Do Not Stifle the Spirit! A Call To Preserve Vibrant Parishes in a Time of Fewer Priests.

The U.S. Catholic Church is facing the most massive parish closing and restructuring process in our history. Dioceses all over the U.S. are trying to sort out how to staff parishes in a time of fewer priests. Too many bishops appear to be considering, a “shrink to fit” policy of reducing numbers of parishes to fit numbers of priests, even in the case of parishes that are financially viable and alive with important outreach ministries.

Sadly, such drastic policies will not work. Dismal priest shortage projections show that many dioceses will be forced to restructure again in five or ten years.

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 75% of the 18,000 active diocesan priests in the U.S. are over 55 years old, but we are only ordaining about 350 new diocesan priests each year. In 20 years, presuming ordinations remain constant, we could have as few as 11,500 active diocesan priests for our 19,000 parishes. At the same time, numbers of deacons and paid lay ministers have increased significantly to 14,000 and 30,000 respectively. Currently “parish life coordinators are pastoring 600 U.S. parishes. Sixty percent are women.

For the past sixteen years, my organization, FutureChurch has been raising awareness of the consequences of failing to effectively address the priest shortage. On behalf of FutureChurch, and of our project partners, Call To Action, I was present the International Synod on the Eucharist last October. Even though four of twelve synod discussion groups submitted proposals to study the possibility of married priests, the synod’s final report reaffirmed mandatory celibacy in the Latin rite .

We hoped our leaders would act before it is too late. Instead, some bishops are not only closing or merging viable parishes, but they are appropriating assets from the closed parishes for their dioceses rather than transferring the money to the receiving parish that welcomes newly orphaned parishioners.

A July, 2006 letter from the Vatican’s Congregation on the Clergy instructed our bishops to stop this practice, noting that it was “ not uncommon” for U.S. dioceses to erroneously invoke canon 123, which allows closed parishes’ assets to go to the dioceses, many of which are cash-strapped because of the clergy sex abuse crisis.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos wrote: “In most cases ‘suppressions’ are in reality an ‘amalgamation’ or ‘merger’ and as such the goods and liabilities should go to the enlarged parish community and not to the diocese.” (For full text visit http://www.futurechurch.org/sopc/canon125.htm)

To help correct this situation and especially to make the point that there is no need to close parishes when we have an abundance of deacons and lay ministers, a national coalition of Catholic groups and lay leaders have endorsed and are circulating a statement listing eight “best practices” for keeping parishes open in the midst of a steadily worsening U.S. priest shortage.

The statement, “Do Not Stifle the Spirit!” (Thess 5:19) cites the positive example of eight U.S. dioceses that “chose creative solutions [permitted by canon law], such as entrusting the pastoral care of several parishes to one priest, to a team of priests, or to competent lay ecclesial ministers, deacons and religious.”

The statement also calls for “creative and constructive conversations with priests, parishioners, pastoral ministers and all ecclesial leaders about how to keep our parishes vibrant and fruitful.”

FutureChurch, a national coalition of parish centered Catholics based in Cleveland Ohio, is spearheading the initiative, which has been endorsed by five other Catholic organizations as well as nationally known theologians and lay leaders concerned about the future of U.S. parish life. More endorsements are expected.

The statement is available for online endorsement at http://www.futurechurch.org/sopc/donotstiflethespirit.htm

FutureChurch has also sent the statement to tens of thousands of U.S. Catholics asking them to endorse it and to encourage their priests, pastoral ministers and diocesan leaders to discuss the best practices identified. The statement was also sent to all U.S. Bishops, requesting their perspectives, and asking them to welcome Catholics who want to talk about these important issues.

The Do Not Stifle the Spirit! statement is part of FutureChurch’s new Save Our Parish Community effort designed to provide educational and organizing resources to Catholics discerning an appropriate response to diocesan decisions to close or merge their vibrant, solvent, and apostolically effective parish. (http://www.futurechurch.org/sopc/index.htm)

It also educates about effective diocesan processes already in use (http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/vibrantparishli) that invite parishioner involvement in deciding the future of their parish.

Since the culture of conversation is all about discussing critical issues in the church, I welcome the perspectives of all who visit this blog.

Christine Schenk csj