A Bill to enable clergy to serve as priests on a part time basis from the time of their ordination has been presented to General Synod this afternoon (Thursday May 12). At present, clergypersons must serve for at least three years in full–time ministry before undertaking a part–time stipendiary deployment. This means that a person cannot be ordained in the context of a nomination to a part time post even though they may have trained for ordination on a part time basis. This means they must either service on a full time basis or in a non stipendiary capacity. Bill No 6 of 2016 seeks to remove this restriction and therefore allow those training for ordination to continue to serve, at least initially, as priests on a part–time basis.

The Bill was proposed by the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory, the Rt Revd Michael Burrows and seconded by the Ven Leslie Stevenson.

Proposing the Bill, Bishop Burrows, said it was a simple Bill to rectify an anomaly. He said that they have now defined part time ministry in terms of sessions carried out in a parish. The Bill will allow suitably trained people to enter part time ministry from the beginning, he explained.

Bill No 6 passed its first and second stages and will be returned to Synod on Saturday for its third and final stage