Someone at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review must attend Sunday Mass in a Catholic Church, or at least read the Pittsburgh Catholic. In today's edition there's a news story, "Catholic priests spread thin as numbers dwindle." I found it mostly factual. You can read it here. Quoted in the article are Father Mike Ackerman, who served with us here in New Castle for eight months, and soon-to-be Father Chris Mannerino, who did three summers of apostolic internship with us, and who will be ordained a priest on June 27.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
On Mission for the Church Alive - Statistics
These statistics of the number of active diocesan priests in Pittsburgh were published in a box on the front page of the Pittsburgh Catholic, in its May 22, 2015, edition. They accompanied a story, "Deacon administrators to oversee some parishes in Diocese of Pittsburgh: Fewer priests, changing demographics open door to new model."
Over 90 years old: 1
80-89 years old: 9
75-79: 10
70-74: 22
65-69: 47
60-64: 41
50-59: 56
40-49: 31
30-39: 16
29: 1
Total diocesan priests in active ministry: 234
Eligible to retire now: 42
Eligible to retire in next five years: 47
Eligible to retire in 6-10 years: 41
Over 90 years old: 1
80-89 years old: 9
75-79: 10
70-74: 22
65-69: 47
60-64: 41
50-59: 56
40-49: 31
30-39: 16
29: 1
Total diocesan priests in active ministry: 234
Eligible to retire now: 42
Eligible to retire in next five years: 47
Eligible to retire in 6-10 years: 41
On Mission for the Church Alive in New Castle - II
It's funny how my memory works, or doesn't. There are days I can't remember what I had for supper the previous night. Other times I remember remarks from decades ago.
One saying I remember is from then-Bishop Donald Wuerl, when he was announcing the reorganization plan of the diocese in the early 1990s. During that process the number of parishes was reduced from 333 to 215 over a period of five years. Many of you remember the challenges of mergers here in Lawrence County. But it wasn't just consolidation. He opened several new parishes in areas where there was population growth. Bishop Wuerl said, "When you gain weight, you let out the seam in your suit coat. When you lose weight, you take it in a little. This is what we are doing in the diocese, adjusting the number of parishes to our communities."
Bishop Zubik has announced On Mission for the Church Alive, a pastoral, evangelical and planning process for every parish and community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The first objective of On Mission is to strengthen our parish efforts to evangelize, in other words, to invite more people to know Jesus Christ, love him, and follow him in and through the Catholic church. This is a great and worthy challenge, and very consistent with the missionary vision of Pope Francis and his predecessors. But On Mission is also realistic. Most of our parishes have declined in active members. The number of available priests is going down. It is important that we have the right number of parishes (and church buildings) to allow us to carry out our evangelical and apostolic mission.
Here are a few statistics to ponder. The six counties of the Diocese of Pittsburgh (Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence and Washington) in southwest Pennsylvania reached their peak of Catholic population about 1960, one million souls. Twenty years ago, there were about 800,000 Catholics. The most recent edition of the Pittsburgh Catholic directory states there are today 633,117 Catholics. This is a decline of 37% over two generations. Back in 1960 there were three times as many baptisms as funerals. Last year (2014) there were many more funerals (7,279) than baptisms (4,662) across all the parishes of the diocese. As I mentioned, the number of parishes has also declined, from 333 to 200 today.
Similarly the number of active priests has declined. When Bishop Vincent Leonard ordained our class in 1978, there were 525 diocesan priests. Twenty years ago there were 380. Today there are 233 priests in active ministry. But the large ordination classes of the early 1970s are now approaching the retirement age of 70. Among the 233 active priests, 40 are over 70 years old and eligible for retirement, but continue to minister. Another 40 are in the age group of 65-69. And another 40 of us (including yours truly) are in the age group 60-64. In other words, within ten years, our current 200 parishes might only have around 100 priest who are available to minister to them.
There is good news. Men continue to hear the call to serve as priests, respond by entering the seminary, and be ordained. Bishop Zubik will ordain six men to the priesthood on the last Saturday in June, and probably three in 2016. There are about 35 seminarians studying for the priesthood for our diocese (over eight years). We have 100 permanent deacons assisting the priests and parishes, with a new class of 20 just announced (for ordination in 2020). We have tens of thousands of energetic lay ecclesial ministers and volunteers, which we did not have back in 1960.
