Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: March 05, 2017
My thoughts today go back to the six public meetings which Father Trey Nelson, chair of our diocesan Pastoral Planning Task Force, spoke at recently. At these sessions, held in each deanery (that is, region), Father Trey again described his Task Force’s work as we all face a future of changing demographics and fewer priests.
Some of the statistics he shared are challenging. 20 of our 52 active diocesan priests are eligible to retire in the next 5 years (this of course includes the 5 who are already over retirement age). Of the 34 non-diocesan priests we have (mostly members of religious orders), only 19 are able to assist with parish work, and many of these have limited English language and other pastoral skills. Only 11 of our 17 retired priests are able to offer help when they can, and we have only 16 seminarians, only 2 of whom will be ordained priests this May. With 67 parishes (plus 2 university chaplaincies and 2 ethnic apostolates) to cover, it’s a small wonder that we priests feel stretched very thin!
In light of this, Father Trey again shared the Task Force’s recommendations. Reduced Mass schedules – and more intelligent, cooperative scheduling of weekend services tops the list for now. But infrastructure changes are coming too. This means increased sharing of pastors, more lay business-managers of parishes and clusters of parishes, and potential restructuring and even closing of some parishes and eventually even church buildings, all of this on a diocesan-wide basis. Those parishes and regions that can expect some changes this year have been identified – and no, St. Joseph Cathedral Parish will not be affected immediately, but it surely will be at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Still, Father Trey, like me, was surprised at the positive way the audience received and responded to the impending changes in everyone’s Mass schedules, parish organizations and fewer priests. “Father, it won’t be easy but it has to be done” is a good way of summarizing their support. One of the best things that the Task Force is doing is asking everyone “to think ecclesially, not parochially” as we plan creatively about what to do in the years to come. Thank you for your prayers, too: we’ll need them!
Sincerely in the Lord,
Father Paul
