Foreign priests fill void in area pulpits

Catholic churches throughout the area are relying on priests from other countries to fill the vacancies created by a large number of men leaving the priesthood.

The Archdiocese of Washington currently has 19 priests on loan from 10 countries, among them Brazil, China and France. The Diocese of Arlington has 13 priests on loan from 10 countries, including Cuba, Ireland and Nigeria.

The Diocese of Richmondhas about two dozen priests on loan from at least four countries, although church officials could not provide an exact count last week.

Nationwide, there are twice as many priests dying or retiring as there are young men entering the seminary, according to Mary Gauther, spokeswoman for Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), which studies the Catholic Church.

“I would suspect that this area is not any different,” she said.

The Rev. Salvador Anonuevo came to the United States from his native Philippines to fill a vacancy in the Diocese of Richmond, which encompasses all of the southern part of Virginia and Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

“There are nine Catholic churches in Richmond with no head pastor,” said Father Anonuevo, who was assigned to St. Luke Catholic Church in Virginia Beach.

Father Anonuevo, who came to Virginia Beach three years ago, intended to stay only three years. But he was recently appointed head church pastor, so his service time was extended by another three years. He said he is now on loan for up to six years.

But church officials say they do not actively recruit priests from other countries.

“They are looking to come here,” said Anne Edwards, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Richmond.

Priests from other countries come to the United States because the standard of living is higher here than in other parts of the world, said Dean Hoge, sociology professor at Catholic University. He said the prospect for a priest in Kenya or Nigeria being assigned to a parish in the United States is desirable.

“It is ironic,” Mr. Hoge said, adding that traditionally men join the priesthood out of selfless desires and are eager to abandon worldly possessions. “This is a little embarrassing, but some motives are different.”

Opportunities to study at well-known seminaries such as Georgetown and Catholic universities also attract many foreign-born priests to the Washington area, who end up serving parishes during their stay, according to church officials.

Everyone agrees that foreign-born priests help break down the language barrier that exists in some parishes, particularly in the Washington metropolitan area, where the population is diverse. For example, 30 percent of the more than 500,000 Catholics in the Washington Archdiocese are Hispanic.

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