Q. Why can’t priests from another diocese, such as the Lincoln Diocese, be assigned to another diocese, such as Omaha Archdiocese, since many churches have either closed or had to be combined with other churches? Aren’t priests all the same no matter in which diocese they serve?
A. A vocation is a two-way street. Simply because someone feels called to enter into a vocation that does not mean they are able to.
For example, a young man might be convinced he is supposed to marry a young woman. However, just because he feels this way, does not mean he gets to marry her. The young woman needs to say yes. It is the same with vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The Church needs to say yes.
Someone who is convinced that he is called to enter a religious community has to be accepted by that community. Similarly, a young man who is convinced that he is called to be a priest has to be accepted by a diocese. Feeling as though you are called does not give you a right to be called. It is for this reason that every seminarian in the world has to be sponsored by a diocese (priests in religious orders have some different rules, but since this question is about diocesan priests, I am going to focus on diocesan priests).
Incardination is a legal term that the Church uses to express the legal relationship between a cleric (meaning a deacon or a priest) and a diocese: “Every cleric must be incardinated either in a particular church or personal prelature, or in an institute of consecrated life or society endowed with this faculty, in such a way that unattached or transient clerics are not allowed at all” (CIC c. 265). A cleric cannot be a “freelancer,” wandering throughout the world celebrating the sacraments wherever and whenever he chooses. By virtue of ordination, a cleric has the “power” to celebrate the sacraments, but he is reliant upon a bishop to exercise this “power,” except in a few cases where the law itself gives the priest the authority.
Every cleric, when he is ordained, is ordained to serve in a diocese. It is not like graduating from college where you get job offers and you choose where you want to work. A priest does not get to choose where he serves after ordination; he is tied to his diocese and in obedience to wherever in his diocese his bishop assigns him. A priest might have a strong desire to serve outside his diocese, but if his bishop does not allow him, he is bound by his promise of obedience to remain in his assignment.
There are many, many bishops throughout the world who allow their priests to serve outside of their dioceses. American Catholics see this most often with priests born outside the U.S. and ordained for their home diocese being released by their bishop to serve in the U.S. These agreements are mutually beneficial for the dioceses that enter into them. A diocese in need of a priest gets a priest, and a diocese that typically has an abundance of priests but lacks funding gets funding. Having priests from other countries serve in the U.S. can also be a reminder to American Catholics of the realities of the wider Church.
There is nothing stopping a bishop from inviting priests to serve in his diocese. But it is up to a sending bishop to allow for it. Recent Church documents encourage bishops to be generous in allowing priests to serve outside their dioceses, but a bishop’s primary concern is his own diocese. He has to make sure that the needs of his diocese are met.
Unfortunately, for most of the dioceses in the United States, the reality is that bishops simply do not have the priests to spare to send to other dioceses. The vast majority of dioceses (including the Diocese of Lincoln) are facing the reality of fewer and fewer seminarians. As priests age and retire, dioceses will simply not be able to replace them.
The solution to this problem is the same as it has always been; it’s just not an easy one. To have priests, we need seminarians. To have seminarians, we need young men who are willing to enter the seminary to discern their vocations. To get young men willing to enter the seminary, we need vibrant parishes and families who teach young men how to form a personal relationship with Christ so that they are open to giving their lives out of love to and for Christ and His Church.
Looking to other dioceses to solve a priest shortage is a temporary solution. It is simply not sustainable in the long run. Every member of the faithful, whether a bishop, a cleric, a religious, or a lay person, has a responsibility to foster vocations according to his or her state in life. So pray and fast for vocations and encourage young men to truly discern whether God is calling them to enter the seminary.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
