Decline of Catholicism in the Liberties – a fading religion in the community
By Synoah Peńaflorida | November 19, 2024.
Father Patrick O’Reilly in front of the church – Photo: Synoah Penaflorida
Having grown up in Ireland in the 1960s, Father Patrick O’Reilly has witnessed the dominance of Catholicism in Ireland, and its decline.
“It seemed like everybody was just part of the church. You never thought of not being part of it. It was just something you did.” There was also, of course, a strong divide between Protestants and Catholics.
“Church rules and being Catholic were imposed – rather than being something that you were advised to do. It’s a pity, because Catholicism was supposed to be an invitation.”
O’Reilly is a member of the order of Augustinians, and currently works in the church of St John and St Augustine on Thomas Street in the Liberties. Ordained in 1976, he has seen the decline in mass attendance at this church and elsewhere.
Augustinian order house on Thomas Street – Photo: Synoah Penaflorida
“On a Sunday in the 1960s the Church would accommodate at least 800 people,” he says.
The church of St John and St Augustine is one of the main churches in the Liberties that used to host big masses. “It’s one of the first churches you see when you climbed up the hill so many people would choose to attend mass here rather than in other churches.”
With decades of service in the Catholic church, O’Reilly has served in different churches across Ireland and abroad with years of experience he has seen the decline of mass-going over the years.
It is not necessarily reflected in the population statistics. According to the 2022 Census 3.5 million people stated their religion is Roman Catholic, almost 69% of the population in the Republic. This is a decrease of about 10% compared to the census in 2016, but still a lot.
Catholicism in the Liberties faces particular local challenges too. “The older people are dying off, and there’s not very many younger people coming into the area,” O’Reilly says. “The area has become saturated with Airbnb and hotels and all that kind of stuff that’s distinct from people.”
“Sometimes I think it’s a little bit of an issue because some people expect certain things from the church, for example, to do baptisms and burials, and yet they never come near a church,” O’Reilly says.
St John and St. Augustine Church – Photo: Synoah Penaflorida
Aside from the changes in the Liberties, another challenge for Catholicism in the area is the shortage of priests.
In the Church of St. John and St Augustine, there are five priests, all in their 70s and 80s.
The last priest ordained in the order of the Augustinians was three years ago. Currently, there are three students in the seminary and two in the noviciate, who are possible candidates to be priests. There is a slight upward trend in young men studying to be Irish diocesan priests.
The Covid pandemic and the wide availability of online services have hit attendance, and the church’s reputation has not recovered from the revelations of recent decades.
“I think the scandals of the clerical abuse in the schools and the churches, have affected how people are relating to the church. Some people are hurt by it,” O’Reilly says.
O’Reilly says he finds it difficult to promote Catholicism to the community.
“The biggest way to do is basically to become far more relevant, and that’s only going to happen when we do away with clericalism.”
