I don’t think the situation is as dire as it sounds. Don’t get me wrong, we need more priests and it is always a tragedy when a parish closes. My observations (and I could very well be wrong, so please correct me if I am) are that the closures are more a result of the “urban diaspora.” My old residence (which I still visit frequently) is on the northern boundary of the archdiocese and the situation is quite different. I can think of only one parish in that area that has less than 3 masses per weekend (I can think of 2 off hand that have upwards of 6). And generally these churches are on the larger side.
In Poughkeepsie, there is one church that is closing (and understandably so, it is tiny and hidden. One could live their entire life in the Poughkeepsie and never know this church existed). Within walking distance is a church that is extremely visible and hosts 4 masses per weekend. Less that a mile away are 3 more large churches with 4 to 6 masses per weekend. We do need more priests to serve these monster parishes. There is one parish in the town of Lagrangeville whose church is expanding from seating for 315 people, to seating for 1000. We’re expanding up north. More and more housing developments are opening and more and more catholics are coming.
