Bishops Discuss Shortage of Priests

MILWAUKEE — A worsening shortage of Roman Catholic priests will result in fewer Masses, more priestless parishes and deacons leading worship services, a study says.

The nation’s Catholic bishops Thursday held their first extended public discussion of the problem, which was highlighted by the release of the two-year study.

In 1965, there were 58,132 priests serving 46.6 million parishioners in the United States. Today there are 20% fewer priests and nearly a third more parishioners, the study said.

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry of Los Angeles reported that immigration has swollen some parishes in the Los Angeles archdiocese to 18,000 households. “The problems are simply enormous,” he said.