CAMDEN – With an eye to the future, Bishop Dennis Sullivan has decreed a change in how parish Masses are scheduled.
In an Aug. 8 decree, and companion letter to pastors, Bishop Sullivan explained that during the past several years, a frequent topic of discussion at meetings of the Presbyteral Council (the diocesan priest council that advises the bishop) has been the need to reduce the number of Masses celebrated in parishes across the Diocese. Realizing that pastors are often reticent to change Mass schedules for fear of upsetting parishioners, Bishop Sullivan chose to decree the course of action, which mandates orienting parish Mass schedules based solely on parish priest availability, to take effect no later than July 1, 2023.
“In explaining this mandate, I first wish to address the concern I have of ‘quantity’ over ‘quality,’” the Bishop wrote in his letter. “In some parishes, Masses are multiplied for the convenience of the lay faithful who attend in small numbers compared to the size of the church building. This requires spreading precious parish resources for good liturgy (both human and financial) across the entire schedule.” Bishop Sullivan reasoned instead that consolidating Masses to increase attendance will allow pastors to more effectively devote the liturgical resources including music, art, environment and other components “that make a parish liturgy the rich ‘source and summit’ of Christian life that [it] is intended to be.”
Bishop Sullivan explained further that this is a decision for the near future of the Church in South Jersey, where “much sooner than later, most of diocesan parishes will be served by one priest.” While he knows the Diocese is currently blessed to have healthy retired priests who are faithful in assisting parishes with Sunday Masses, Bishop Sullivan also recognizes their numbers are dwindling as is the overall number of priests serving in the Diocese of Camden.
“All of our priests continue to advance in years. Prayers for vocations and an active ministry in every parish to raise up vocations are absolutely necessary, but it takes nearly a decade for a vocation to lead to ordination. As such, we will have an unavoidable gap that requires a reduction in parish Mass schedules.”
In the letter, Bishop Sullivan asks pastors to work together with those of nearby parishes to make sure Masses are provided to the regional faithful. “Parishes need to cooperate with one another for the benefit of all. Gone are the days when we can simply be parochial, looking only at the needs of our own people. I say this because even daily Masses need adjustments. It makes no sense for adjacent parishes to each have multiple daily Masses.”
He noted that the close proximity of most parishes to each other provides many options for participating in a daily Mass.
Bishop Sullivan further decreed that it is inappropriate for parishes to conduct Eucharistic Services in the absence of a priest on weekdays. Those who wish to receive Holy Communion should participate at Mass in a neighboring parish. “It is perfectly legitimate for Mass not be celebrated on a given day if the pastor is taking his day off.”
While the decree states that Mass schedules do not need to be finalized until July 1, 2023, he advised pastors to begin planning for the new schedules immediately.
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