The number of men saying “yes” to a priestly vocation has been diminishing for several decades. As older priests retire, young priests do not replace them in equal number. Many parents do not encourage a commitment to a priestly vocation among their children and youth.
And yet, without priests, there is no one to preside at the celebration of Sunday Eucharist, the center of our Catholic faith. Parishioners repeatedly asked,
- “How can we be Church without priests to preside at the celebration of the Eucharist?”
- Parishioners also said they didn’t know what could be done to reverse the decline.
- “We need priests”
- “Priests are aging and it’s hard to attract young men to the priesthood.”
- “Without priests what kind of Church would we be?”