“What I see in the various parishes I visit are so many people from different cultures and countries, many of them very young people, bringing new life and energy, that’s such a positive sign for the Church today and for the future,” Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Paul Dempsey told The Irish Catholic.
“To welcome people into our parishes, to know how important they are to us, and to thank them for their participation in the life of the parish, I think that’s a great sign of hope for the future.”
He was speaking in Balally at the launch of the parish’s Pilgrimage on Wheels, a cycling pilgrimage from the parish to Glenstal Abbey which ran from September 5 to 7. The initiative raised funds for the training and formation of future lay leaders, the sustainability of the parish, and support for the Holy Rosary Sisters in Cameroon.
Parish priest Fr Jim Caffrey explained that the idea recalled a journey made 42 years ago by Fr Fintan Lyons OSB, a former parish priest and monk of Glenstal, who once led a cycling pilgrimage to Jerusalem. “We want to honour the past, sustain the present, and have hope for the future,” Fr Caffrey said.
Bishop Dempsey said creative initiatives like this reflect the growing commitment of lay people to the life of the Church.
“It’s so wonderful to be part of an occasion like today where they’re looking towards the future and trying to form the formation of lay ministers, because that’s critical. People can have the best will in the world to serve in a parish, and that’s fantastic and that’s needed. But we also need people who are formed in theology and in pastoral care so that they can serve the needs of parish life into the future.”
He also linked this renewal to the wider synodal journey. While acknowledging that not everyone has yet engaged with synodality, he stressed that it is rooted in Vatican II and is “about encouraging the people of God to share the gospel with the world today.”
With Ireland preparing for a Pre-Synodal Assembly in October 2025, he said the challenge now is to focus on the priorities that emerge. “The synod is about a way of being Church.”
