Priest Shortage

The Latest

Pope Francis speaks to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers in St. Stephen's Co-Cathedral in Budapest, Hungary, April 28, 2023.

Pope Francis: Solutions to loss of faith ‘come from the tabernacle, not the computer’

Apr 28, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Pope Francis addressed Hungarian clergy during the first day of his three-day visit to Budapest. Read more

A bridge over the Mississippi River near St. Louis

St. Louis Catholics petition archbishop to halt diocese-wide parish merger plan

Apr 9, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

A group of over 3,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis hopes to stave off the merger of numerous... Read more

Visitors attend mass in the Vitus Church in Hilversum, Netherlands, on Oct. 11, 2020.

Dutch diocese abandons rule to offer Mass in every parish on Sundays

Sep 6, 2022

Due to a shortage of priests and to save on energy costs, the Diocese of Roermond in the Netherlands said... Read more

Main altar of the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Burlington, Vermont

Vermont diocese sees record-low number of priests

Jul 6, 2021

The Diocese of Burlington has seen a record-low number of priests this year, with only 50 priests in the entire... Read more

Why married priests won't really fix the shortage

Jun 18, 2017

In 1970, there was one priest for every 800 Catholics in the United States. Read more