Serving Catholics while clergy numbers dwindle

The Catholic Church is Iowa is facing a severe priest shortage. Meetings are being held all across the state to propose grouping churches together and closing others to help with the priest shortage. The church has tried a similar plan, clustering churches. It didn’t help. The number of priests and mass participation continued to decline; so now the leaders are proposing closing more churches for weekly masses! Really?

It's true, fewer priests can't cover all churches, but the real problem is how to serve all Catholics without closing churches. There is a better solution: allow both men and women to be deacons and expand their roles to share responsibilities. The church can pay for educating deacons to encourage growth in deacon population, plus include women in meaningful leadership roles far beyond cooking funeral dinners and playing music. Deacons can't perform all priestly jobs, but priests could consecrate the Hosts in advance so deacons could serve Communion at mass.

Closing churches encourages people to attend less or not at all, reduces financial support to the Diocese, and accelerates church decline. In small communities, rather than drive out of town to church, people may choose to the join the very welcoming protestant church in their own town.

It's time for Catholics to stand up in support of keeping our churches open and increase the number of deacons which will strengthen the Catholic faith for future generations. I pray for you all.

Mary Donnelly Donlea

Winthrop