Figures on those who will continue to attend but leave immediately after communion have yet to be revealed.
The number of people attending mass in Dublin is expected to drop by a third between now and 2030 according to a report prepared for the Dublin Council of priests by consultancy firm Towers Watson.
The report, which is referenced in today’s Irish Times, says that a 33% fall in the numbers of people attending weekly mass in the capital is “the most optimistic projection,” with attendance set to drop by an average of 2.5% per year between now and 2030.
It also predicts that the number of priests is expected to drop by a whopping 70 per cent in the same period.
The figures in the report relate only to Dublin, but there has been evidence of a decline in the numbers of people attending mass throughout the country in both the Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church of Ireland.
The decline in the number of people attending mass in the capital has slowed somewhat in recent years, having experienced a dramatic fall in 2009 (6.4%) and 2011 (7.4%); between 2008 and 2014, attendances fell by an average of 3.7%.
Marriages in Catholic archdioceses have also been steadily declining in recent years and while the number of baptisms remains steady, a sharp decline is anticipated if there is a change in admission policies in Catholic schools, which currently require children to be baptised before attending.
Eye-opening figures for sure, but do they come as a surprise?
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