Priest splits time between two neighboring parishes

As he steps from the lectern and heads to the pews where students from St. Denis parish school sit, the Rev. Normand Varone tells the children about what a good man Joseph was and how important his role was in listening to the angel and raising Jesus as his son.

Varone also fills an important role: serving as the community's spiritual leader.

He leads parishes in both Benton, Mo., and New Hamburg, Mo. So the Mass and sermon at St. Denis are nearly identical to ones held an hour earlier each weekday morning at St. Lawrence parish in New Hamburg.

At St. Lawrence, where Mass begins at 7 a.m., the only children usually attending serve as altar boys.

The Roman Catholic parishes in these northern Scott County communities share a priest, which is becoming a trend as dioceses and parishes learn how to handle a clergy shortage.

The diocese has seen a 10 percent decline in the past 15 years, said the Rev. David Hulshof, director of vocations for the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese.

Varone has been a priest in Scott County for 25 years, serving the last four in both the New Hamburg and Benton parishes. He already had been serving as pastor at St. Denis when the bishop asked him to take over duties at St. Lawrence.

Sharing parishes isn't anything new for the diocese, which covers 39 counties in the southern half of the state. Parishes in neighboring communities often share pastors, and the trend will likely continue as diocese membership grows amid a decline in the number of priests.

Congregations are learning how to handle some of the work themselves. Parishioners are taking on greater roles, from selecting music for worship to conducting Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults lessons for people interested in joining the church.

Priests in the local diocese have been developing a plan for how to handle the workload and serve parishes if there were fewer of them to do the work. The plan they originally developed for Scott County took effect when Varone began serving both parishes.

"I just have two of everything," Varone said.

Which means he preaches two sermons, has two parish councils and two education programs for confirmation. His time is usually scheduled with daily Masses and visits to nursing centers or hospitals and occasionally a funeral.

The past week has been busier than most. In addition to the five Masses he celebrates each weekend, Varone also attended two children's Christmas plays at the churches and two funerals -- one in each parish.

Varone admits he lives by the calendar, checking to make sure that no meetings conflict.

"The first two months were hectic," he said. "I do get tired, but somehow I get over it."

Help from parishioners is readily available, he added. The parishes are neighbors along Highway A, and many parishioners are related. While it was a blow to the New Hamburg parish to lose a priest -- it was the mother church for four other parishes in the county -- the residents have adjusted.

"The response has been good from the two," Varone said. "They get along really well."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126