Pastor's Page:  "The Hoge-Okure Research on Foreign-born Priests and the U.S.”

Hoge and Okure concluded their findings, reporting that future massive growth in Catholicism
will be coming from Africa, South America, and Asia. These continents cannot afford to export
priests because ordinations will not keep up with population increase. In fact, the ratio of priests
to people is far worse than in the U.S. and other developed countries.

Lay leaders interviewed repeatedly argued that parish life needs to be restructured with lay
people doing more and more parish ministry. Previous research by Hoge and others shows little
chance of increasing U.S. ordinations in the future. In the future, their studies show, more parishes
will become one priest, as we are here, and eventually they will have no resident priest. This is
already happening in the western states where ‘circuit rider’ pastors cover three or four parishes
covering hundreds of square miles.

Bringing in international priests, many of whom lack the language and cultural skills to minister effectively, only takes pressure off pastors and bishops temporarily. Parishes will eventually have to share a pastor with a neighboring parish or close entirely.

In the meantime, these critics said, by using foreign-born priests as a stopgap measure, parishioners are not being served well, or encouraged to exercise their baptismal responsibilities and involve themselves in the mission of the church. Everyone will suffer when sacraments are not available and parish communities dissolve.

Importing priests continues to give the average Catholic the sense that there are enough priests. This leads to unrealistic expectations about priest availability for sacraments and the quality of service.

Finally, opponents of importation state that until Catholics feel the current crisis of fewer priests being ordained, they will not work harder to encourage and support vocations to the priesthood (and religious life) in their homes and parishes.

Peace,
Father Bruce