 |
  |
 |
|
|
BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Now, the priest shortage, and its impact on parish life. There are more than 19,000 Roman Catholic parishes in this country, and about 3,000 of them do not have a resident priest. Most of those parishes are in the Midwest and West. Weekend masses are said by priests who serve more than one parish, sometimes driving considerable distances to do so. But when there is no priest around during the week, who's in charge?
Judy Valente reports from Mount Vernon, Iowa.
JUDY VALENTE: Father Dave Ambrosy is tired. He's seen patients at the hospital where he is chaplain, presided over a funeral and a wedding, and now, at five in the afternoon, he is saying mass at St. John the Baptist Church. But he is not the pastor. The closest thing to a pastor here is this laywoman.
(to Sue Schettler): Do you feel like a pastor?
SUE SCHETTLER (Lay Pastoral Administrator): I think I feel like the leader of the community and I think that people look to me as that.
VALENTE: Although the Catholic Church doesn't allow women to be priests, the people here call Sue Schettler "pastor." Married with three children, she has long been director of religious education. Then, two years ago, St. John the Baptist lost its pastor.
Ms. SCHETTLER: Unfortunately, Father Duster had passed away and the parish was in a position where there was no one to place here as a permanent priest.
VALENTE: This sprawling, mostly rural archdiocese has 202 parishes, many of them small. Less than half have a resident priest, meaning many priests have to serve more than one parish. Sue Schettler is one of eight so-called pastoral administrators in this archdiocese. She also has to serve two parishes. There just aren't enough priests.
Father DAVE AMBROSY (Archdiocese of Dubuque): When I was ordained 18 years ago, there was almost 300 of us, and now there's about 120. In five to 10 years, they project it will be 75 and we still have 200 parishes, we have eight high schools, 60 grade schools, three Catholic colleges, and other institutions.
VALENTE: Twenty years ago, the Catholic Church revised its code of canon law. One of the provisions addressed the shortage of priests. That provision says that if a bishop determines that he doesn't have enough priests to serve his parishes, he can appoint a deacon, a religious brother or sister, or a layperson, endowing him or her with "the powers and faculties of a pastor."
Sociologist Ruth Wallace has studied the role of lay pastoral administrators.
RUTH WALLACE (Professor Emeritus, George Washington University): The person who is on hand is the one who's there for counseling and advice and so on, and for keeping the parish running. But some of the spiritual needs are sacramental. That's what the priest takes care of.
VALENTE: Father Ambrosy comes on weekends to hear confessions and say mass, and is available for baptisms, funerals, and weddings. But the rest of the time, Schettler is in charge.
(to Ms. Schettler): Do you feel like a priest?
Ms. SCHETTLER: Oh, no. I don't have a call to ordination at all. I don't see my job as a replacement for priesthood. I think it frees the priest to do what they're called to do, which is to minister to the poor, to preach, and to do the sacraments and to be priests.
VALENTE: That leaves a lot of other things to be done. But the job entails more than administrative tasks. Most pastoral administrators must have a master's degree in theology. Schettler has degrees in both psychology and pastoral studies, and does counsel parishioners.
Ms. SCHETTLER: I have psychology as a background, so I can work from that angle and spiritually, I think, just helping them understand the Church's law and understanding the Church's position on issues. I have 24 years of marriage. I have raised two children who are now adults and I have a preteen, so I think I have human experience to bring to that.
Judy Valente reports from Mount Vernon, Iowa.
JUDY VALENTE: Father Dave Ambrosy is tired. He's seen patients at the hospital where he is chaplain, presided over a funeral and a wedding, and now, at five in the afternoon, he is saying mass at St. John the Baptist Church. But he is not the pastor. The closest thing to a pastor here is this laywoman.
(to Sue Schettler): Do you feel like a pastor?
SUE SCHETTLER (Lay Pastoral Administrator): I think I feel like the leader of the community and I think that people look to me as that.VALENTE: Although the Catholic Church doesn't allow women to be priests, the people here call Sue Schettler "pastor." Married with three children, she has long been director of religious education. Then, two years ago, St. John the Baptist lost its pastor.
Ms. SCHETTLER: Unfortunately, Father Duster had passed away and the parish was in a position where there was no one to place here as a permanent priest.
VALENTE: This sprawling, mostly rural archdiocese has 202 parishes, many of them small. Less than half have a resident priest, meaning many priests have to serve more than one parish. Sue Schettler is one of eight so-called pastoral administrators in this archdiocese. She also has to serve two parishes. There just aren't enough priests.
Father DAVE AMBROSY (Archdiocese of Dubuque): When I was ordained 18 years ago, there was almost 300 of us, and now there's about 120. In five to 10 years, they project it will be 75 and we still have 200 parishes, we have eight high schools, 60 grade schools, three Catholic colleges, and other institutions.VALENTE: Twenty years ago, the Catholic Church revised its code of canon law. One of the provisions addressed the shortage of priests. That provision says that if a bishop determines that he doesn't have enough priests to serve his parishes, he can appoint a deacon, a religious brother or sister, or a layperson, endowing him or her with "the powers and faculties of a pastor."
Sociologist Ruth Wallace has studied the role of lay pastoral administrators.
RUTH WALLACE (Professor Emeritus, George Washington University): The person who is on hand is the one who's there for counseling and advice and so on, and for keeping the parish running. But some of the spiritual needs are sacramental. That's what the priest takes care of.
VALENTE: Father Ambrosy comes on weekends to hear confessions and say mass, and is available for baptisms, funerals, and weddings. But the rest of the time, Schettler is in charge.(to Ms. Schettler): Do you feel like a priest?
Ms. SCHETTLER: Oh, no. I don't have a call to ordination at all. I don't see my job as a replacement for priesthood. I think it frees the priest to do what they're called to do, which is to minister to the poor, to preach, and to do the sacraments and to be priests.
VALENTE: That leaves a lot of other things to be done. But the job entails more than administrative tasks. Most pastoral administrators must have a master's degree in theology. Schettler has degrees in both psychology and pastoral studies, and does counsel parishioners.
Ms. SCHETTLER: I have psychology as a background, so I can work from that angle and spiritually, I think, just helping them understand the Church's law and understanding the Church's position on issues. I have 24 years of marriage. I have raised two children who are now adults and I have a preteen, so I think I have human experience to bring to that.
Ms. SCHETTLER: I just talked a little bit about the requirement of all of us working together and making this a community effort. I could not do this job if it were not for the people.
Sister MARY MONTGOMERY (Director of Pastoral Planning, Archdiocese of Dubuque): The people are very concerned that the parish not close. So, first it's a big sigh of relief that the parish can stay open, and so there's a willingness to cooperate and work with what they have.
Father AMBROSY: Less and less priests. Health concerns, the stress of being a pastor, being in charge always, people looking to you for all the answers.
