From Pittsburgh comes this item, about a new effort underway to deal with the diminishing number of priests:

As head of the Allegheny Valley Deanery in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, the Rev. Frank Almade advises 16 parishes — in addition to being pastor of what officially became St. Juan Diego Parish today.

“I work more than 50 hours a week, and I suspect most priests do. It’s an extensive schedule,” said Almade, who says Mass five days, visits the sick, attends meetings in and out of the Sharpsburg parish — formerly Madonna of Jerusalem — and spends time at his computer writing sermons.

As the number of retiring priests continues to outpace the number ordained, the diocese is reorganizing to help free priests for sacramental duties by creating regional administrative districts that might include 40 to 70 parishes.

“The bottom line is providing better services to our people. We have to become a better servant church,” said Bishop David A. Zubik, who will meet with priests and deanery officials this month to talk about the plan that might be implemented by the end of the year.

Diocesan officials know the days of one priest per parish are nearing an end. There are 280 priests active in the diocese, not counting priests who are members of religious orders, such as the Spiritains or the Franciscans.

Experts estimate more than 50 percent of U.S. Catholic parishes and missions are served by a priest ministering to more than one parish.

The Pittsburgh diocese consists of 719,801 Catholics in 212 parishes, separated into 16 deaneries based on geographical areas. Each dean advises six to 20 parishes and helps coordinate parish activities and ministries.

Catholicism is the region’s largest religious denomination.

Although the number of priests has declined for two decades, the next 10 years are of particular concern because baby-boomer priests are reaching retirement age. Forty-four priests in the Pittsburgh diocese could retire this year. By 2019, the diocese could have just 100 priests.

Zubik is considering creating three to five administrative units called vicariates. The regional vicar would be a priest, at least 30 years old, with an advanced education in canon law or theology. He would work with priests and parish councils, visit churches and be a liaison to diocesan hierarchy.

The switch is not a prelude to consolidating parishes, said the Rev. Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman.

“That’s not what the effort is about at all. It’s not even on the radar,” he said. “It’s trying to make the church … come alive by getting priests and parishes to work together.”

The church would invite members to become lay ministers, parish council members or volunteers, “to get more people involved in the life of the parish,” Zubik said. Parishes will be encouraged to share resources, such as joint purchasing, or personnel.

Continue at the link for the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey would say). The vicariate proposal, incidentally, sounds very similar to what we have here in Brooklyn — a diocese with roughly the same number of parishes and priests as Pittsburgh.

PHOTO: The Rev. Frank D. Almade celebrates Mass at Madonna of Jerusalem Parish in Sharpsburg. Because of a shortage of priests, the pastor also advises 16 parishes and says he has to work more than 50 hours a week, as he believes most priests do. Photo by Jasmine Goldband/ Tribune-Review.