FUTURE OF THE CHURCH: Diocesan Pastoral Council, Shane O'Donoghue, Eileen O'Mahony, Bishop Ray Browne, Jacinta O'Shea and Fr Ger Godley, as they begin the process with an invitation to attend local gatherings and take the time to listen, reimagine and plan the future.

The future of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Kerry will be discussed at a public meeting in Killarney on Tuesday night.

The meeting, which is scheduled for 8pm at the Dromhall Hotel, is one of several taking place across the entire diocese.

The Bishop of Kerry, Ray Browne, has called the meeting to allow parishioners voice their opinion on the future of the church in the locality.

There are concerns that falling numbers entering the priesthood could have far reaching effects across the entire county.

Last June there was widespread anger in the Kilcummin parish when it was left without a resident priest following a shake-up of county parishes at that time. Kilcummin is now served by a number of Killarney-based priests rather than a live-in priest in the parish.

“The diocese is coming to the end of its current five year plan,” Mary Fagan, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Kerry, told the Killarney Advertiser.

“These meetings are the first stage of a planning process being undertaken by the diocese as it maps out a response to today’s needs. Participants’ input will contribute towards the formation of a plan of action. Opportunities will also be provided for individuals and groups who wish to contribute their ideas.”

Topics up for discussion include, the decreasing number of priests, how funerals will be celebrated in the future, who will support children presenting for First Holy Communion, who will offer pastoral care and support to the sick and the housebound over the coming years, and will churches have close.