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All of Europe will fall into anguish if we forget God, says Catholic leader
By Ruth Gledhill

.....The paper, which will be introduced to parishioners at Masses this weekend, controversially proposes parish mergers and closures. Parishes will be told that they can no longer assume that they will have a resident priest and that they must prepare for this. Lay people will be urged to take a more active role in worship, administration and pastoral care. Numbers of Masses will be reduced and parishes will need to share staff, prayer ministries and even major liturgies, such as organising joint celebrations during Holy Week.......

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1627718,00.html

As a British Catholic I expected this...but its saddening anyways. More lay involvement, fewer Masses *shakes head* this Church...Holy Mother of Mercy please help us.

Well, more lay involvement is not necessarily a bad thing in itself.

Our diocese, St Andrew's & Edinburgh is currently undertaking a review and we have been informed that there will be closures and mergers. One parish nearby has recently become without a priest and is currently vacant with a rough parish population of 1600.

Worrying times, but as our priest told us, God will not abandon us.

�Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Increase the number of our priests! Make them strong in faith, always alert to your people�s needs, ever profoundly spiritual, understanding and charitable. Grant to priests zeal in their vocation, success in their labors. May they do all things for love of You and love of neighbor. Amen. Pray for priests, O Holy Mother of God, that they may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.�

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

As my priest always reminds us, it is NOT that there is a lack of vocations-- only a lack of men who are willing to accept them (which frequently results from family pressure, I believe).

Just another result of our society's contraceptive mentality. If family's were having larger numbers of children like they were in the past, then parents wouldn't care if a son or two wanted to go off and study to be priests! Now, if one child seeks a life of celibacy parents feel threatened because they may not get any grandchildren.

--Mark Therrien

The lack of honoring of the priestly vocation is also a problem which goes hand in hand with the contraceptive mentality. It is difficult to imagine what awaits Europe for its many years of disobedience and of course unless America repents the same awaits us.

Dan L