A door has been closed on the past for the Irish Church, and the future is bright, writes Tony Corcoran

The good news is that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and living in Ireland. The recent revelations of abuse, neglect and the inadequate management of the past have brought about amazing and welcome changes in the Irish Church.

At last the Church and civil authorities have come together to formulate effective and workable proceduresfor dealing with child abuse, which have been extended to include the abuse of vulnerable adults. These procedures, along with Garda clearance certification for those working with children and vulnerable adults, will now ensure, as far as practicable, that those now working in the Church, either employed or as volunteers, can feel trusted and valued once again.

Indeed, even during the times of awful revelation, there was still a groundswell of support for the good priests, religious and lay people in the Church. Priests working in parishes and communities will testify to the strong support - sometimes silent - sometimes vocal, that was expressed.

We have come a long way in the past 150 years, during which time the Church and Irish nationalism regularly went hand in glove. At times, indeed, this was an uncomfortable and sometimes incestuous relationship. Many Irish people gave unwavering support to the Church, and put priests and religious on pedestals. In some areas of society, priests and religious were given far too much authority, a situation which gave opportunities to a minority to abuse that trust.

Now, with the support of the Holy Spirit, there has been a huge change in the culture of the Irish Church. There is a great shortage of priests, and the priests we have are mostly in the upper age range. Vocations to the priesthood have fallen, but that doesn't mean that vocations to ministry have reduced. Thanks to the faith of previous generations, people now realise that they can serve the Church without becoming priests or religious.

Those who want to be missionaries can now offer themselves as lay volunteers to the various excellent missionary organisations. Those who wish to serve the Church in their community will find a welcome in their local parishes. However, the need for priests is still acute, as this is all about people working together.

In effect, people, while still respecting the upper echelons of the hierarchical Church, are opting for a more local option - the community Church. People are now firmly grasping their birthright - indeed, their Baptismal right - to minister to one another in their community, within a structure which pays respect to their local priests and their local church. This has been shown through the many who have, in the past year, volunteered their talents for ministry in my parish and the parishes of Ireland.

Pastoral Councils, working with the priests, are forging ahead with initiatives with a new confidence, encouraged by our Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin. This new confidence is visible in our churches, when one sees lay men and women assisting priests in their sacramental duties and liturgies. What is most encouraging also is the composition and presentation of para-liturgies for special occasions, run by the people for the people, with minimum participation, but full encouragement, by the priests.

In the present structure, also, a new and very welcome layer has been introduced. The Archdiocese of Dublin has introduced Parish Pastoral Workers into the framework. Recently, ten of these highly qualified people were commissioned in the Pro-Cathedral. These will work in parishes, sharing their talents in Theology, Liturgy, common sense and people skills with the communities. This brings their number in Dublin to over 20, with another group commencing their training next September. Their role, in travelling the road with communities, will be one of facilitating the pastoral mission of each parish within the framework of the diocese.

So, the Holy Spirit has brought us into a new era in the Irish Church. A door has been closed on the past, and the future is bright. That future is secure, with priests and people working together pastorally, both as a Pastoral Council and as a community which ''acts justly, loves tenderly and walks humbly with our God.'' (Mic 6:8).

Tony Corcoran is a member of the Parish Pastoral Council in the parish of Rathfarnham in Dublin and is a Minister of the Word. He is also a facilitator with the Pathways Programme of All Hallows College, Dublin.