Limerick Diocese invites applications for the position of:

Pastoral Development Worker

The Diocese of Limerick is a Catholic community of sixty parishes living and working together in service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Its geographical area comprises the greater part of County Limerick, part of County Clare and one townland in County Kerry. Eighteen of its parishes are in the Limerick metropolitan area and environs. Services include the co-ordination and support of ministry, diocesan archives, pastoral supports, youth ministry, school advisory services and safeguarding across the Diocese in a changing environment. Based in the Limerick Diocesan Centre, the key responsibility of this role is to research pastoral, liturgical and missionary needs at Parish, Pastoral Unit and Diocesan levels and develop, implement and evaluate a suite of relevant programmes. The Pastoral Worker will also resource parishes in the promotion of lay Pastoral Ministry initiatives in partnership with Pastoral Unit Councils, Diocesan Pastoral Council and other relevant structures and groups. The Worker will support the implementation of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan, promote and facilitate the Synodal Pathway and proactively contribute to the overall development of Pastoral renewal in the Diocese.

This role will demand regular evening and weekend work across the Diocese with occasional meetings outside the Diocese. Access to own transport and full clean driving licence are essential.

Essential qualifications, skills and attributes required for this post:

• Relevant or equivalent qualification in Catechetics/Religious Education/Theology/ Leadership and/or Pastoral Care/Youth Ministry, preferably at Post Graduate level.
• Familiarity with current directions in the pastoral ministry, liturgical formation and mission of the Church.
• Ability to work to own initiative as well as collaboratively with clergy, parish and diocesan staff and volunteers and other individuals and groups in implementing the vision for pastoral renewal and faith development contained in Share the Good News – the National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland and the Diocesan Pastoral Plan.
• Excellent pastoral, interpersonal, organisational, planning and communication skills.
• Proven track record in report writing, analysis and preparation of briefing documents.
• High levels of personal motivation, self-management, and attention to detail.
• Strong IT skills and ability to present data in a range of formats and to various audiences.
• Full clean driving licence and access to own transport.

Strongly Desirable:

• A minimum of three years post-qualification relevant experience to include familiarity with typical community and voluntary structures at parish level.
• Familiarity with the Universal Synod and Irish Synodal Pathway.

Special requirements for the post:

• Respect for the teachings of the Catholic Church and commitment to the Diocesan Vision and Ethos.
• Full compliance with and commitment to all the measures in Safeguarding children and Vulnerable adults and Vetting.
• Flexibility in the role that may vary in response to organisational change, development and review of best practice as well as in relation to hours of work and travel.

This post is for a three-year fixed term contract that may be renewed subject to available funding. A detailed job description and application form is available on www.limerickdiocese.org.

Please see Application Pack attached below for more information

Completed applications to be returned via electronic mail to: recruitment@limerickdiocese.org by the deadline of Tuesday July 22nd, 2025. Incomplete applications will not be considered. A panel may be formed from the recruitment process.

Please note that Garda Vetting may apply in respect of the post.