Dutch parish cancels weekly eucharist because of priest shortage

Churches cannot celebrate Mass every week because there are not enough volunteers and priests to administer the sacrament. That is reported by the Dutch daily Nederlands Dagblad. Some priests have to travel to different parishes to administer the sacrament several times on a Sunday. That puts much pressure on the church employees, the letter of the diocese reads.

Furthermore, the number of believers attending the Mass is also declining. Sometimes, there are not even enough people in the Church to celebrate the Eucharist. In addition, the high energy prices make it hard for churches to cover their costs.

Therefore, the diocese investigates whether it is better to combine different parishes so that the small groups of believers can come together for one larger celebration of the Eucharist. That has been happening in other Dutch dioceses as well, the Nederlands Dagblad writes.

Furthermore, if a diocese decides to skip the weekly eucharist, it should make sure that members of the Church can participate in the sacrament in a different congregation.

Earlier, in 2016, the diocese refused to remove the duty of the weekly celebration of the Mass. The diocese then argued that the Church should show society that it was not withdrawing but wanted to be present. The heart of the issue remains standing, though. René Maessen, the Vicar General of the diocese, writes in the letter that a vital church cannot do without celebrating the Eucharist on Sunday. “It is the heart of the ecclesiastical life.”

Even if a weekly celebration is impossible, the diocese stresses that parishes should only take the decision as a last resort. According to Maessen, parishes that decide to skip the eucharist will rarely reverse that decision. “You could almost see it as a step towards the church's closure.”

In practice, several churches have already skipped the weekly celebration of the Mass.