Parishes with both secular and order priests

[PacoG]

Last year, our pastor (a diocesan priest) had some serious life-threatening health problems. When he came back, the bishop gave him an part-time assistant pastor who just happens to be a Franciscan.

My question is: is this type of blended situation unusual? I have seen parishes that are staffed by diocesan priests and I have seen parishes staffed by orders of priests. I have never seen a blended parish.

 

[choy]

Last year, our pastor (a diocesan priest) had some serious life-threatening health problems. When he came back, the bishop gave him an part-time assistant pastor who just happens to be a Franciscan.

My question is: is this type of blended situation unusual? I have seen parishes that are staffed by diocesan priests and I have seen parishes staffed by orders of priests. I have never seen a blended parish.

it can happen. if the diocese lacks priests, the bishop may ask the local orders if they have any to spare. this is pending of course the approval of the orders’ superior but otherwise it does happen that diocesan parishes may have 1 or more priests from a religious order

 

[puzzleannie]

Last year, our pastor (a diocesan priest) had some serious life-threatening health problems. When he came back, the bishop gave him an part-time assistant pastor who just happens to be a Franciscan.

My question is: is this type of blended situation unusual? I have seen parishes that are staffed by diocesan priests and I have seen parishes staffed by orders of priests. I have never seen a blended parish.

It is actually becoming more common in this diocese, as orders who have traditionally had a strong presence here withdraw due to declining numbers, or because their charism is to start a new parish and turn it over to the local diocese when it becomes established. For instance the OMI have been in some ways the founders of the Church in the RG Valley, but their presence is much diminished in recent years as their congregation has reorganized to deal with shrinking numbers. Several traditionally Oblate parishes are now run by the diocese as is their Shrine of OL of San Juan del Valle, now a national basilica owned by the diocese.

Since parishes still staffed by orders, Franciscan and Sacred Heart being two strong ones, usually have more than one priest assigned to maintain their community life, they have the luxury of extra priests to be “on loan” to assist surrounding parishes, and are I believe the only ones who have more than one permanent priest assigned. I am sure they work out some split salary arrangement and in any case any salary or stipend paid to an order priest usually goes directly to his order, so these extra assignments such as parish assistant, hospital or prison chaplain, assist maintenance of these orders. Yes there is canonical provision for these arrangements.

My prediction is we will be seeing in this country, and in the rest of Texas what is already common in some large dioceses like Galveston-Houston, order priests from other countries becoming a significant presence as “missionaries” to this country, a development I heartily welcome. But I bemoan the fact that our recent ordinations have been men from Mexico and join our bishop in pleading for families to encourage their sons for the priesthood.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

A nearby parish is staffed by Franciscans. They recently requested, and received, a diocesan permanent deacon because they didn’t have one.

 

[NPC]

In my diocese there are a number of parishes which are run exclusively by orders - such as the Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Augustinians…

However, to my knowledge there are only two parishes where there are diocesan and order priests working together. One parish has two diocesan priests plus a Franciscan - the Franciscan serving as a curate. I’m not sure of the reason why there is a Franciscan in the parish - certainly my diocese, like most in Ireland, is running low on diocesan priests at the moment, but it is unusual to have a parish with more than two resident priests.

One reason, apart from the shortage of priests, why an order priest might join diocesan priests in a parish is that he is “testing the waters”. The other parish in my diocese which has diocesan and order priests has a Redemptorist as the curate - officially this priest is “on loan” to the diocese, but I have heard on good authority that he is looking to join the priestly Order of Melchisedech