The temptation when I recite these numbers is to focus on the negatives. But that is a temptation I resist. God's presence and love endures, in our hears, in our church, and in our world. Whatever our numbers, we are blessed with the faith that Jesus Christ never abandons us, and that the Spirit is there to give us energy and courage. Whatever our memories of the past, Christ challenges us to move forward in hope and confidence.
One saying I remember is from then-Bishop Donald Wuerl, when he was announcing the reorganization plan of the diocese in the early 1990s. During that process the number of parishes was reduced from 333 to 215 over a period of five years. Many of you remember the challenges of mergers here in Lawrence County. But it wasn't just consolidation. He opened several new parishes in areas where there was population growth. Bishop Wuerl said, "When you gain weight, you let out the seam in your suit coat. When you lose weight, you take it in a little. This is what we are doing in the diocese, adjusting the number of parishes to our communities."
Bishop Zubik has announced On Mission for the Church Alive, a pastoral, evangelical and planning process for every parish and community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The first objective of On Mission is to strengthen our parish efforts to evangelize, in other words, to invite more people to know Jesus Christ, love him, and follow him in and through the Catholic church. This is a great and worthy challenge, and very consistent with the missionary vision of Pope Francis and his predecessors. But On Mission is also realistic. Most of our parishes have declined in active members. The number of available priests is going down. It is important that we have the right number of parishes (and church buildings) to allow us to carry out our evangelical and apostolic mission.
Here are a few statistics to ponder. The six counties of the Diocese of Pittsburgh (Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence and Washington) in southwest Pennsylvania reached their peak of Catholic population about 1960, one million souls. Twenty years ago, there were about 800,000 Catholics. The most recent edition of the Pittsburgh Catholic directory states there are today 633,117 Catholics. This is a decline of 37% over two generations. Back in 1960 there were three times as many baptisms as funerals. Last year (2014) there were many more funerals (7,279) than baptisms (4,662) across all the parishes of the diocese. As I mentioned, the number of parishes has also declined, from 333 to 200 today.
Similarly the number of active priests has declined. When Bishop Vincent Leonard ordained our class in 1978, there were 525 diocesan priests. Twenty years ago there were 380. Today there are 233 priests in active ministry. But the large ordination classes of the early 1970s are now approaching the retirement age of 70. Among the 233 active priests, 40 are over 70 years old and eligible for retirement, but continue to minister. Another 40 are in the age group of 65-69. And another 40 of us (including yours truly) are in the age group 60-64. In other words, within ten years, our current 200 parishes might only have around 100 priest who are available to minister to them.
There is good news. Men continue to hear the call to serve as priests, respond by entering the seminary, and be ordained. Bishop Zubik will ordain six men to the priesthood on the last Saturday in June, and probably three in 2016. There are about 35 seminarians studying for the priesthood for our diocese (over eight years). We have 100 permanent deacons assisting the priests and parishes, with a new class of 20 just announced (for ordination in 2020). We have tens of thousands of energetic lay ecclesial ministers and volunteers, which we did not have back in 1960.
On Mission for the Church Alive in New Castle - I
As most of you know I write a weekly column in our parish bulletin. It's called "Faithful Chronicles." Once in a while I put things here which I wrote for there. These are two columns I did for the May 24 and May 31 bulletins. This follows up a blog post I did on December 11, 2014.
One of those special verses of the bible which I have come to appreciate as a pastor is from the Book of Proverbs: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (29:18) Or, in other words, if you don't know where you are going, you will never get there.
Where are we going? Almost three years ago Bishop Zubik asked me to become pastor of the four parishes in the city of New Castle. This was the first time one priest received responsibility for four parishes in the history of the diocese of Pittsburgh. He also gave me, and us, the help of two parochial vicars. This was not just an administrative move. This was part of a vision, first expressed almost ten years ago by the local Envisioning Ministry for the Future committee, for one parish in New Castle. Yes, one unified parish. The bishop felt that unified pastoral leadership would bring together four distinct parishes, with four different histories, buildings and communities.
