Property Tax rate (LPT). From November 2024 to October 2025, the VHT increased to seven times the value of the basic LPT. 'I would like to highlight the difficulties our churches are facing because of the introduction of the Vacant Homes Tax,' Archbishop Jackson wrote in a letter to Mr Harris, two weeks before the general election. He said the 'largest single category of dwellings' held in trust for Church of Ireland churches were parochial homes for clerics. 'Due to the movement of clergy between parishes or upon the retirement of a clergy person parishes can be left with a rectory that is vacant until a new clergy person is appointed.' The archbishop said that a rectory could be left empty for as long as 12 months, depending on different circumstances of the parish or diocese. 'As a result, some of our parishes have unintentionally found themselves liable for the [VHT] and this is placing significant pressure on their finances.' While the properties previously would have been rented out by Church of Ireland, Archbishop Jackson said that tenancy laws meant that the diocese was 'unable to permit short-term leases to be authorised'. Separately, Church of Ireland's Church and Society Commission (CASC) wrote to Taoiseach Micheál Martin in March to offer commentary on the Programme for Government. CASC, which is Church of Ireland's 'social theology' unit, welcomed the Government's commitment to build 300,000 homes by 2030. 'The unfortunate fact that the repeated target for last year was not met has both compounded the problem and left a credibility gap with the public which will also need to be positively addressed,' it said. CASC also said it was 'disappointed' that the Programme for Government had failed to mention the role of churches in society and the 'positive' effects they can have.
