Lincoln diocese boasts highest number of priests to Catholics

Today, Catholic priests are in short supply throughout the entire world.

However, with the nation’s highest ratio of priests to Catholics, the Diocese of Lincoln has managed to avoid this problem.

According to the Official Catholic Directory of 2005, the authoritative guide to the Catholic Church in the U.S., there are 121 active diocesan priests in Lincoln and 89,236 Catholics.

So, in Lincoln, there is a priest for every 737 Catholics.

In Omaha: 1 priest for every 1,755 Catholics.
In El Paso: 1 priest for every 11,927 Catholics.
In Los Angeles, 1 priest for every 12,217 Catholics.
The national average is 1 priest for every 4,723 Catholics.

Many have known for quite some time that the Lincoln Diocese is (and has been) quite blessed to have had the episcopal leadership which is conducive to priestly vocations.

The Lincoln diocese long has been considered one of the most conservative in the country.

Though many dioceses throughout the country have allowed women to become altar servers or administer the sacrament of communion, [Rev. Robert] Matya, [pastor at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church/Newman Center], said the Lincoln diocese continues to prohibit such practices.
...
“It’s not that we try to be overly conservative,” Matya said. “But as a diocese, we do try to act how God wants us to be, and I think that is very appealing to a lot of these young men.”

The Rev. John Folda, rector for Saint Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, said,
“Ultimately, it is God’s gift to us...I don’t know why He chose to bless us this way, but we’ll continue trying to make the best of it.”

Article here.