Appointments in the Diocese of Kerry, Summer 2026
My soul give praise to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord all my days,
Make music to my God while I live. (Ps 145)
The announcement of the appointments list is an annual opportunity for all of us to remember and reflect on activity and progress through the past year. I sincerely thank all in the diocese for their participation at parish and diocesan level. I think of all our priests, secretaries and sacristans; our deacons, pastoral leaders and volunteers; our choir members and musicians, readers and eucharistic ministers; our members of councils and committees. Thank you to all at the diocesan office, and at the pastoral centre, – especially their new members, Ailish supporting religious education and chaplaincy in secondary schools, and Colette supporting teenage and young adult ministry. Thank you and God bless one and all.
We all realize the heart of church life is the contribution of every baptized person. Think of the following three situations: parents in the home living their faith and handing it on to their children; the person or family who regularly come to church on Sunday to join in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; the opportunities life constantly affords each of us to be a good neighbour through daily acts of goodness and kindness, compassion and mercy. In a Eucharistic Prayer added to our Altar Missal in 2011 we pray:
“Open our eyes to the needs of our sisters and brothers;
inspire in us words and actions to comfort those who labour and are burdened. Make us serve them truly, after the example of Christ and at his command.
And may your Church stand as a living witness to truth and freedom,
to peace and justice, that all people may be raised up to a new hope.” (Page 683)
With three parish priests retiring this summer, naturally there are many new appointments. In all there are eleven changes involving priests in parishes in seven of our twelve pastoral areas. A large number, – I am always conscious of the need for stability and continuity among the priests in each pastoral area. The Consultors and I each year seek to have a balanced team in each pastoral area. Sincere thanks to the retiring priests for their lifelong ministry in the priesthood. Sincere thanks to all the priests who have agreed to take up new appointments this Summer.
Two years ago, we welcomed three more priests from dioceses in Kenya. Our five priests from Kenya come from dioceses where Irish Kiltegan priests served for many decades. It is a beautiful link. This year we have two more appointments of priests from India, members of the Camillian Order whose main charism is hospital chaplaincy. Fr Jomin now joins Fr Arlappa as hospital chaplains in UHK, Tralee. The third priest, Fr Jofree is awaiting his visa being granted and will minister in St John’s parish, Tralee.
Last September we secured a priest form Poland, Fr Szczepan (Stephan) to replace Fr Mario who had been with us for six years. Fr Stephan will seek to have an availability to the Polish community throughout the diocese. He has a regular weekend Mass in Killarney on
Saturday evening, and in Tralee on three Sunday mornings each month. He is establishing links with Polish communities in the other 10 pastoral areas.
In the past I have outlined how the whole life of a church community can be summed up:
“Think of your local church community in four ways: a social/friendship community; a caring compassionate community; a praying, worshiping and sacramental community; and a community whose mission is to nourish and develop its faith, and hand it on to the next generation. All four ways are essential in a healthy parish.”
Thinking of Church life in this way, so much that has traditionally been the task of the priest can be carried out by baptized people. I genuinely believe that each year we are making progress in having greater involvement of all the baptized as co-responsible for the fullness of parish life. Pastoral leaders, deacons and other volunteers are finding their place within Church structures.
We now have eight international priests ministering among us. As more priests reach retirement age in future years it is a combination of local priests, international priests, deacons and the ministry of all the baptized that will enable us to continue to have the fullness of parish life throughout the diocese.
I ask all in the diocese to continuing to pray, “asking the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest”, – praying and encouraging teenagers and young adult men to consider if God might be calling them to be priests. Healthy faith communities will have sufficient priestly and other vocations for their own spiritual needs. At present in the diocese some young men in their twenties are considering if priesthood is their calling.
A final thought, the past year has been another year dominated by so many ongoing wars, with such tragic consequences for people, communities and nations. Pope Leo constantly asks all in the Church to pray to God the Father for peace in the world. In his recent encyclical Letter, ‘Magnificent Humanity’ he writes:
For each of us, peace primarily comes “from God, God who loves us all, unconditionally.” It is a gift given by Jesus to his disciples on the day of Easter: “Peace be with you!” It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering.” ….
I invite everyone to pray for this gift. Let us never tire of praying for peace and of committing ourselves to achieving it in our relationships and in society. (Paragraph 228).
Our Lady, Queen of peace, intercede for the efforts of peacemakers everywhere.
Bishop Ray Browne
Diocese of Kerry
29 June 2026.