In ways big and small, this is what I have been trying to do, with the help of lots of people. The four parish pastoral councils meet as one body. The four parish finance councils meet as one body. Eighteen month ago we merged four bulletins into one, with 12 full-color pages. Our children's religious education program directors have worked together, with one combined celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation annually. Our RCIA program for welcoming new adults into the church had already been unified. Parishioners have been supporting with their volunteer time and energy each parish's fundraisers and social activities. I hired a part-time business manager to assist in fiscal matters for all four parishes. The three priests (along with resident retired priest Father Joe Pudichery) move easily among our four parishes, celebrating Sunday and weekday Masses, weddings, funerals confessions and baptisms. As a visible sign of unity among the clergy, we three priest live under one roof, in St. Mary Rectory next to Mary Mother of Hope Church.
Mary Mother of Hope, St. Joseph the Worker, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Vitus parishes continue to work together. Following the very successful Our Campaign for the Church Alive, Bishop Zubik has announced On Mission for the Church Alive. This pastoral, evangelical and planning process is intended for every parish in the diocese to pray and ponder, evaluate and assess, where it is going. Over the next year there will be sustained prayer for help from the creative Holy Spirit, then self-study and planning for a future of sharing more widely the Good News of Jesus Christ. Parishes will work more closely together with their neighbors in their cluster, district and vicariate to focus our ministries in sharing more widely the Good News of Christ. Our four parishes are already a "cluster," and have been working with the other parishes in our Lawrence County district. As our parishioners and parishes engage each other in the On Mission process, it seems very likely to me that our four parishes in New Castle will become one in the near future.
Change is never easy, and often brings out fears. it's important to name our fears and to address them. In this process I trust in the every abiding presence of our Savior, Jesus the Lord, the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit, and the love and devotion of our parishioners. All of us in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are called to move into the future with hope.
One of those special verses of the bible which I have come to appreciate as a pastor is from the Book of Proverbs: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (29:18) Or, in other words, if you don't know where you are going, you will never get there.
Where are we going? Almost three years ago Bishop Zubik asked me to become pastor of the four parishes in the city of New Castle. This was the first time one priest received responsibility for four parishes in the history of the diocese of Pittsburgh. He also gave me, and us, the help of two parochial vicars. This was not just an administrative move. This was part of a vision, first expressed almost ten years ago by the local Envisioning Ministry for the Future committee, for one parish in New Castle. Yes, one unified parish. The bishop felt that unified pastoral leadership would bring together four distinct parishes, with four different histories, buildings and communities.
In ways big and small, this is what I have been trying to do, with the help of lots of people. The four parish pastoral councils meet as one body. The four parish finance councils meet as one body. Eighteen month ago we merged four bulletins into one, with 12 full-color pages. Our children's religious education program directors have worked together, with one combined celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation annually. Our RCIA program for welcoming new adults into the church had already been unified. Parishioners have been supporting with their volunteer time and energy each parish's fundraisers and social activities. I hired a part-time business manager to assist in fiscal matters for all four parishes. The three priests (along with resident retired priest Father Joe Pudichery) move easily among our four parishes, celebrating Sunday and weekday Masses, weddings, funerals confessions and baptisms. As a visible sign of unity among the clergy, we three priest live under one roof, in St. Mary Rectory next to Mary Mother of Hope Church.
Mary Mother of Hope, St. Joseph the Worker, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Vitus parishes continue to work together. Following the very successful Our Campaign for the Church Alive, Bishop Zubik has announced On Mission for the Church Alive. This pastoral, evangelical and planning process is intended for every parish in the diocese to pray and ponder, evaluate and assess, where it is going. Over the next year there will be sustained prayer for help from the creative Holy Spirit, then self-study and planning for a future of sharing more widely the Good News of Jesus Christ. Parishes will work more closely together with their neighbors in their cluster, district and vicariate to focus our ministries in sharing more widely the Good News of Christ. Our four parishes are already a "cluster," and have been working with the other parishes in our Lawrence County district. As our parishioners and parishes engage each other in the On Mission process, it seems very likely to me that our four parishes in New Castle will become one in the near future.
