Metro Catholics say plan, to be announced today, is short-term fix because core problem is priest shortage.
The reorganization of the archdiocese will affect about 100 of the 306 parishes.
"The plan is untenable," says pastoral minister Tom Kyle. "Reducing theReading further in the article, it's no surprise to read this:
number of parishes by closure and or merger . . . cannot keep up with the
decline in the number of available priests."
(remember my earlier post?)
Many Catholics believe the church will clearly move to married priests, if notWhy is it that people refuse to acknowledge the real issues at hand? Does it not matter that many priests no longer give homilies on what the Church actually teaches, such as artificial birth control, living together before marriage, purgatory, and abortion? Can we really ignore some of the reasons behind a decline in vocations, and only talk about the ones the less-conservative prefer?
women as priests, when the issue is forced on it. Some believe that time is
now.
Some Catholics believe neither move should ever occur. But public opinion
research, including that by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute,
suggests some 70 percent of Catholics in the United States favor allowing
priests to marry, especially when the issue is posed as a matter of the faith
thriving.
At a glance
Parish closings:
65 parishes closed since 1938
26 closed in 1989 alone, the single-largest closing
Since 2000, nine parishes shuttered, with six of them closing last year
65 parishes closed since 1938
26 closed in 1989 alone, the single-largest closing
Since 2000, nine parishes shuttered, with six of them closing last year
Parishes
306 parishes
4 missions
2 communities
306 parishes
4 missions
2 communities
Priests
317 priests
Average priest age: 56
Average priest-parishioner ratio: 1:2,903
317 priests
Average priest age: 56
Average priest-parishioner ratio: 1:2,903
Look at that priest-parishioner ratio. Remember when most parishes had more than one priest?
Click here for a Prayer for Vocations.
3 comments:
This is something we definitely need to pray for.
Sometimes I think if I were a man, I would become a priest...I think...no...I KNOW that stems directly from the ineffable admiration I have for my priest. He is someone who is exactly where God needs him to be...you can see God working so much through him. But I know that my call isn't to the priesthood. I am a woman. God has created us with so much individual dignity that saying women should be priests just like men ("equal right") is, I think, a VIOLATION of the unique dignity with which God created us. And I think to say that priests should marry to increase vocations is another shame. Priests are "in persona Christi" - their brides MUST be the Church, as is Christ's bride.
This is definitely something we should be reminded to pray about. Thank you for this post because it has reminded me!!
I know God loves His Church...He would never leave us to dwindle when our hearts are turned to Him.
I think the priest shortage is an overall issue within American culture. In recent months there have been many articles about how we are shortchanging boys in the school systems. We see it in the dramatic lost of men in colleges. Also as a young woman, I was taught not to think about men in loving providing relationships, that men were obsolete.
Wow, Renee. I think so many people (women) are taught the same thing. If not by word, then definitely by example. You point out something so true- society in general has taken away much deserved respect for most men. And that has to be a part of the decline in priests.
And O!, you're right- married priests takes away from a priest, or husband for that matter, devoting his life in full to his vocation. Priests are different from pastors of other parishes, as they do not have all the Sacraments, etc. In a way, our priests have "more work" than other pastors, if that makes any sense.
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