How Do You Think the Problem of Priestless Parishs Should...

Parishes are a common practice in the Catholic Church. They are a division of a diocese which has its own church and members of the clergy. A parish priest is appointed and entrusted with the spiritual care of his parishioners. In 2008, 49,631 parishes in the world had no resident priest or pastor (CARA services. Frequently requested Church statistics). Parishes without a priest can cause great difficulties for people. The role of a priest within a parish is vital; a priest is someone who is there for the sick and the dying, a shoulder to cry in times of need and a priest allows parishioners access to each of the seven sacraments. In recent times the total number of priests has decreased and the average age of serving priests has†¦show more content†¦Their celibacy expresses their complete and total identification with Christ and their commitment to continuing his mission. Surely this preparation phase is enough time for a priest to either see the benefit in celibacy or lack there off for them as an individual. Celibacy is a big sacrifice for anyone to undertake. Married life too has sacrifices - very different sacrifices; however there is no value in saying one is more of a sacrifice than another. Those in a marriage have many sacrifices that may go unrecognized because they are considered normal. For instance, married couples have a commitment to their partners to be faithful, honest, and dedicated to making the relationship successful. For those with children, the commitments and responsibilities are even greater. There are many cultures around the world that do not expect clergy celibacy (Daly, 2009) including Christian denominations who allow ministers/priests to marry. These Churches demonstrate how marriage is compatible with the priestly life. These churches present a great example of how familial responsibilities are compatible with religious commitments. A study of married Evangelical ministers and Roman Catholic priests revealed that there were no significant differences in dimensions of religiosity or commitments to the parish between the celibate and married clergymen (Swenson, 1998). Both are