Change is never easy, and often brings out fears. it's important to name our fears and to address them. In this process I trust in the every abiding presence of our Savior, Jesus the Lord, the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit, and the love and devotion of our parishioners. All of us in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are called to move into the future with hope.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Churches of Eastern Europe - I
As I mentioned in a previous post, when I started up again this blog, eight friends of mine and I went on a seven day Viking River Cruise on the Danube River April 25-May 3. Three of us added an excursion to Prague on the conclusion of the cruise. It was a fabulous trip, with some wonerful friends, great food and beautiful sights.
Rather than bore anyone with "...and on Wednesday our guide took us to..." stories, I thought I'd highlight a few -- six? -- of the very special churches we visited. Lots of pictures, a few words of history. Today I'll begin where our westbound cruise began, in Budapest, Hungary.
Rather than bore anyone with "...and on Wednesday our guide took us to..." stories, I thought I'd highlight a few -- six? -- of the very special churches we visited. Lots of pictures, a few words of history. Today I'll begin where our westbound cruise began, in Budapest, Hungary.
THE MATTHIAS CHURCH
The official title of this magnificent building is "The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle". It sits atop the Castle Hill of Buda, on the southern shore of the Danube River as it bisects modern Budapest.
As with so many of the huge churches we saw in this part of Europe, it has a tortourous and winding history. The first church on the site was founded by King (and Saint) Stephen, in the first decade of the 11th century. Another church was built there about 1250, imploring God to spare the residents from a plague. A major reconstruction of this building was done around 1370 in high Gothic style. In 1526 Sultan Suleyman conquered the Kingdom of Hungary, and turned Matthias Church into a mosque. For over 150 years the muezzin called to the Muslim faithful from the tower. After its recapture in 1686, the Jesuit Order took it over and surrounded the church with a school. Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria and his wife Elizabeth were crowned King and Queen of Hungary in 1873, and began a major reconstruction. By 1896 it assumed the form it has today.
You come upon the church from a small alley, and the church unfolds before you. There is a high statue of the Holy Trinity from 1713 in the square. As you walk towards the front of the church, the sweep of the Danube river, and the Pest portion of Budapest, are displayed in front of you from the Fishermen's Bastion.
Note the roof was proudly redone after World War II damage with 150,000 colorful Zsolnay tiles.
On August 19, 1991, Pope John Paul II prayed in Matthias Church with Hungarian seminarians.
I have to confess that these interior photographs (which I got from the internet) put the church in much better light than I remember. Maybe because like all European churches, they never turn on all the lights, to show of the brilliance of the painting and windows, until five minutes before a major liturgy. It saves money, and saves wear on the painted surfaces.
A special chapel for me was one known as St. Emeric's chapel, after an early (12th century) king of Hungary. There is a lovely triptych of Francis preaching to the birds, his first Nativity scene in Greccio, and Francis with the stigmata.
Praying in Matthias Church was a wonderful way to start our cruise. Next is St. Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Catholic Social Thought in the Pope Francis Era
The theology faculty of Seton Hill University in Greensburg were kind enough to ask me to give the keynote address to their two-year program of integration of Catholic social teaching and thought into the curricula of all departments. I spoke to 50 professors on Thursday, May 17. Afterwards a panel of faculty from several disciplines told how they already integrated some CST themes into their classes. Included in the day-long workshop were teachers of social work, criminal justice, English, math, hard sciences and nursing.
I was very impressed with the teachers's familiarity with CST themes, and their creativity in integrating them into their classroom presentations.
Here is the outline of my talk.
I was very impressed with the teachers's familiarity with CST themes, and their creativity in integrating them into their classroom presentations.
Here is the outline of my talk.
- Opening story -- a bishop disses me for studying social ethics
- What is Catholic Social Teaching (CST)? (OT / NT / Jesus Christ / documents / saints and institutions)
- Brief review of key CST documents (life & dignity of human person; community & family; rights & responsibilities; option for the poor; right to work & workers' rights; solidarity; peacemaking; care of God's creation)
- The universality of themes (human rights / opposition to violence in all religions / religious freedom)
- Pope Francis, CST gamechanger (from the southern hemisphere / "a church of the poor, for the poor" / teaching with ordinary sermons / power of symbols)
- Challenges and opportunities to promote CST today (more ecumenical and interfaith cooperation / collaboration between spirituality and social justice advocates / volunteer activities for young people / hermenutical circle and justice triangle)
- "Don't just do something, think!"
