Vicars in parts of rural Wales face being forced to cover more than a dozen parishes because of a recruitment crisis.
The Diocese of St Davids, which covers much of West Wales, currently has just three vicars to cover 27 parish churches.
But when the Reverend John Powell of St Mary’s in Cardigan retires in August, it will mean just two vicars to cover all the parishes.
The diocese is not alone in facing a recruitment crisis ”“ according to Church in Wales figures a quarter of current serving clergy are due to retire within the next decade and less than 10% of Wales’ vicars are under 40.
And in order to sort the problem they refused to offer pastoral care to tradionalist catholics thus ensuring none of them apply
My understanding is that most parishes have about 10 people in them. Why don’t they consolidate parishes?
#2: Because all Welshmen insist on having a church – or chapel – not to go to.
azusa (#3),
LOL. Delightful retort. Just delightful.
Somehow, an even worse lack of clergy doesn’t seem to be hindering the Africans from growing steadily, even explosively. Many places in East Africa have a situation that is comparable to rural St. David’s. When my church in Richmond was visited by Uganda’s +Evans Kisseka, Bishop of Luweero, in 2007, I asked him how many congregations he had in his giant diocese. Answer: 644 (and there are probably even more now). Then I asked him how many priests he had to serve those over 600 churches. Answer: 52. So the average priest in his vast Ugandan diocese was responsible for a dozen congregations, and lots of those churches would dwarf the tiny ones in rural Wales.
So the Anglican Church in Wales is clearly dealing with much more than a “recruitment” problem. Note how the church reps quoted, especially the Archdeacon of Cardigan, speak of the crisis merely in secular, organizational terms, and not as a symptom of a much deeper spiritual problem.
David Handy+
Where are all the women??? If no relief is to be found, declare the parishes to be “Chantries” or “Home Chapels” — then it doesn’t look as much like a lack of permanent clergy. Also a chantry is more acceptable to simply snatch; de-lead the roof and you have a very attractive, romantic “Ruin” in no time. Then it gets protected by the National Trust.
I am that Archdeacon quoted in the report.
It’s obviously true that the Church in Wales is not vibrant and growing overall (though it is in places).
But not everything in this story is exactly true. A localised problem has been painted as though it were the case everywhere, when it isn’t. One of the vacant parishes mentioned in this story heard on Sunday that a new incumbent has been appointed. I would expect further appointments to be made.
Is our problem fundamentally spiritual? Yes. Do we need to be more faithful to the gospel in preaching and in living? Certainly.
Do we have a lot of very small congregations? Yes, especially in this neck of the woods. But that is partly due to the very rural nature of the diocese and the very scattered population we serve (in UK terms).
And I can see that I was quoted as speaking in managerial terms. But I was responding off the cuff on my mobile phone with the signal coming and going while my wife was driving us along the M4. Things which Archdeacons say aren’t always very well thought-out or very accurately reported!
. . . and also, rugbyplayingpriest is, sorry to say, wrong.
The Church in Wales is not the Church of England. Archbishop Barry clearly wanted to introduce women bishops without any structural guarantee for dissenters. But at Governing Body (more or less = Synod) last year, a number of Evangelicals, myself among them, voted with the traditional Catholics precisely because we did not want to see them forced out of the church. The bill failed to gain the necessary majority due to those votes.
Well done you, glad to hear it and than you for the clarification
Odd, I thought only we Catholics had a vocation problem. And the problem is supposedly celibacy. At least that is what one incessantly hears in the media.
3. Azusa, not THIS Welshman. And the word is [b] capel[/b];
[b]CAPEL[/b]
Diolch, bach. (I knew that but you have to explain things for those German invaders and their scions who don’t know the language of Zion – or is Sion? Now get back to your leeks and laver bread or I’ll be rude about Tom Jones! But not Bryn Terfel – now there’s a man can sing!)
BTW, Cennydd, you might like this story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7702913.stm
William S (#5),
Thanks for responding. As an American who has never set foot in Wales, I was clearly spouting off on a subject I know little about. Thanks for providing an insider’s perspective.
David Handy+
Diolch yn Fawr, azusa! And the article about the Welsh clergy shortage reminds me of the shortage of clergy in the Diocese of Central New York, where I was born. Although I never knew of anything as critical as nine missions per deacon or priest, I know of at least two priests serving four missions each. It has been many years since I left that diocese, but I do stay in touch with family and friends in the area, so the information I receive is factual. It hurts me to see that the Church in the Land of My Fathers is in such terrible shape now.