Sister Dorothy Pawlus will assume many administrative duties at St. Bartholomew in Penn Hills, but sacramental duties there will remain in the hands of a priest.
Posted on 05/22/2007 10:38:17 AM PDT by NYer
Sister Dorothy Pawlus, 49, will assume many of the administrative duties at St. Bartholomew Parish after the Rev. David J. Bonnar concludes his six-year term as pastor next month. Sacramental duties -- such as saying Mass, hearing confessions, and performing baptisms and weddings -- will be performed by the Rev. James A. McDonough of St. Regis Parish in Oakland.-30-
The steady decline in the number of priests serving the diocese's 214 parishes prompted then-Bishop Donald Wuerl last spring to approve a plan to appoint parish life collaborators in parishes with no resident priest. Two dozen priests in the Diocese of Pittsburgh serve as pastors for two or more parishes.
The parish life collaborator will have 40 responsibilities, including worship, education, pastoral service and administration.
"This is sort of a trial," said the Rev. Ronald P. Lengwin, spokesman for the diocese. "It's the first time in our diocese, the first time in the state of Pennsylvania, and we need to look at it and see if it is as effective as it can be."
In the year since the new position was announced, seven applicants -- two deacons, two lay women, a lay man and two nuns -- have been approved. Others will be announced in the months ahead.
"If there ever were enough priests in the future where we could staff parishes with priests, then it's possible that the role of the parish life collaborator would not be necessary any longer," Father Lengwin said. "But that's not the way the trend is going. We're expecting that there will be more parishes in the future that will also have parish life collaborators."
Father Lengwin said the diocese has high hopes for the program, which has been modeled after programs that have worked in other parts of the country for decades. And while Sister Dorothy is the first parish life collaborator, he said it would be wrong to place the burden of the local program's success on her.
"She's quite capable," he said, "but different parishes are unique in their own way. There's a lot of cooperation that needs to take place here."
We have several of these priestless parishes in the Albany diocese. The brother of an elderly (but not retired) priest recently commented that this type of arrangement is like castration for a priest. The priest is reduced to nothing more than a sacramental minister who hears confessions and consecrates the Eucharist, while a lay person runs the parish.
weird.
“Bishop Donald Wuerl”
Surprised much?
Wonder if the Sister shortage would be ended if they were allowed to be married.
Lol!
There is no sister shortage. Convents are overflowing with young applicants.
Shall I translate? "Responsibility for anything that goes wrong as a result of this will be assigned to whichever parishioners find this arrangement less than wonderful."
oh gosh! im leaving that church! (if i attended it, that is.)
I think you missed the point.
As a personal aside, I wish nuns would go back to wearing the habit. Not the full-on, penguin dress (although that might be nifty), but at least the headgear.
Well, were I in that parish, the first thing I’d do is start looking for a parish with an actual priest in residence and start going there.
You know, I can understand not having a resident Priest, but I have often argued that a Permanent Deacon would be the second best choice and you could let them live in the empty rectory.
I also, to play advocate, think much of this is the Bishop’s making. Like for instance here in Boston one of the first things they tell you when applying to the Seminary is “keep you head down” and don’t use words like “orthodox” to self describe.
That's news to me in the US. When are they due to come out?
I'm sure the Joan Chittester crowd in Erie is thrilled. And let me say it again (and again and again). How many of these folks actually encourage young men to consider a priestly vocation? I have a son. Priesthood may or may not be for him, but we've talked about it. He attended Catholic schools. Far too often, I've heard, 'not my son'. Many parents don't talk about, some actively discourage it, Catholic educators are sometimes falling short. And after my local parishes permitted, nearly two-thirds of the boys dropped out over a 2 year period, the list is mostly girls. Same with the lectors and the EEM's where women have been permitted for some time. Most are women. Here in western PA there is much talk about a 'shortage', and maybe permitting women priests or married priests as a way to boost vocations. Practically everything except encouraging men, from a young age, to consider the vocation. Sorry for the rant.
Wonder what that means in the real world?
That one appears to be funny on the first read...until you realize how accurate it is.
Cooperation means..Don’t say anything bad about the nun”!
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