Dutch cardinal moves to curtail ‘priestless Sunday’ celebrations
February 16, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht has announced plans to cut down on the number of “Word and Communion” services held on Sunday at parishes without a priest.
The cardinal explained in a pastoral letter: “It is my hope that in this way the celebration of the Eucharist will regain more of its central place.” Toward the same end, Cardinal Eijk has planned a massive consolidation of parishes into larger communities where the Eucharist is celebrated. He is committed to ending “priestless Sundays” in the archdiocese, where—as throughout the Netherlands—the number of Catholics attending Sunday Mass has fallen steadily.
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Feb. 18, 2023 1:49 PM ET USA
I've conducted Sunday celebrations without a priest, and I always turn it into a plea and prayer for abundant priestly vocations. (And, since we all know what produced the crisis, into a reminder of the harm done by artificial contraception, a plea to have larger families.)
