So, is there a priest shortage?

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[american colleen]

So, is there a priest shortage?

It is fairly common for the press, Catholic or secular, to report about a shortage of Catholic priests that is usually described as a crisis for the Church. It is true that the number of priests in the US has been declining for over a decade. This has been a fairly small decline however, from 53,000 in 1991 to 46,000 in 2001. There has probably been a similar decline in the percentage of active Catholics during these same years, but this is harder to measure accurately. Keep in mind that there are less than 20,000 Catholic parishes in the US, far less than the number of priests. And just for example, if half of the parishes closed overnight, most Catholics would still have a shorter trip to Sunday mass than to their nearest shopping mall. (Thanks to a local bishop for that fact.) I live in an area where towns of less than two hundred people still have a priest serving their parish.

These statistics need to be interpreted in light of an important fact: The Catholic Church is an international, worldwide institution. Priests can and often do travel between nations to meet local needs. Some people think it a problem that the US has imported a few hundred foreign-born priests because our seminaries can't produce enough. Do these people realize that the US has imported half a million computer programmers because our schools can't produce enough?

You won't see much reporting about this, but worldwide the number of priests and seminarians is growing. Between 1990 and 2000, total priests worldwide increased from 401,000 to 405,000. Granted, this is slower than the percent growth in total Catholics, but remember that several other religions are shrinking in the modern, secularized world. In other words, "They wish they had our problems"! Add to this the number of permanent deacons, which exploded from 17,000 to 27,000 during these years. Permanent deacons are ordained clergy who perform baptisms, weddings and preach. They will play a growing role in the future of the Church, but they get very little publicity. The overall result is that the number of Catholic clergy has increased significantly in the last decade. And during those 10 years the number of worldwide Catholic major seminarians grew from 93,000 to 110,000, a very healthy increase. The lack of growth is mostly in the English-speaking nations. And even there the problem is more local than you might think.

Some US Dioceses are ordaining many more priests than others. By comparing the number of priests active in a diocese during 2001 with the same figure from 1991, we can see how the diocese is trending vocationally. The percentage figure represents the 2001 number divided by the 1991 figure. A higher percentage means the diocese is having more success attracting new priests. Compare these relatively successful dioceses:

Atlanta, GA. . . . 123%

Arlington, VA. . 121

Lincoln, NE. . . . 107

Fargo, ND. . . . 101

Rockford, IL. . . . 97

With these relatively unsuccessful ones:

Rochester, NY. . . 72%

Milwaukee, WI. . . 77

Albany, NY. . . . . . 79

New Ulm, MN. . . 79

Joliet, IL. . . . . . . . 80

I hate to use a cliche, but numbers don't lie. Anyone can see a huge difference here. Ultimately, the bishop of a diocese is responsible for vocations. I will leave it to you, gentle reader, to explore what many other Catholics have said about the men who were leading the Dioceses above during those years. I will say that if we had accountability in the Church like major business corporations do, Bishop Matthew Clark of Rochester would have been forced to resign long ago.

Standard business management practice would suggest that we study the Dioceses that are succeeding, see what factors are helping them, and implement these factors in other places. Bishops that fail to do this should be held accountable in some way. This is an area where some new kind of lay empowerment may be needed. If any readers are curious about the percentage figure for your local diocese, contact me and I will calculate it for you. For now, this may be the best "power rating" available to evaluate the performance of Catholic Bishops.

[St.Chuck]

You should read the scriptures,particularly the passages about Solomon and the mother and the stepmother and the baby.

This is an extremely insightful post.

1 Kings 3:16 Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.

17 The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

18 "It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house.

19 "This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on it.

20 "So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.

21 "When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne."

22 Then the other woman said, "No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." But the first woman said, "No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king.

23 Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'"

24 The king said, "Get me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king.

25 The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other."

26 Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for (1) she was deeply stirred over her son and said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!"

27 Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother."

28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for (2) they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

I would cast the far right as the woman whose baby has died. By creating their own parallel church, they have stolen the baby from the rightful mother. When the sword hovers over the baby it will be the far right who will not blink, rather it will be the left, who in the service of unity, will preserve the life of the baby.

[sinkspur]

I would cast the far right as the woman whose baby has died. By creating their own parallel church, they have stolen the baby from the rightful mother. When the sword hovers over the baby it will be the far right who will not blink, rather it will be the left, who in the service of unity, will preserve the life of the baby.

Good observations. Traditionalists would rather destroy the Church, so one could be rebuilt in their image, than slog through the changes that come when, as John XXIII exhorted "The Church goes out into the world."

[saradippity]

Don't tell our musicians that I am chiming in about music,which I actually know nothing about;however,for some reason as I was sitting here,I started to hum and then sing.and I remembered how I used to get goosebumps and be awed by hearing:

Oh sacrament most holy,oh sacrament divine,

All praise and all thanksgiving,be every moment thine.

