Increase in visiting priests

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Latetotheparty

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Hello!

Our parish has had a lot of visiting priests lately but only on Sundays.

Is an increase in visiting priests an indicator that a parish priest is about to move on to another position? Is it common to sort of let other priests try before they buy?!
 
No correlation, in my experience (ex-head sacristan).

When we’ve had several visiting priests pass through in rapid succession, it has always been due to either our pastor having other commitments outside the parish or unforeseen circumstances.
 
We have only one priest at our parish. He puts in a lot of hours each week.
When I see visiting priests, I feel good because our resident priest gets to take one Mass off.
 
Often pastors schedule vacation after Christmas and before Lent (the two crazy busy seasons).
 
Latetotheparty said:
Hello!

Our parish has had a lot of visiting priests lately but only on Sundays.

Is an increase in visiting priests an indicator that a parish priest is about to move on to another position? Is it common to sort of let other priests try before they buy?!
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Could mean several of things, or could really mean nothing at all.

Is your parish priest still around? Or is he absent? If he’s absent, perhaps he’s taking care of a sick family member?

If Father is still around on Sunday, might be nothing more than Father deciding to invite a number of his seminary buddies over for Sunday visits.
 
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Maybe…

I attend one of two different parishes in the country depending on where I need to be. In one of them, there is only one parish priest at any given time. At that parish, one priest didn’t stay long (a year or two). To answer your question…Yes…that pattern is what I saw before he left. There were many different visiting priests in the few months before he left. There seemed to be something going on that most of the regular church members weren’t privy to. The Deacon for the Parish seemed to have a little more idea that something was up when my family briefly talked to him about it.

It could be anything though…

One bit of advice…sometimes people (even priests 🤔 ) will simply tell you exactly what is going on if you establish trust with them…if you are friendly and caring and just ask them how things are going and don’t seem to have an agenda.
 
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Is where you live a place where a lot of people like to vacation?
 
My parish has many visiting priest but my present priest is not leaving. He just had to rest after being cured of heart attack.
 
No, he is around all other days of the week and does confession etc. on Saturdays and is rather young so I don’t think he has bad health (thank god). We do have quite a large parish and packed masses (at least hree times on Sunday).

I live by the rule that if someone doesn’t mention something, they probably don’t want to tell me so it would be rude to ask. We are definitely not close enough for me to ask. I just think he is a wonderful priest from afar.
 
Not really and it’s mainly priests from neighbouring parishes.
 
The Bishop decides, within the bounds of Canon Law, where and when priests are moved. I’ve never heard of a “go try out this parish and see if you like it” policy.
 
You’ve got me wondering now. I have been part of my parish since early December and have already seen three visiting priests
 
TheLittleLady said:
I’ve never heard of a “go try out this parish and see if you like it” policy.
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I have. At one of the parishes I attend the priests openly talk about this way of running things in homilies. I would not quite call it a policy though.
 
Latetotheparty said:
No, he is around all other days of the week and does confession etc. on Saturdays and is rather young so I don’t think he has bad health (thank god). We do have quite a large parish and packed masses (at least hree times on Sunday).
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Is your priest celebrating at least one of the Masses on Sunday?

Sounds like it could also be area priests are taking turns to help him out so he doesn’t have to celebrate 3 or more masses on Sundays.

🤔
 
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