Parish priests today seldom live in community with other priests, which was normal half a century ago, but live alone while often trying to shoulder the burden of working in a clustered parish of up to three churches.
The ageing demographic suggests that help might be available to them in the growing number of those in their congregations who have retired.
Churches offer such people the chance to be part of a community and also to stay active both mentally and physically.
Priests increasingly rely on lay parishioners, many retired, to help with accounts, to take the Blessed Sacrament to the sick, to organise and run charity events, and to clean and maintain churches and their grounds.
One church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool has a group of volunteers called “the Gardening Angels” who dedicate some of their time to ensuring the gardens of their two shared parishes are always pristine.
Retirement also affords more time to pray. A retired person can serve the Church simply by attending Mass daily and offering prayers for the needs of the Church and the world.
Institutes such as Servitium Christi offer widows (and single women in particular) a life centred on devotion to the Eucharist.
