An ongoing rural ministry priest shortage in the Spanish region of Castile has bishops, vicars and deans looking for new ways to serve. The problem is urgent, as what worked in the past when there were plenty of priests doesn’t work today. “We cannot expect things to change if we always do the same thing” Read more
Rocketing energy bills and a shortage of priests have driven a Dutch Roman Catholic Diocese to cut the number of Masses in some churches. The southern Diocese of Roermond wrote to its parishes last week to encourage some to periodically skip Mass, spokesman Matheu Bemelmans said on Thursday. “Finances cannot be a dominant factor, but Read more
Evangelisation doesn’t depend on big parishes, says Hanoi’s Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien. Even tiny ones, like those with just 70-200 parishioners each, can still evangelise others. The way Catholics live out their faith is what’s important, he says. They should trust in God, who always loves and blesses them. They should also try to Read more
No priests, no Eucharist, no Mass – the situation for parishes in Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese looks critical. Thirty-four priests in the diocese have died since February 2020. The youngest was just 52. New proposals on restructuring parishes in the archdiocese will buy the Church some time. Not much though – between five and ten years Read more
Thank you for coming! My name is Bishop Pascal. I am the ordinary in the Diocese of Heartlands, and I need your help. Let me first tell you my situation and some of the options that are being proposed to me for dealing with it. Then I’ll welcome your suggestions or proposals. Our diocese has Read more
Restauranters and café owners in New Zealand turned off their lights this week highlighting their staff shortages and inability to bring in labour from overseas. It is a labour shortage echoed by a local priest! “I wonder if I should turn out the lights in Church on Sunday?” he asked. The priest does not want Read more
After many months of deliberation, the fate of five Wairarapa church buildings owned by the Catholic church has been decided. Three will be put up for sale. Cardinal John Dew announced in June that only Featherston’s St Teresa of Avila and Masterton’s St Patrick’s Church would be kept. The following properties will be up for Read more
Facing a shortage of priests and decreased revenue, the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit announced this week an ambitious new reorganization plan that will create what it calls “families of parishes,” grouping three to six churches together that will share priests and resources. The plan — to be carried out over two years — is different Read more
Fewer resources, a lack of priests and merging dioceses are upsetting French Catholic communities in rural areas. Talk of reducing the number of dioceses in country districts is met with hostility from clergy and Catholic faithful alike, who see it as a “view from Paris”. Nonetheless, many wonder if the country’s 100 dioceses aren’t too Read more
The Catholic Church has been accused of “robbing” Africa of its priests to tackle the shortage in the UK, leaving worshippers struggling to understand services in “poor English”. The claims were made by the Rev Deacon Michael Phelan, a retired Permanent Deacon in the diocese of Northampton, who raised concerns amid what some people deem Read more