Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes

Over the years, individual priests and lay ministers have been asked to serve multiple parishes. This title explores the extent of this practice and points out differences in regional and diocesan practices. It looks at models of leadership that contribute to vital parishes as well as factors that might lead to the diminishment of parish life.

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During the past twenty years, and continuing at an increasing rate, individual priests and lay ministers have been asked to serve multiple parishes. Schuth looks at models of leadership that contribute to vital parishes as well as factors that might lead to the diminishment of vibrant parish life. Readers hear the voices of pastors as they express the rewards and challenges of serving more than one parish.

But Katarina Schuth does far more than a statistical analysis of this emerging model of parish ministry. Through extensive research and interviews with pastors, she looks at models of leadership that contribute to vital parishes as well as factors that might lead to the diminishment of vibrant parish life.

In Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes, we hear the voices of pastors as they express the rewards and challenges of serving more than one parish. These voices serve to guide and support the growing number of ministers who serve multiple parishes. Just as important, however, these voices provide insight for bishops, diocesan staff, and seminary educators as they strive to meet the special needs of these ministers and the people the serve.

Katarina Schuth, O.S.F., Ph.D., holds the Endowed Chair for the Social Scientific Study of Religion at The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Her other books include Educating Leaders for Ministry: Issues and Responses (with Victor J. Klimoski and Kevin J.O 'Neil, Liturgical Press, 2005); Seminaries, Theologates, and the Future of Church Ministry: An Analysis of Trends and Transitions (Liturgical Press, 1999); and Reason for the Hope: The Futures of Roman Catholic Theologates (Michal Glazier, 1989).