| Diocesan News

Father Mark Lane, Vicar for Clergy, recently told The Catholic Virginian that there are many procedures involved before an international priest arrives to take on a parish assignment. “The first thing we do is receive a letter from an international priest requesting an appointment in the diocese,” Father Lane said.

Asked how priests from outside the diocese might inquire about serving in Richmond, he pointed out that there are a number of Filipino priests serving in the diocese. “Filipinos talk with other Filipinos,” Father Lane said, adding that perhaps a Filipino priest who would inquire about serving in the Diocese of Richmond would normally mention in his letter that he has heard about “the quality of ministry in the diocese.”

“We also hear from international priests from email or telephone,” he explained. “There are numerous emails from international priests, some requesting temporary ministry in the diocese. “They may be studying here or they’re on sabbatical from their own diocese or from their religious community. Bishop DiLorenzo has contact with bishops and religious superiors of international priests who will be here for a set amount of time,” he continued.

If an international priest is accepted for ministry, his home diocese or religious community is compensated. “In return, Bishop DiLorenzo would send their bishops or religious superiors an amount of $5,000 to assist in seminarians’ education,” Father Lane explained. “If they are accepted for ministry in the Diocese of Richmond, while these priests are here, they receive our regular priestly salary and health benefits, and the diocese will contribute retirement benefits to their diocese or religious community.” But prior to acceptance of any international priest, much needs to be done.

“I need a letter of recommendation from their bishop or religious superior granting him permission to serve in the diocese,” Father Lane said. The bishop or religious superior must state that the priest is in good standing in his diocese. Additional questions may be asked.

“In accordance with the Dallas Charter of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a criminal background check is done both in this country and internationally,” Father Lane said. The diocese also requires four letters of recommendation from the peers of the priest with whom they recently ministered, and at least one of those letters must be from a fellow priest. “We require a copy of their passport, their driver’s license and a copy of their curriculum vitae,” Father Lane said. Priests interested in serving in the Diocese of Richmond should also submit a medical report confirming a recent physical from a physician and a psychological report from a professional in the field.

The priests are required to complete the Virtus training program or have completed a similar program in their own diocese. The program is to ensure continued compliance with the Dallas Charter which seeks to protect children and young people from sexual abuse. “If they’re accepted, they are required to participate in an inculturation seminar for international priests, one of which takes place at the Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y.,” Father Lane said.

Topics at the seminar cover overall church structure in the U.S. and the roles of clergy and laity within the parish, time management, language, attitudes towards women, collegiality and money management. “The final judgment (of accepting an international priest) is ultimately with the bishop, but the bishop works very closely with the priests’ personnel committee and with the pastoral planning office,” Father Lane said. “Bishop DiLorenzo’s support of international priests is based on his own personal experience, both in Honolulu where he had a number of international priests from places like Guam and the Philippines and here in Richmond,” he added. “They certainly bring the missionary spirit, the wealth of their own culture and their own devotional expressions.”

While the largest number of international priests serving in the Diocese of Richmond are from the Philippines, there are priests from other countries assigned to parishes in the diocese. Father Francisco Valle, pastor of St. Peter’s parish in Onley on the Eastern Shore, is from El Salvador. Father Paddy Cannon, who came to the diocese from England, is parochial vicar at St. Augustine parish in Richmond. Despite his British and Irish background, he speaks Spanish and came here to serve the growing Hispanic community. “We’re looking for more Spanish-speaking international priests to assist in ministry to our large Hispanic community,” Father Lane said. Father Lane remarked that in the past religious communities and some dioceses in the United States sent out priests to be missionaries in foreign countries. Now with the clergy shortage in the U.S., the situation is in a sense reversed. “This is the international face of the Church,” he said.