Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has called for a renewed local and national effort to “rediscover and reinvent community”, warning that Ireland is witnessing a gradual erosion of the communal spirit that has long been one of its greatest strengths.
Addressing approximately 500 pilgrims at the annual Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage to Knock on Saturday, Bishop Leahy said growing individualism, loneliness, social media dependency and declining volunteering are weakening the relationships that sustain both parish and community life.
The annual pilgrimage – the third since its relaunch - has continued to grow each year and this year was joined once again by the annual Oblate Pilgrimage, bringing together members of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and parishes from across Ireland for a day of prayer, reflection and fellowship. This year’s pilgrimage took place in the year marking the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Basilica at Knock Shrine.
Drawing on the Gospel account of Mary and St John at the foot of the Cross, Bishop Leahy said their relationship offers a powerful model for rebuilding community in modern Ireland.
“We here in Knock from the parishes of the Diocese of Limerick and members of the Oblate pilgrimage are the continuation of that first community between John and Mary,” he said. “From Mary and John, we learn that for a true community to come about, we need to make space for each other. We need to take care of each other. We need to give time to one another. We need to share. We need to serve. We need to think of others more than ourselves.”
Bishop Leahy said that while Ireland still demonstrates remarkable solidarity in moments of celebration and tragedy, the everyday habits of community-building have weakened over recent decades.
“There is a need today for us all to rediscover and re-invent community life because it is what sustains us in so many ways,” he said. “Without always realising it, there’s a flow away today from community. A creeping culture of individualism and loneliness, absorption in social media and a flat striving for monetary wealth is taking hold of our lives.”
Bishop Leahy reflected on Ireland’s long tradition of meitheal – neighbours coming together to help one another - as well as the community spirit that found expression through parish life, voluntary organisations, festivals, sporting clubs and charitable initiatives.
“Not everything in the past was perfect,” he acknowledged, “but Ireland has long enjoyed a richness of social capital. We cannot afford to lose that.”
The Bishop warned that the decline in volunteering represents one of the greatest challenges facing not only the Church but Irish society more broadly.
Referring to the Diocese of Limerick’s recent parish consultation process, he noted that the shrinking pool of parish volunteers mirrors similar trends across sports clubs, charities and community organisations.
“We often speak about a vocations crisis in relation to priesthood and religious life, but we also need to recognise that there is a vocation crisis in terms of people willing to do their part in building up community.
“Long-serving volunteers are becoming tired. It is not right to leave it to others; we all have an obligation to put up our hand and ask, ’What can I do for my community, if community does so much for me?'”
Bishop Leahy said Catholic parishes continue to have a vital role in helping rebuild community, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas where many people can experience isolation despite living among large populations.
“There needs to be a renewed, concerted and planned effort at building community. Community is not simply about people living in the same place; it is about how people relate to one another and work together for the common good.”
He called for parishes to become places where people find friendship, meaning, service and belonging. ”We need to re-invent our parishes as communities. Society needs creative communities where people are prepared to spend time with one another, give of themselves and take the first step in reaching out to others.”
ENDS