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(Source: www.pixabay.com)There's calls for lay people to carry out Catholic funeral services due to a shortage of priests.
It comes as parishes across the country are currently struggling with the issue.
The Archdiocese of Dublin is the most recent area where priests will be responsible for multiple parishes.
In that area alone, 34 priests have died since 2020, which has lead to the diocese looking at ways to address the shortage.
They've launched a new strategy called, 'Building Hope', encouraging parishes to group together.
Parish Priest of Cabinteely Fr Aquinas Duffy says one of the biggest challenges will be coping with the volume of funeral masses.
"Some parishes have up to 300 funerals a year, so clearly it won't be possible for one priest to do all of those funerals. So I would envisage that there would be lay people trained to provide those services".
Mary Cunniffe, from the Irish Association of Funeral Directors says choosing a time and location for a funeral mass is no longer an option.
"We have to make it known to the families now that we'd be having the funeral whenever the church and priest is available. The expectation that you can have a funeral on the day and time you want, that's no longer there."
The changes to the Archdiocese of Dublin have already begun in areas such as Donnybrook, Booterstown and Foxrock.
