***There are several churches consolidated in numerous cities. The primary reason is funding. If there were so many Catholics, why would money be an issue?***
Not sure. With the unfortunate movement of some of the Church immediately prior to and after Vatican II, we lost a lot of clergy. The numbers in the seminaries are climbing with the increased conservatism of JPII and now BXVI; our talks with the Orthodox have increased with the jettisoning of the inclusionist type that supported guitar Masses, Wiccan nuns and liberation theology.
http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2001/mar2001p6_149.html says that:
Those US dioceses which have consistently promoted orthodoxy both in their parishes and in their seminaries have been affected little, if at all, by any “vocations crisis” or shortage of priests. Nor are the bishops of such dioceses issuing pastoral letters introducing parish “clusters” or giving instructions on how to celebrate the liturgy in the absence of a priest.
Dioceses such as Wichita, Lincoln, Arlington, Fargo and Peoria have consistently been ordaining as many or more men each year than liberal dioceses five to ten times their size.
In the Rockford, Illinois, diocese, Bishop Thomas Doran ordained eight priests last year, the highest number of ordinations there in 41 years. In Virginia, the Diocese of Arlington ordained 55 men to the priesthood in the years 1991-98. And the Diocese of Peoria, with a Catholic population of just 232,000, ordained 72 priests in the years 1991-98, an average of nine each year.
In comparison, nearby Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a Catholic population three times that of Peoria, ordained just two priests in 1998, while Detroit, with a Catholic population of 1.5 million (almost seven times that of Peoria) ordained an average of eight men each year from 1991-98.
Archbishop Curtiss’ Omaha archdiocese, considered one of the most conservative in the Midwest, ordained an average of seven men in the years from 1991-98 for a population of just 215,000 Catholics. Compare that to the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin (with a slightly larger Catholic population), which ordained a total of four men during the entire period of 1991-98.
Other dioceses, such as Denver and Atlanta, have turned their vocation programs around by actively supporting orthodox vocations and promoting fidelity to Church teaching, while emphasising the traditional role of the priest as defined by the Church. Atlanta now has 61 seminarians, up from just nine in 1985. Denver boasted 68 seminarians in 1999, up from 26 in 1991.
***And you are right about the Diocese here. This is a VERY Catholic town. And very Democratic too.***
That demographic is changing. The immigrant Catholic population during the 1800s were largely persecuted by the Protestant establishment and supported by or else ignored by the Republican Party. The Democratic Party embraced this new voter bloc and much of that loyalty remains to this day.
But with the movement of the Democratic Party towards socialism, abortion, gay rights and generally left wing and immoral behaviours, the Catholic conservatives are moving towards the Republican Party. The old liberals are remaining Democrat, but they are not replacing themselves with young liberals.
Sadly, your last paragraph has yet to unfold. Most RCs I know are still hardcore Dems and thats because they are what I call, “Catholic in Name Only.” They think they are Catholic, but are CLUEless.
I do think you make a good point, though, on the fact that the orthodox congregations and dioceses having no shortage of priests. We have a very excellent Catholic Church w/i 5 minutes of our home. I have been to Mass there. They are a vibrant community and very, very conservative. Our dear, born-again Catholic friends told us about the church. They are thriving.