Priests a dire need in Palawan
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan—After years of a declining number of ordination of priests, a church official noted the need to increase the number of men entering the vocation to replace the number of retiring priests.
Fr. Roy Vasquez, rector of Seminario de San Jose in the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa, said they are now facing a situation where entering the vocation to the priesthood is a dire need.
“We really lack priests in terms of numbers, we need more workers in the vineyards,” Vasquez said during a Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral last week.
He cited that many priests are already in their “senior years” and the local church needs potential replacement from young people.
According to him, they expect the next ordination of a would-be priest in the next three or even more years. The vicariate has around 37 diocesan priests and about 22 religious priests, who are serving in 29 parishes.
In his pastoral visits to parishes, Bishop Socrates Mesiona has been appealing to the faithful to pray for more men to enter the vocation to priethood.
“Maybe because we are not praying to the Lord to send to us more workers, so we pray everyday for more [to enter the priestly] vocation,” he said.
The Seminario de San Jose is the only seminary in Palawan that caters to students from the Vicariate of Puerto Princesa and Taytay.