It's no secret that ever since 1965 the number of active priests in the United States has been declining. According to CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a think tank associated with Catholic Univeristy of America, the number of total priests dropped from 58,632 in 1965 to 38,964 in 2012. The number of parishes has fluctuated, given the growth of number of Catholics in the South and Southwest, and reorganizations in the Northeast. In 1965 there were 17,637 parishes; in 1985, 19,244; in 2005, 18,891; and in 2012, 17,644. But the number of parishes without a resident priest pastor has grown from 549 in 1965 to 3,389. At the same time there are a reported 459 parishes where pastoral care has been entrusted to a deacon, religious sister or brother, or other lay person.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh responded to the decline in both priests and active parishioners, and the migration out of the steel and river towns into suburbs with the Reorganization and Revitalization Project of 1989-1994. Over that period the existing 333 parishes were reduced to 215 (some with multiple church buildings). Yesterday Bishop Zubik announced the merger of St. Justin and St. Mary of the Mount parishes on Mt. Washington, in the city of Pittsburgh. The priests and councils of both parishes have been working together on this merger for two years. When this merger takes effect on February 10, 2013, we will have 203 parishes. One parish, St. Bartholomew, Penn Hills, is led by a religious sister under the provisions of Canon 517.2. Approximately 37 priests are pastors of two parishes. Father Harry Bielewicz is pastor of the three parishes in Butler. I am pastor of the four parishes in New Castle.
The Archdiocese of Boston attempted a reorganization plan in the early 2000s, just after the devastating revelations of coverup and tollerance of clergy sexual abuse. Newly installed archbishop Sean O'Malley conducted this in response to declining church attendance and declining numbers of priests. Over a short period the archdiocese went from about 435 parishes to 288. But the resulting tumult from parishioners (some justified, much not) soured the archdiocese on further attempts to close churches.
Last month the Archdiocese of Boston zagged in a different direction. Both in response to declining numbers of active priests and people, and "to position our parishes more solidly for the task of evangelization, the work of reaching out to our brothers and sisters and drawing them more fully to Christ Jesus," Cardinal Sean OMalley promulgated "Disciples in Mission." This pastoral plan will "identify effective ways to foster parish collaboration while maintaining the distince identity and integrity of each parish."
What does this mean? Their 288 will be grouped into 135 "collaboratives" of two, three or four parishes. This will allow every parish to have a priest as pastor, while working with a pastoral team that may be comprised of other priests, deacons, women religious and lay ecclesial ministers. One advantage of this plan is that it avoids closing more church buildings and parishes. If such closings do occur, they will come "from the ground up," recommended by the particular collaboratives. Another advantage is that the plan explicitly wants to factor in outreach, evangelization, strategies for hospitality and welcome. This is a forward-looking vision, and avoids the "race to the bottom" and "feelings of loss" that come with diocesan reorganizations.
The disadvantage of the plan is that it places more complex administrative responsibilities on the pastor. While some pastors in these collaboratives may have the benefit of a business manager and active finance council, the administrative duties remain, the leadership demands grow.
Our own diocese is not standing still. Bishop Zubik and his staff are well aware of the complaints from many of the priests who are pastoring multiple parishes. Priests are forced to focus more time on the five Ls (lights, leaks locks, loot and lawns--not to mention the lawsuits and loonies) and less on pastoral care and administering the sacraments. We are also aware that our current 250 active priests will drop to about 100 by 2020, only eight years from now. Over the next year or two our diocese will probably embark on a similar path as Boston, grouping nearby parishes, encouraging collaborations of all sorts, and increasing training in hospitality, outreach and evangelization.
If you want to read the 11 page report of the Archdiocese of Boston, go to www.disciplesinmission.org . Another good website for information about the changing face of parish life is www.emergingmodels.org , a project of the Lilly Endowment and several national Catholic organizations.
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