By Aoife Daly 

Religion used to be at the core of Irish society. Despite the Church scandals and abuses that have come to light in recent years, the organisations impact on Irish society can be seen to this day. Most primary schools still have a Catholic ethos, at 88.6% in 2021, and an Irish Times poll from 2015 indicated that 93% of parents have their children baptised. A 2023 survey by Amárach Research found that, despite dwindling mass attendance numbers, about 50% of Irish adults still believe in God. 

Image source: Landgeist. Sourced from the following article: https://landgeist.com/2022/07/30/importance-of-religion-to-europeans/ 

All of this makes it impossible to ignore the remaining pillars of the Catholic Church in Ireland today. Clearly, religion is still relevant in the current age. But how is this religious community adapting to a modern, increasingly secular, Ireland? 

“Where the sisters are elderly and aren’t able to work, it’s the pensions keeping them going” 
 

“There’s very, very few people entering religious life today,” said Sister Bríd Geraghty, the delegation leader of the Disciples of the Divine Master in Blackrock, Dublin.  

“I was only 17 when I joined, I had just finished my Leaving Cert,” she said. “There were four in my class, three became Sisters of Mercy, [and I] chose the Disciples of the Divine Master.” 

 “It was a beautiful experience, because we were many together,” she continued.   

 “You had great company,” she said. “That’s one thing that would be lacking today, if a young girl decided to enter the convent.”  

Image: Unsplash

In 1950, the number of female religious figures in the diocese of Dublin was 3,031. In 2021, that number had dropped to 1,022. During this time, the overall population of Dublin rose from around 632,000, to well over a million.  

The impact this has had on religious communities is palpable. It is no longer possible for nuns to remain in convents as they age, as the support system that previously surrounded them has shrunken to a fraction of what it once was. Many are sent to nursing homes, against their better wishes.  

 While Sister Geraghty’s convent manages to generate income through hospitality, other orders would struggle to sustain themselves. 

“We have about four rooms where people would come on retreat,” she said. “For full board here, it’s €70… So that helps us, but in other orders, it would be the pensions… Where the sisters are elderly and aren’t able to work, it’s the pensions keeping them going.”  

Image source: Unsplash 

Sister Geraghty believes the best way for the Church to mitigate these issues is to expand the range of people it appeals to.  

“There’s a lot of talk now about whether they should be blessing gay marriages, or whether there should be women priests,” she said. “People have sat down and said, ‘how would we like to see the Church today?’ It has to change.”  

“The Church as it is now, is not attracting young people,” she continued.  

“The younger generation have changed, culture has changed, but unfortunately, the Church hasn’t changed,” she said. “And it’s not going to change a great lot if we’re going to depend on all older priests, older men.”   

“I think at the moment, women will be more involved in the Church, and given a different place, a more important place, in the Church, where they feel like they’re contributing,” she said. 

“People have it be invited to help in the Church today, and that’s missing” 

Sister Geraghty also believes the Church must join forces with those who may not be religious, but would still appreciate the community the Church could offer.  

“There’s no need for so many religious [people] today. It’s the lay people, like yourself, that should be more involved with the Church, given a chance, encouraged, invited. They’re not invited… People have to be invited to help in the Church today, and that’s missing. Like, my own nephews and nieces, they don’t feel that they’re part of the Church,” she said.