I remember more about the Mass I didn't "actively participate" in 40 years ago,than last Sundays.Could be early onset Altzheimers,or it was just more memorable.

[ninenot]

Pilarczyk's a bad guy, and his predecessor (Bernardin) was even worse. If it weren't for football, there would be NOTHING good about that Diocese in recent memory, except Michael Rose who lives there.

[american colleen]

Where do you get your numbers? Tulsa and Oklahoma City are still ordaining more priests per total Catholic pop. than most dioceses - they are very high on the curve. And you do OK & Illinois a great disservice if you think "farmboys" are the norm there. Plus you are a snob, sadly. I can't believe you said that. Do you think that having a Ph.D or coming from wealth and a blue-blood background makes a man a better priest? Jesus Christ Himself chose simple fishermen to spread the Good News. And He was a carpenter.

You well know that bishops like Bruskewicz are not "clubbable" (stole that from Neuhaus) and are dismissed as being too archaic and dictatorial (sorry if B. hurt CTA's feelings) by the other bishops. But they sure get the job done although not according to the guidelines of the progressives. Bruskewicz gets blackballed. He's not PC. I like him because he is not afraid to be Catholic and he doesn't care that he's not PC. Plus, he has a good sense of humor.

Bishop O'Malley is new and needs time. Looks like he is going to can the Talk about Touching program. He never read it and he is reading it now.

I don't wanna screen priests, who am I to do that - I just wanna screen the screeners who screen the priests.

Why do you think the progressive dioceses ordain few priests? For instance, what do you think is the problem in LA?

[ninenot]

You can hope that Vosko draws up the plans for the renovation--and I mean in a technical sense "draws up the plans."

Because he is NOT an architect, the second construction begins, you can sue to force them to cease and desist--unless the plans have a stamp from a REAL architect, it is a violation of City, County, and State codes to use them.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

At the same time, the Southern Baptists have created about 17 new Churches in these areas during this time frame. Ain't that a kick?

I must have missed them. Can you name the areas they are in? I'm not aware of any Southern Baptist Churches in my area.

The Southern Baptists have the same attendance problem the Catholics have - less than 1/3 of those on the roles are in the pews on any Sunday.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

And plenty of priests.

279 parishes, ~1100 Priests.

[sinkspur]

Why do you think the progressive dioceses ordain few priests? For instance, what do you think is the problem in LA?

Mahoney's a crook.

[american colleen]

When the sword hovers over the baby it will be the far right who will not blink, rather it will be the left, who in the service of unity, will preserve the life of the baby.

Maybe so, maybe so. But then the left will then give the baby to a non-celibate homosexual Episcopalian bishop to raise.

[ninenot]

Stand for nothing and you'll fall for anything.

GKChesterton

[american colleen]

That can't be! There's a crisis out there for cryin' out loud!

[american colleen]

Should be a doctor of the Church if ya ask me.

[american colleen]

Thanks for the non-answer.

[sinkspur]

Plus you are a snob, sadly.

I went to school with seminarians from Lincoln; they were ALL rural men, with one exception. Good guys, too, though a great deal more progressive than the reputation of their diocese.

One is a bishop, Robert Vasa, in Baker, Oregon. And, yes, he has an STD degree. Another, Fr. Jim Divis, teaches in the seminary in Lincoln.

[ninenot]

It is really tough to fight rearguard, ain'a?

The progressives are dead/dying. Long live the Church!!

[ninenot]

Bruskewitz is not likely to farm out priests to Mahoney.

But if Mahony is succeeded by an actual Catholic, Bruskewitz may very well send a few missionaries.

[Catholicguy]

I too miss the old hymns. However, "Non Serviam" seems to be the motto of far too many alive in the Church today and each wants to "do" Liturgy in their own personal way.

This too shall pass

[sinkspur]

Thanks for the non-answer.

Would you serve a bishop who spent $200 million on a building? I wouldn't.

Mahoney built a tribute to himself then turned around and fired half of his diocesan staff. He's an egomaniacal punk.

[saradippity]

Some friends of mine and I are getting together a small collection of John XXIII's writings to give to our modernist,progressive,liberal change agents. They are going to be quite surprised.

He thought Latin should be used for all seminary studies,he did not approve of homosexuality or any "impure" behaviors among other old fashioned things.

I think St. Chuck may be right too,but I also think many of the change agents will end up going over to some mainstream denominations,who have gone out into the world,or more accurately,been absorbed by the world. This whole thing with the Episcopalian bishop who is to be ordained bears watching.

I have already seen some folks I know going to a conservative Presbyterian church here and another couple to a Bible Church.

All 5 were convinced that the Catholic Church wa only a mini step away from their flailing floundering church.

I have said from day one that the Catholic Church will be smaller and stronger;purer and poorer. And I think that is fine,totally in sync with the Pope and Magisterium will help a whole lot.