Importing Foreign Clergy: Issues and Prospects

Abstract

Amuch talked about, but as yet little studied, phenomenon shaping parish and diocesan ministry in the Catholic church in the United States today is the practice of importing clergy from dioceses outside the United States to serve in this country. These clergy are coming at the invitation of diocesan bishops to work in dioceses for a term appointment (usually of three years), or with the option to incardinate for long-term service. This practice is in response to a continuing decline in the number of clergy available for ministry in parishes, hospitals, and other religiously related institutions. According to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), these foreign clergy now constitute sixteen percent of all active priests in parish and diocesan ministries. The impact of these clergy on church life varies. In some rural dioceses, they now constitute nearly thirty percent of the active clergy. Added to this is the fact that nearly one-third of the seminarians studying in U.S. seminaries and preparing for work as diocesan