German Diocese of Fulda expects no new ordinations before 2032. Devastated vineyard.

The last priestly ordinations in the Diocese of Fulda for many years

The number of priestly candidates in the Hessian dioceses has been declining for a long time. In Fulda, the last three new priests in the diocese for the foreseeable future were ordained. After that, only one more will follow in all of Hesse in 2025.

On Saturday, Fulda's Bishop Michael Gerber ordained the three deacons Marcel Krawietz from Bruchköbel (Main-Kinzig), Daniel Schier from Bad Soden-Salmünster (Main-Kinzig), and Andreas Szumski from Gudensberg (Schwalm-Eder). The setting was magnificent, with Fulda Cathedral. The three young men have reached an important milestone in their lives.

Diocese of Fulda: Last priestly ordination for at least seven years

The event was also a joyful occasion for the Catholic Church. Yet it brought a serious question back into focus: What is the future of priestly training in Hesse?

Empty seminary

As the Diocese of Fulda reported in response to a request that Krawietz, Schier, and Szumski are expected to be the last men to be ordained as priests there for at least seven years – in the entire diocese. Currently, there are no other applicants for the training.

Szumski is the last seminarian to complete his studies in Fulda, the Fuldaer Zeitung reported. There are currently no candidates for the seven-year priestly training program. And so, after this Saturday, there will likely be no ordinations for a long time in the arch-Catholic Diocese of Fulda, where in the past there were several per year.

It is possible that career changers who have already begun studying theology and only later decide to serve as priests could fill the gap, the diocese announced. However, this is not expected.

Ordination of the three priests Marcel Krawietz, Daniel Schier, and Andreas Szumski - the three lie prone on the floor in the sanctuary of Fulda Cathedral in white robes.

Celibacy is a deterrent

The number of candidates for the priesthood has been declining throughout Germany for years. This follows a general secularization and turning away from the Catholic Church in this country. Some experts expect the church's more open approach to sexuality and the abuse scandal to lead to a return to more priestly candidates.

The German Bishops' Conference recorded a total of 45 priestly ordinations in all 22 dioceses in 2022 – far too few to offset the number of retiring pastors. According to a study by the Bishops' Conference, celibacy, the mandatory absence of marriage and partner, is the main deterrent for most young men from choosing the priesthood.

Problems with recruiting young men in the Diocese of Limburg

The situation is similar in the Diocese of Limburg: The number of priestly candidates has been declining for many years. 

Five men are currently in training. The next ordination is expected to take place in 2027, according to the Limburg diocesan administration.

In the Diocese of Mainz, another deacon, Thomas Kettel, will be ordained a priest at the end of June, a spokesperson for the diocese announced. This brings the number of new priests from Hesse to four this year.

Dioceses aim to "pull together"

The Diocese of Limburg, however, says it is not despairing in the face of the shortage of young priests. "In vocation pastoral care, we consciously focus on personal accompaniment and spiritual discernment. At the same time, we are working intensively to develop new ways for people to place their charisma in the service of the Church – whether in the ordained ministry or in other pastoral vocations," a spokesperson wrote.

The Diocese of Fulda, according to its own statement, has now joined a Germany-wide association of 14 dioceses and archdioceses to jointly organize and offer pastoral courses. The aim is to "pull together" in this way. It is currently planned that candidates from the Diocese of Fulda will study at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and the Jesuit theological-philosophical college St. Georgen in Frankfurt.

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