Crisis!

 

   The Diocese of Crookston is running out of priests. Also, fewer people are coming to church every year. I don’t know which problem is worse, but first, the priest shortage. There are 76 parishes in the diocese, spread over 14 counties in northwest Minnesota. Most of the 32 priests in the diocese serve two or three parishes. 

   Eight of the 32 priests are from foreign countries. The US is now a missionary country for former missionary countries like Columbia, India and several African countries. Our wonderful priest Fr James here in Roseau is from Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Of the 24 American born priests, 16 are over age 60. There are only five men in seminary slated to come to this diocese, if they even complete their studies and are ordained. 

   The other big problem for our diocese is that since 2015, a third of the people going to church then are no longer in church on Sunday now. And another third left between 2005 and 2015. In these 20 years a handful of churches have closed. Some priests are taking on additional parishes, and elderly priests who are still healthy have been pulled out of retirement.

   Last Thursday evening our bishop, Andrew Cozzens, visited Sacred Heart Church in Roseau to address these issues. The church dining hall was packed with parishioners not only from Sacred Heart, but also from the two other parishes Fr. James serves, St Mary's in Badger and St Philips, in the country south of Roseau. Bishop Cozzens later told Father James he was impressed by the turnout. 

   The two and a half hour meeting fell into three parts. The bishop laid out the problem which we all are already aware of. Bishop Cozzens is young (50s) and energetic. He has a plan for the future. He's shared his plan previously in a letter read from the pulpit. The bottom line is that without more priests, small parishes will have to close and larger ones will have to share a priest. Northwest Minnesota is sparsely populated. The Diocese of Crookston has about 10,000 active Catholics. We're bigger than a couple of dioceses in Alaska. Number one is Los Angeles with 4.3 million Catholics and growing.

   After cookies and coffee we went upstairs to the sanctuary to pray for guidance. Afterwards we returned to the dining room for question period. We didn't talk much about the problem of people not coming to church, though the bishop says this is equally as important. There are no easy answers. Someone wisely suggested that lapsed Catholics should be invited to an informal meeting and not just ushered back into the pews. Coffee and cookies will work more miracles than liturgy.

   Last summer when we were visiting family out East, someone asked me why I still went to church. I was tired from driving all day and I don't remember what I said. It was lame I expect. I should have had a good answer ready. Here are my current reasons why I'm in church on Sunday. They'll be different if I'm asked again later. As I get older I realize I'll be needing strong medicine for the coming ordeal. I enjoy the liturgy at mass more than I used to. The mass is a little drama encapsulating the whole message of the Church. I like my fellow parishioners and have strengthened my friendships with them. Father James gives great homilies: that helps a lot.

   All of us are making our way through this vale of tears at various speeds along diverse paths. I believe in God whoever God is. God sent Jesus to infuse us with his Spirit. I believe I will always exist in the universe in some form so the Church is a good place to get my bearings and open myself up to whatever it is that this is all about.

Wait...He said it's all about love.

The visible Universe, if you have eyes to see.