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CV NEWS FEED // The Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland, recently issued a new pastoral letter outlining steps for a renewal process within the Archdiocese, stating that the Church in Europe is currently in a conflicting stage “both of decline and of new beginning.”
In late August, Archbishop Dermot Farrell introduced his three-year-long vision for archdiocesan renewal, which is now known as “Building Hope with Open Hearts.” According to his pastoral letter, the renewal plan involves “partnerships of parishes” and archdiocesan growth and renewal through listening to the Holy Spirit.
The Archdiocese has already been undergoing a smaller renewal process called “Building Hope” for the last few years through “prayer, reflection and tentative action,” Archbishop Farrell wrote.
The 2025-2027 renewal plan will follow three themes — “prayer,” “reflection,” and “planning” — facilitated by parish leaders and an “open heart,” which is “open to Christ and to His Spirit, as together, we seek to build our partnerships of parishes,” the Archbishop added.
Archbishop Farrell highlighted the role of the Holy Spirit in the renewal process, pointing out that “nothing fruitful happens in the Church without the Holy Spirit.”
In his conclusion, the Archbishop wrote, “The Church in Europe finds itself in a time, both of decline and of new beginning. The decline is there for all to see. However, Christ calls people of faith to look at the Church from the standpoint of His Father.”
The Church itself was small in the beginning, he pointed out, adding, “Let us find our way, step-by-step, working more deeply together, as we build our partnerships of parishes, embracing the road the Spirit is bringing us on, in such a way that, as Pope Francis says, ‘our lives can become a song of love for God, for humanity, with and for creation.’”
