Parishioners in five of our parishes do not have a resident pastor.

The reason is simple. We do not have enough priests to go around. At this time deaths and retirements among our priests are exceeding the number of ordinations. As a result five parishes, one of which has 2500 people attending Sunday Mass, are dependent upon visiting priests to provide their Sunday Liturgy.

Priests don’t grow on trees. We can’t order them online. There are no apps for producing them. The pipeline from entering the seminary to ordination to the priesthood is long and has a lot of leaks.

Thanks be to God we have 55 fine men in priestly formation for the Diocese. We ordained two new priests this year and a new deacon will be ordained in Rome this month that will be ordained to the priesthood in June. I am certain that your prayers have brought about the increase in seminarians this year.

Please continue your prayers and encourage your own children and others to consider a life of service to Christ and His people as a priest or religious.