The Priests We're Losing

We talk a lot about the Catholic Church losing members. But there's another loss that doesn't get enough attention: we're losing priests.

Not just to declining vocations — that's a well-documented trend. We're losing active, ordained priests to burnout, loneliness, and disillusionment. Men who said yes to a life of service are quietly stepping away because the weight has become unsustainable.

Recent research from Leadership Roundtable highlights the scope of the problem. The demands on parish priests have increased even as their numbers have shrunk. A pastor who once served one parish now serves two or three. Administrative burdens that used to be shared with associate pastors fall on a single set of shoulders. The social isolation of the priesthood — living alone in a rectory, often without close peers — compounds the stress.

This matters to CCOC because it connects directly to our mission. When we advocate for lay leadership and co-responsibility, we're not trying to diminish the priesthood. We're trying to save it.

Think about it practically. A parish where lay professionals handle finances, facilities management, and administrative operations is a parish where the pastor can focus on what he was ordained to do: celebrate the sacraments, preach the Gospel, and shepherd souls. A diocese where trained lay ministers lead faith formation, youth programs, and community outreach is a diocese where priests aren't stretched to breaking.

This isn't theoretical. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest in the country, is already integrating lay leadership into its school system through what it calls a "synodal approach" — promoting co-responsibility among clergy, educators, and parents. The results are promising. Families feel more connected. Educators feel more empowered. And the clergy report that sharing responsibility doesn't diminish their role — it clarifies it.

Here in Pittsburgh, we have opportunities. The diocese has a Lay Ministry program. Parish finance councils exist, though their authority varies widely. CCOC's focus group on Strengthening and Diversifying the Clergy, co-coordinated by Denise Charron-Prochownik and Betsy Cwenar, has been studying exactly these dynamics — what supports priests, what drains them, and how the laity can step into roles that relieve the pressure without overstepping boundaries.

I've spoken with priests — more than you might imagine — who are grateful for CCOC's work. Not all of them can say so publicly. The clerical culture makes that difficult. But privately, many of them tell me: "We need help. We can't do this alone."

We know. That's why we're here.

If you care about the future of the Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, care about the wellbeing of its priests. And if you want to help, push for the structural changes that would make their lives sustainable: meaningful lay involvement, shared governance, and a culture that values collaboration over hierarchy.

Our priests deserve better. And so do we.