DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY: The journey to the Diocesan Assembly announced by Bishop Francis Duffy has started. It will be largely parish based. The first meeting of delegates will be in St. Mel’s College, Longford on 14th September. During this meeting the delegates will be invited and supported to do two things:

Firstly, to listen to a small group of people in their own parish about their experiences of life and hopes for the church. Many of these groups will not be regular church goers.

Secondly, to meet with their parish pastoral council about its views on what should be on the agenda for the Diocesan Assembly.

The delegates will be helped to arrange these meetings and to report back on them for the 2nd meeting of delegates, which will be held in November. A summary of all the reports will be published on the Ardagh and Clonmacnois website and the themes for the Assembly will be drawn from this Report. The Assembly event is on 9th and 10th May, 2020. It will be followed by a pastoral plan which will be implemented in the parishes.

“They (lay people) must no longer be viewed as ‘collaborators’ of the clergy but truly recognized as ‘co-responsible’ for the Church's being and action….” (Pope Benedict, 26 May 2009).