My dear people of the Archdiocese of Baltimore,
Last week, our priests gathered over three days to pray and to discuss issues of common concern facing the presbyterate, our parishes and the Church in Baltimore.
One issue that loomed largest in our conversations was that of the shortage of priests – both today and in the future – and the challenges this presents as we seek to ensure that the spiritual needs of the faithful of our Archdiocese are adequately met.
To fully appreciate the seriousness and the immediacy of the priest-shortage challenge we face, consider the following statistics:
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