CV NEWS FEED // The Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania on April 11 announced its restructuring plan amid a rapid decline in its number of available parish priests.
Bishop Lawrence Persico stated in a local Erie news report that he expects to ordain one new priest this year, followed by two in 2025—after which, there will be no ordinations for three years.
“During that time when the Catholic Diocese of Erie won’t be adding new priests, it will have 16 of its now 93 active priests reach the retirement age of 75. The number is already down from 120 active priests in 2015,” the report noted.
The Diocese released its initial proposal for the restructuring plan of Erie County in August, which Persico described as “very aggressive.” After receiving feedback, however, the Bishop said the Diocese made revisions to the plan in order not to overwhelm priests with commitments to multiple parishes.
Many priests in the Diocese often work multiple full-time positions as pastors, teachers, and administrators, according to the report. For this reason, Persico said he reduced the number of partnerships in the restructuring plan.
“I didn’t want to kill (the priests),” Persico said, adding: “They’re hard to come by.”
The number of parishes that will experience a merger or partnership as a result of the restructuring plan has gone down by nearly double. Now, the plan is set to reduce the number of parishes in the Diocese from 33 to 27.
So far, the plan will not include any church closures, though Bishop Persico stated in the report that remaining open is contingent on the ability of the parish to maintain building repairs and expenses.
