Rockford's search for Catholic priests hits a ‘materialist age’ - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 

number of priests has remained relatively stable — 182 diocesan priests in 2012 versus 170 in 1965 — but the makeup of Rockford’s clergy has become dramatically grayer.

The number of active diocesan priests is down 20 percent since 1965, and the number of retired priests has increased sixfold to 53.

And the clergy work force does not reflect the diocese’s faithful, nearly half of whom are Hispanic. There are 24 priests of Hispanic descent in the diocese, just more than 13 percent of the total, although many parishes offer Mass in Spanish.

By the numbers
11 Counties covered by the Catholic Diocese of Rockford
390,476 Catholics
105 Parishes
68% Catholics of the diocese who live in Kane and McHenry counties
182* Priests
129 Active priests
53 Retired priests
49 Median age of Rockford’s priests
22 Seminarians
47% Hispanic Catholics
13% Hispanic priests

*Does not include religious-order priests

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