Archdiocese of Cincinnati ordains seven new priests

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati ordained seven new priests during a Mass Saturday, officials for the archdiocese said.

The ordinations come as the 19-county archdiocese is in a massive reorganization spurred by a decades-long decline in the number of priests along with demographic changes that have left some churches and schools stranded in areas with falling Catholic populations.

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr celebrated the Mass at Downtown's Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, according to a news release.

Officials said the number of men ordained falls in line with a growing trend over the last decade.

Seven men were also ordained in 2021, 2016 and 2009, the release states, adding the largest recent class was in 2019 when nine men were ordained into the priesthood. Officials said there have been 26 ordinations in the archdiocese from 2019 to 2022, which is the "strongest four-year group" in almost 40 years.

The restructuring, known as Beacons of Light, will combine the archdiocese’s 208 parishes into 57 “families of parishes,” which will begin sharing priests and resources as early as this year. The reorganization, the most ambitious in the archdiocese's 200-year history, could change when and where almost a half-million Catholics attend Mass, schools and other activities connected to their faith.

The plan was unveiled last fall and got Schnurr's final approval in December 2021.