Parishes to share priests under new diocese plan

The tradition of one priest per Catholic parish will pass away at many South Hampton Roads churches under a new five-year diocesan plan for coping with an acute clergy short age.

The strategy aims at moving congregants "from a one-pastor-one-parish expectation to building a new model of church, focused on inter parish collaboration," the plan states. It was posted last week on the Diocese of Richmond's Web site.

The core idea is to cluster parishes across the diocese so that a single priest could serve more than one congregation. The arrangement is already in place among parishes in Portsmouth and in far western Virginia. Hampton Roads is part of the diocese.

"There will be places that might not 'have their own parish priest,' and we're trying to get people to go beyond the 'my parish' mind-set," said Beth Neu, who heads the diocese's pastoral planning office.

If clustering and priest-sharing spreads, more Catholics face the possibility that their church might have fewer Masses.

Only priests can consecrate the bread and wine for Communion, the defining ritual of Catholicism. With clustering, some Catholics might have to go to a church other than their own to attend Mass on a particular day.

In Norfolk, for example, the arrangement will probably see Sacred Heart, Blessed Sacrament and Holy Trinity churches eventually sharing two priests. Similarly, Christ the King, Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception and St. Piux X would be clustered and share two priests.

The drop in the number of American Catholic priests started decades ago. The Richmond diocese had 122 active priests last fall to serve 152 parishes, 23 campus ministries, hospitals, prisons and other ministries.

The planning report predicted 18 to 22 fewer active priests by 2013.

The shortage is exacerbated by growth in the diocese, which added 55,000 members between 1995 and 2005, the report said. The diocese has more than 220,000 members, its Web site says.

The plan grew out of more than a year of strategizing that included parish-level discussions with congregants. Neu said the clusterings will take place slowly over the next five years as priests retire or die.

The diocese is emphasizing that not every cluster outlined in the plan may occur immediately when pulpits become vacant.

As an example, Neu said, "If priest A retires in Virginia Beach, does that definitely mean that the clustering plan takes place, or should we look at Norfolk or Roanoke or Richmond and free up a priest from there?"

As the number of priests decreases, the diocese will hire other professional, paid workers to perform ministry in the community affected, the plan said.

Parishes are not expected to give up their separate identities. But Neu said congregations in the proposed clusters will meet and talk about how to collaborate. Shared ministries could include religious education, visiting the sick or serving needy people.

The plan did not give details about how priests could schedule their time between parishes.

Margaret Craig, who has attended Holy Trinity since her wedding in 1961, said she's reconciled to the clustering and shared priests.

"Things are what they are and have to be dealt with in as reasonable a manner as possible," she said. "It's something we may not want to do but have to do."

At Church of the Holy Family in Virginia Beach, Marvin Kenneth Geroe, a 30-year member, said most lay people accepted the need for the plan.

"Speaking as a parishioner, we like to have our own pastor - we say, 'he's ours,' " Geroe said. Nonetheless, "it's been coming for a long time. It's going to have to be. It will be interesting."

He predicted that some Catholics who already avoid taking Communion from lay servers won't attend future worship services that lack a priest.

But he is not dismayed by the clustering.

"The Catholic Church has been going on for 2,000 years through all kinds of persecutions and things, and that hasn't put out the flame" of faith, he said.

"A shortage of priests won't put out the flame."

Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com