HOT SPRINGS — In Arkansas, the shortage of priests has caused the diocese to look at new ways of serving large, growing urban parishes in two areas of the state and small rural parishes that surround them.
In July 2007 Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, diocesan administrator, instituted a “pastoral team” concept in Hot Springs and Springdale.
In Hot Springs, the Church of St. John the Baptist, St. Mary of the Springs, St. Joseph Health Center and the Monastery of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge were put under the direction of Father Erik Pohlmeier, with Father Christopher Okeke, Father Alan Rosenau and Father T.J. Hart assigned as associates. The priests, with the exception of Father Rosenau, are in residence at St. John, but all priests rotate Mass assignments.
Father Rosenau, a former Episcopal priest, is married and lives with his family. Father Okeke had the responsibility for the Monastery of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge until September when the Vatican severed ties with six of the sisters there.
Father John Antony is pastor of St. Mary, Siloam Springs, and St. John in Huntsville, as well as St. Raphael in Springdale. He is assisted by Father Emmanuel Orgu from Nigeria, Father Jose Antonio Galvez-Orellana on loan from his diocese in Mexico and Father Jason Tyler. With the exception of Father Tyler, the men live in the Springdale rectory and cover the various parishes. Father Tyler lives in the rectory at Siloam Springs and covers the day-to-day ministry there. One weekend a month, he and Father Antony trade pulpits so that both priests are available to more people.
“We had a very capable man in Father Erik in the nearby parish of St. John, a priest capable of hospital ministry (Father Rosenau), an Nigerian extern (Father Okeke) and a newly ordained (Father Hart) who would need mentoring,” Msgr. Hebert wrote in an e-mail interview. “This became a good fit for two good-sized parishes, a convent (at that time) and a large Catholic hospital.”
In discussing the northwest area of the state, he wrote, “We have an extraordinary pastor in Father John Antony, a Hispanic priest on loan, a Nigerian priest new to the state and a priest who has only been ordained for two years. All the priests can be very effective under Father John Antony, who has both the talents and energy to care for the people in the three cities with the help of three priests, not yet ready for their own parishes, who can all work with him.”
It is obvious that for the pastoral team concept to work the members of the team must be well matched and the lead priests must be exceptional, Msgr. Hebert said.
Father Pohlmeier, 36, was ordained in 1998. In 2001, he was assigned as pastor at Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Village, where he and an associate priest also were responsible for smaller parishes in McGehee, Crossett and Hamburg. He said his experience in Lake Village helped him to readily accept the pastoral team concept.
“In Lake Village, I had associates the whole time I was there. I had an Indian priest, a Nigerian priest and a newly ordained priest, at different times. We had the responsibility for three and then four parishes. So the idea of two priests that live together but cover multiple things was basically what we had there also,” Father Pohlmeier said in an interview with Arkansas Catholic.
Father Antony, 38, was ordained in 1996. Before going to Springdale, he was pastor of St. Edward in Little Rock, an older parish that was experiencing an influx of Hispanic parishioners. St. Raphael, where he now serves, has more than 14,000 parishioners, of which 75 percent are Hispanic and needed a priest immersed in the language and the culture.
The pastoral team in the Springdale area became necessary when Father Clayton Gould, then pastor in Siloam Springs, was needed in Dardanelle. Msgr. James Mancini, then pastor in Huntsville, developed health problems and could no longer serve there.
Father Tyler, 28, lives in the rectory at Siloam Springs, which has a daily Mass. He said that although he is not in residence with Father Antony, his mentor is only a phone call away. He feels his position is a “halfway step” that allows him the experience of the day-to-day ministry of a parish with the knowledge that advice and mentoring from an older, more experienced priest is readily available.
In a phone interview, Father Tyler was very hopeful.
“This concept is definitely working in our part of the state. We have a number of men progressing through the seminary. I am hopeful that Arkansas will have many more younger priests needing mentoring. Under this arrangement, it’s very easy to see and hear how other priests are living out their vocation and how other parishes are doing things. The biggest problem is scheduling and driving (from parish to parish).”
When asked if he considered himself a mentor, Father Antony wrote, “I do consider myself a mentor, even if a rookie. It’s certainly true that you never learn something until you try to teach it to someone else. So, I’ve learned a lot in the process too.”
When asked what the benefits were of the pastoral team concept, the responses varied.
Father Pohlmeier said the team concept “allows for flexibility.” With four priests available to cover weekend Masses, one priest is able to travel to help other parishes outside the city or take a vacation.
“It is a great joy to be able to help brother priests, whether they are sick or need to go on vacation or want to participate in a youth rally with our junior high kids,” he told Arkansas Catholic.
Father Antony said he has benefited from the camaraderie among the priests. The four priests meet every Friday with Missionary Carmelites of St. Teresa in Springdale to celebrate Mass and have lunch together.
“It’s a great opportunity to be together as consecrated men and women, sharing joys and struggles and definitely more joys than struggles,” he said.
When asked about the drawbacks, Fathers Antony and Pohlmeier said it is difficult to find time to develop personal friendships and share experiences among the priests and to a greater extent, the individuals in the pews in the various parishes.
“As a pastor, you need to maintain a connection with parishioners. For a lot of people, you only see them on Sunday at Mass. If you are rotating, then you don’t see them as often and your contact is less,” Father Pohlmeier said.
Father Antony said, “There are challenges … but I see them as opportunities to grow. … New challenges always mean new areas to grow and new talents yet undiscovered. It’s crucial we keep prayer primary so that it’s really the Holy Spirit that guides us.”
