Not only are there far fewer priests than there
were in the past, but their average age has been increasing. Many of the priests of our diocese who retire
from their parishes continue to live in the diocese and are very happy to help
out wherever needed. We have over thirty
retired priests in Arundel and Brighton, most of whom are not able to
physically help out in parishes.
Health permitting, priests are expected to stay at
their posts until they are seventy-five.
At that stage they are required to offer their resignation. If they are happy to continue – and if the
bishop approves – then they continue in their parish. Quite a few are willing and able to do this. In case you are wondering, I will be seventy-five
(if I am spared) in three years time. I
have no plans – and no wish - to retire then.
As far as I know I am in reasonably good health but tomorrow is an
uncertain day!
As we are all aware more and more parishes do not
have a resident priest. It is becoming
more usual for one priest to serve two parishes or even three. When there were plenty of priests many small
parishes were created. It is quite an
uncomfortable experience for everyone concerned to have to move from that
situation. But if we prepare ourselves
well in advance we obviously will be in a much better frame of mind.
To begin with we must realise that our parish is most
unlikely to have a priest all to itself again for the foreseeable future as it
has since 1952. Before Father (later
Canon) McCarthy was appointed over sixty years ago Goring and Ferring were part
of the Parish of St Mary of the Angels in Worthing as were Durrington and
Salvington (which is now St Michael’s) as well as the Parish of St Charles,
East Worthing. Throughout the Diocese a
number of rather small parishes were created at the very time when the supply
of priests began to decrease. The age
profile of the clergy of our diocese is such that in ten years time we will be
really struggling. The situation would
have been more acute were it not for the number of Anglican priests, many of them
married, who became Catholic priests when they entered into full communion with
the Roman Catholic Church. One of the
most important duties of the Pope and Bishops is to do all they can to ensure
that the people of God have the opportunity to gather Sunday by Sunday for the
celebration of the Eucharist.
The Bishop of Xingue in Brazil has spoken of a
meeting he had with Pope Francis in April.
‘I told him that as Bishop of Brazil’s largest diocese in area, with
eight hundred church communities and seven hundred, thousand faithful I had
only twenty-seven priests which means that our communities can only celebrate
the Eucharist twice or three times a year at most.’ The Pope said that local bishops should be courageous
and make concrete suggestions. Pope
Francis said that regional and national Bishop’s Conferences should seek and
find consensus on reform and should them bring their suggestions for reform to
Rome. The Pope spoke about a diocese in
Mexico in which each community had a deacon but many had no priest. There were three hundred deacons who, of
course, could not celebrate the Eucharist.
The Pope asked how things could continue in such a situation and said it
was up to the Bishops to make suggestions about ordaining married men to the
priesthood.
One of my former classmates in the Seminary is the
Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. I have
had no contact with him since we were ordained as part of a class of seventeen,
forty-eight years ago. I was delighted
to read that he said he would bring up the subject for discussion at the
Conference of Bishops of England and Wales early in May. I have not heard what became of that.
The numbers of Catholics in Brazil who have joined
Protestant churches in the past several years is huge. How can the Church minister to its people
without the celebration of the Eucharist?
Has the celibate priesthood been such a success that there does not seem
to be any serious discussion of the possibility of opening up the priesthood to
married men of proven character? Are our
bishops responding to the invitation of Pope Francis to be courageous?