- "Don't just sit there, do something!"
Early Summer Reading
Since I returned home from visiting the Danube River valley on Viking River Cruises, I've been doing lots of reading. Here are a few of my favorite articles:
Pope Francis issued a papal bull on April 11, announcing an "Extraordinary Year of Mercy" from December 8, 2015 (Feast of Immaculate Conception) through November 26, 2016 (Feast of Christ the King). "Misericordiae Vultus". It well worth reading, from its first sentence, "Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy," through its cryptic announcement of "missionaries of mercy" to be sent by the pope around the world, to the call for Doors of Mercy in significant churches in every diocese and local community throughout the world. www.vatican.va (Pope Francis/messages/papal bull) .
Peter Steinfels opened (again) a painful issue in the Catholic Church with his examination of why no high ranking hierarch has addressed the issue of contraception in the run-up to the Synod of Bishops this fall. "Contraception and Honesty: An Elephant in the Synod". www.commonwealmagazine.org
Tom Reese, S.J. writes a weekly column on issues of church, justice and human rights online at www.ncronline.org, the website of National Catholic Reporter. Two excellent recent posts were an interview with a scholarly biographer of soon-to-be saint Junipero Serra, OFM, and five myths about the yet-to-be-released papal encyclical on the environment. Father Reese is the former editor of America magazine and author of Archbishop, A Flock of Shepherds, and Inside the Vatican, a trilogy of books for anyone interested in the Catholic Church.
Pittsburgh's own "biker priest" Father Lou Vallone got even more attention with a recent profile in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette here . Father Lou is a man for all seasons: pastor of two parishes, retreat master, revivalist, preacher, storyteller, canon lawyer, and friend of high and low (including yours truly).
Three websites I've recently been viewing are
Let me know what you are reading.
Pope Francis issued a papal bull on April 11, announcing an "Extraordinary Year of Mercy" from December 8, 2015 (Feast of Immaculate Conception) through November 26, 2016 (Feast of Christ the King). "Misericordiae Vultus". It well worth reading, from its first sentence, "Jesus Christ is the face of the Father's mercy," through its cryptic announcement of "missionaries of mercy" to be sent by the pope around the world, to the call for Doors of Mercy in significant churches in every diocese and local community throughout the world. www.vatican.va (Pope Francis/messages/papal bull) .
Peter Steinfels opened (again) a painful issue in the Catholic Church with his examination of why no high ranking hierarch has addressed the issue of contraception in the run-up to the Synod of Bishops this fall. "Contraception and Honesty: An Elephant in the Synod". www.commonwealmagazine.org
Tom Reese, S.J. writes a weekly column on issues of church, justice and human rights online at www.ncronline.org, the website of National Catholic Reporter. Two excellent recent posts were an interview with a scholarly biographer of soon-to-be saint Junipero Serra, OFM, and five myths about the yet-to-be-released papal encyclical on the environment. Father Reese is the former editor of America magazine and author of Archbishop, A Flock of Shepherds, and Inside the Vatican, a trilogy of books for anyone interested in the Catholic Church.
Pittsburgh's own "biker priest" Father Lou Vallone got even more attention with a recent profile in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette here . Father Lou is a man for all seasons: pastor of two parishes, retreat master, revivalist, preacher, storyteller, canon lawyer, and friend of high and low (including yours truly).
Three websites I've recently been viewing are
- www.realclearreligion.org . Has a smorgasbord of stories on religion from all over the spectrum. Updated daily. Worth seeing is the list of "ugliest churches" and "ugliest vestments in the world" (see link in upper left hand corner). What a hoot!
- www.fivethirtyeight.com . Founded by former New York Times columnist Nate Silver, who first got fame predicting recent presidential election results to the tenth of a percentage. Area topics include politics (naturally), economics, science, life and sports. Updated daily.
- www.cara.georgetown.edu . The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate is the clunky title of one of the neatest think tanks in Washington, D.C. It was founded by religious orders in 1964 to do scientific research on issues of the Catholic Church. It's now associated with Georgetown University, and turns out excellent surveys and information. Updated monthly.
Let me know what you are reading.
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