The Catholic bishops are drawing up radical new plans for parishes to hold Sunday services led by laypeople as more-and-more communities are set to be left without a priest for the first time, according to The Irish Catholic newspaper.

The problem will also become acute as larger parishes used to having several priests are being left with only one priest to serve several churches today’s edition of the Catholic weekly reports.

As the number of priests continues to decline and faced with an increasingly older age profile, Church leaders are being forced to take radical action that just a few years ago would have seemed unthinkable.

Sources have confirmed to The Irish Catholic that the matter is to be discussed at a meeting of the hierarchy in Maynooth in October. A ‘discussion document’ will be circulated to senior Church leaders in coming weeks which will set our plans for what parishioners can do when there is no priest to say Mass. Laypeople will be expected to take a lead role. However, married deacons, eight of whom have already been ordained, will also co-ordinate liturgies in the absence of a priest.

It comes as it has emerged that Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin did not give his permission for a nun to lead a communion service in a Co. Wicklow parish at the weekend.

href="https://www.facebook.com/alanpbourke">Alan Bourke How about letting women be priests lads, that would fix the problem in fairly short order.

href="https://www.facebook.com/foleyl">Liam Foley It’s not a Mass without a priest. Ordaining women is not a solution. Look at the demographics of Christian denominations that have women ministers.

href="https://www.facebook.com/stuart.osullivan.9">Stuart O’Sullivan Why bother leave your house when you can read fairytales at home if you so wish.

href="https://www.facebook.com/Neoscylax">Greg Holden It’s not a mass without a priest; it’s a religious service.

href="https://www.facebook.com/byrneluke">Luke Byrne ”Ž”The problem”? You’re saying less priests is a problem? Its progress is what it is.

href="https://www.facebook.com/phil.oh.9">Phil Oh priestless masses, for empty churches? Talk about spin… how about plans to be modern, being more tolerant and more open and less protective of the snakes within the church? That would be novel.

href="https://www.facebook.com/maggie.d7">Margaret Dunne a total disgrace. And no I would not attend a priestless mass.

href="https://www.facebook.com/dec.crowe">Declan Crowe will they continue if they get Monopoly money?

href="https://www.facebook.com/john.cartner.1">John Cartner At least you would be guaranteed not to get buggered!

href="https://www.facebook.com/phil.oh.9">Phil Oh they say fr Clippet says a good priestless mass

href="https://www.facebook.com/gerard.murphy.92">Gerard Murphy Lets see the church going figures really drop off a cliff when they are forced to use African and Asian missionaries here. Average age of Irish priests is now 64!