Recently, two programs aired on Irish TV (RTE). One was entitled “The Last Priests in Ireland” and the other “The Last Nuns in Ireland”. I have not seen the programs, but I am intrigued to see the national broadcaster taking up topics that have been of concern in many diocese and religious congregations around the world – aging and diminishing numbers that raise concern about what the future of the church will be like.
While this was still on my mind, I heard an RTE radio program called “Countrywide” that focuses on what is happening in rural Ireland. This edition looked at issues facing farmers in Ireland. I could not help noticing how similar many of the issues faced by farmers were to those facing the church at present.
The point of similarity that stood out was the question of succession. Many farmers are worried about who will keep the farm going once they have to retire. Reference was made to a recent survey that found that 30% of farmers were unsure whether they would still be in farming in 5 years. It suggested that only about half of farmers were doing succession planning. The others had not identified or communicated with whoever they hoped would take over. The expectation that one of the children, generally the oldest son, can no longer be assumed. With the church facing what the TV program called “a terminal decline in religious vocations”, it is hard to know what will succeed the present generation of nuns and priests.
The Countrywide program also looked at ways to attract young people and more women to farming, which was primarily a male preserve in the past – very much like the church, where older men held power. The call for women to be included in decision-making is common to both, as is the need for all the work women are already doing to be acknowledged.
Farmers have also had a great deal of bad press to deal with recently as concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability call into question many farming practices. There is a growing call for reform in the farming sector – some to be undertaken voluntarily, but others are required by climate agreements and protocols. The church also had been called into continued reform because of the abuse scandals that have come to light in the past 30 years. The RTE programs acknowledge the great damage that abuse has caused to its victims. Dearbhail McDonald, the presenter of the Last Nuns in Ireland, also notes how “priests and nuns were critical to the survival of the country by building and operating schools, hospitals and social care services at a time when the fledgling, impoverished, independent Irish state could not”.
The same edition of Countrywide had a wonderful interview with a farmer in Laois who has introduced many creative practices that are environmentally friendly but are also making his farm more productive. While acknowledging the negative things that have been part of the story on farms and in the church, both the TV and radio programs recognise the good that is also part of the story.
Falling numbers in the pews combined with an increased workload at a time when most people are retired has been identified as a cause of low morale among priests, who also can experience great loneliness. Farmers are also prone to mental health issues. 23.4% of farmers who participated in a national survey were considered at risk for suicide. Factors contributed to farmers’ distress, well-being, and suicidality mentioned in the National Plan for the Prevention of Suicide included (i) identity, relationships with the land, (ii) government policies designed to reduce climate change, (iii) representation of farmers in the media, (iv) outsiders not understanding the nature of farming, and (v) concern over the future of the farm. Farmers are vulnerable to the vagaries of the weather, which can put an already precarious existence under great pressure if adverse conditions impact production or harvests. The Irish survey of famers also notes that 30% of farmers have no pension and 50% have not made a will.
Both farming and the church have survived major changes and crises in the past. Neither will look the same as they move into the future but the hope is that the essential work of producing food and looking after the social and spiritual needs of people will continue.
Fr Patrick O’Shea – Aotearoa/New Zealand
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