There has been a lot of counting going on during the week. Mostly about the votes, who got them, who got in, who lost out. But there has also been the counting of medals at the games in Rome, and some considerable joy to see the Irish flag raised, and some exceptional new athletes coming into our conversation. There were also too many goals conceded in Portugal, plenty of points on the board in the RDS as Leinster march on, and so it goes.
While all that as has been happening, I’ve been counting funerals! One on Friday, Saturday, Monday, Thursday and Saturday with a wedding on Friday and baptisms both weekends. It’s as intense a week as I can remember and obviously not a pace that any one of us could sustain. We have been talking a lot about funeral ministry both at parish and the wider diocesan level and some ideas have been discussed about how we might adapt and have more lay involvement and even services without a priest. Any change in what the parishes can offer the bereaved would of course take reflection, training and good will.
For anyone interested in a significant ministry that could have serious impact and be both challenging and hugely rewarding, this might be one to consider. There are of course many other valuable areas of service and ministry that are open to parishioners interested in the present health and future well-being of the parish. I’m counting on people to come forward, to take on responsibility for your faith community into the future.
These summer weeks are an ideal time to think through what we want from the church and how our service to each other might reinvigorate participation, prayer and worship. The future is in our hands, we will be as strong as our shared effort makes possible, let’s all work together and go forward with hope.