Is it true the Catholic church is having troubles finding priests?

Answer 1

When I was younger, I recall there were always four or five priests at most parishes. Today, parishes are fortunate if there are two priests in residence. So, in the USA at least, it is definitely true that there are not as many priests per capita as before. Whether this is a permanent or temporary condition remains to be seen. However, a parish without a resident priest is very rare. I am aware of one parish in a neighboring diocese where there is no priest, but instead has a Lay Pastoral Administrator. On Sundays, visiting priests come to celebrate mass and to consecrate enough hosts to celebrate weekday mass and to take communion the sick and elderly. I am also aware of smaller parishes that "share" a priest.

The good news is that vocations are increasing in other parts of the world, particularly Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In addition, many dioceses in the USA are also experiencing an increase in vocations.

Answer 2

It depends. . . The Catholic Church in the Western World has been experiencing a shortage of priests for a few decades now, and will likely continue for a few more decades.

In other places like South America and Africa, the Church ius exloding in popularity. There are plenty people willing to devout their lives to the Church as priests and nuns.

Answer 3

Had extra, yet i will not be able to post it for some reason. the 1st third of the post is in an analogous way ignorant. I happen to be in love ideal now. She would not love me back, and it has not something to do with all people starting to be a clergyman. i'm sealed off from the single i admire, who i'm going to in no way see back and is happy someplace else, and yet i'm blissful. I stay overdue after church each and every weekend and pray for her. She is a source of exhilaration, not sorrow and soreness, this is what one you like must be, otherwise, dare I say, it is not genuine love which you're feeling. <> purely a flat out lie. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly says the choice of this in CCC paragraph 86, which says "yet this Magisterium isn't extra ideal to the be attentive to God..." in case you want to understand love and the priesthood, I fantastically advise a Christopher West convention, if there is ever one interior the section. he's Catholic, yet he would not sell Catholicism and explains splendidly why celibacy is a sturdy element. although, you additionally can %. up a duplicate of an creation to Theology of the physique, from which West derives a lot of what he says.

Answer 4

In the United States, in the more traditional dioceses, there are reports of an increased number of seminarians, but in the more progressive dioceses, not so many.

In Europe, there aren't enough priests in many countries. But in many developing countries, particularly in Africa, there many young men applying to Catholic seminaries. Many of these will perhaps eventually find their way to parishes in Western Europe and the United States.

Currently in my part of the U.S. we have parishes staffed by Latino, Philippino, Vietnamese, Indian, West African, and Middle Eastern priests, in addition to our own "home-grown" variety. I think this diversity is a wonderful and healthy thing for the Church, and a true blessing.

Answer 5

Yes.

With Vatican II about 75% of the nuns left and 10% of the priests.

A year ago or so there were only about 600 new Catholic priests in the whole USA or about 10 per state which means the European Catholic Church is dying, some believe, for many valid reasons.

Answer 6

I think thats true.

My Uncle is a missionary priest, he spent 7 years in Ethiopia. Since he has come back to the US he has been reassigned twice- both inside the US. He went to NH but that church was closed because they couldn't find other priests and there weren't enough people going.

RIght now he is Alabama and is in charge of 2 parishes- and he is the only priest.

Some areas are definatly feeling a strain of the lack of priests.

Answer 7

No. We've had a shortage of priests in the U.S. and elsewhere because the number of men entering seminary dropped dramatically from the late 1960s up to about the early 1980s. The numbers have been steadily increasing from the 1990s to date, but there's still that earlier gap that will take a while to close.

Answer 8

For the past ten years we've had several priests from India.

Answer 9

Actually, the seminaries in traditional orders are increasing rapidly. The seminaries in Africa an Asia are rising as well. In Europe the number are still dismal, and America has begun to see an increase in vocations to the priesthood.

Let's hope that we are once again seeing the resurgence of the priesthood.

Amazing is that these increases are occurring in the midst of scandal and open hostility to Catholicism in America.

EDIT***
Sometimes FACTS are more important than hyperbole:

Facts of American Priesthood.
Priests 42,307 diocesan/religious-order priests in the USA.
28,462 diocesan priests
13,845 religious-order priests (Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, etc)
Seminarians 5,180 seminarians enrolled in the USA.

3,383 enrolled in diocesan seminaries
1,797 enrolled in religious-order seminaries

Permanent Deacons 15,868 men who are ordained as permanent deacons in the USA.

A permanent deacon is a man, either married or single, who is ordained to the order of deacons, the first of three ranks in ordained ministry. They assist priests in administrative and pastoral roles.

Answer 10

It depends on the country. According to what I've read, the United States and Mexico are running short on seminarians, but other countries are seeing an all-time high enrollment in their seminaries.