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Mass Time Change Announcement
I, Fr. Johnathan Schmolt, get to write to you today with some challenging news. I wish
this letter was about how wonderful it is to be working together with everyone and laying out
plans for creating a brighter future, but that will need to be developed in the future.
For those who are unaware, I need to explain what has transpired in the last month. Fr.
Bill Barron has resigned as pastor of St. Agnes Parish and has gone on a medical leave of
absence. This decision came after another fainting incident he experienced in July. As a priest
and a friend of mine whom I have known since seminary, I pray he receives the treatment he
needs to return to vibrant health and priestly ministry. May God be with him and bless him.
Since I became pastor at Christ the King, I have been residing at St. Agnes rectory so I
would not be alone. That decision was made for my own mental health due to challenges with
anxiety I have faced in the past. While I am in great mental and physical health currently, I need
your help and support so I can maintain my health and be fully present to everyone.
Having some knowledge of Saint Agnes Parish already, I accepted the assignment of
becoming the parochial administrator of Saint Agnes Parish while continuing as pastor of Christ
the King Parish. This means I am now the leader of two parishes with a total of seven
churches, twelve cemeteries, and all the corresponding buildings and property across about a
third of Clearfield County. From our census information we are about 1,500 people who make
up about 750 Catholic families across the two parishes. Needless to say, this is a lot of people
and territory for me to provide ministry.
So how long will this arrangement last? In my appointment letter, Bishop Persico states
“This appointment is effective July 31, 2025, and continues until other determinations are
made.” What are “other determinations”? Here is the reality of the Diocese of Erie. In the last
four months two priests went on a leave of absence and one priest, who was a pastor, died.
This was added to the reality of three priests retiring this summer. While in past years the
diocese could have dealt with these unexpected issues it is not the case today. We have hit the
anticipated crisis point - there now is no bench. There are more places to assign active priests
to than there are priests to assign. While past pastoral planning has somewhat adjusted the
number of positions (pastorships) that need filled, the reality is the number of active priests is
declining faster than the number positions (pastorships) requiring a priest.
Looking into the future there will be no priest ordained for the Diocese of Erie in the next
three years. The diocese is anticipating bringing over foreign national priests but they will not
be assigned pastors but will instead be assigned to supporting roles that free up local priests for
other assignments.
Currently we need to anticipate this arrangement lasting until January 2026. Do not
anticipate the answer to “other determinations” to look like how things were in June 2025.
There is simply no priest to send without reducing the number of pastorships across the
diocese.
Saint Agnes Parish - Christ the King Parish
So how will this affect us? This is the painful part. I need to drastically change the
weekend Mass schedule. Why? Here are the constraints.
? Canon 905 states the maximum number of Masses a priest can say is one Mass per day
and two Masses on Sunday. An exception can be granted to do one more Mass a day
for a serious cause. This means that for the ordinary schedule a priest's maximum Mass
count is three masses on a weekend - one on Saturday and two on Sunday. This is to
keep the workload for a priest manageable. Funeral and wedding Masses get added on
to the standard schedule.
? Retired priests are just that - retired. A retired priest is free to do as much or as little
assistance as he chooses. This means that the regular schedule and ministry life of a
parish is not to require them to assist in order to make a regular schedule manageable.
This allows them to assist periodically as they desire for times when the active priests
are sick or take a vacation. Retirement for a priest in the Diocese of Erie is at age 75.
The men who have given decades of service should have their freedom be respected.
? Masses cannot overlap. That will require two priests to be scheduled.
? The times between Masses need to be sufficient for a priest to get from one location to
another without having to rush.
With these constraints the following Mass schedule will be in effect.
? Sunday: 9:00 AM at Christ the KIng Church
? Religious Education: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
? Sunday: 11:00 AM at Saint Agnes Church
? Religious Education: 9:40 AM - 10:55 AM
? Gets replaced by a funeral mass if scheduled.
? Tuesday: 8:30 AM at Christ the King Church
? Wednesday: 8:30 AM at Christ the King Church
? Thursday: 5:30 PM rotating over three weeks between
? St. Mary of the Assumption Church
? St. Severins Church
? Immaculate Conception Church
? Friday: 8:30 AM at Christ the King Church
A funeral mass will generally be scheduled at 11:00 AM on Wednesday through Saturday and
Noon on Monday.
As you can see in the mass schedule only the primary church for each parish will have a
weekend mass. I believe the fairest way to cut back to three masses is to eliminate the
weekend masses at all the secondary mission churches and consolidate at the two primary
churches.
In light of the current mass attendance numbers, there is plenty of seating capacity at
Saint Agnes and Christ the King churches. A rotating weekday mass will be offered in the
secondary mission churches. I recognize that is not much of an offer for the people who are
devoted to St. Mary of the Assumption, St. Severins, and Immaculate Conception churches, but
it is what I am realistically capable of providing at this time.
This schedule is temporary, but as I said earlier I do not know how long this arrangement
will last.
Are Saint Mary of the Assumption, Saint Severins, or Immaculate Conception closing?
No. Does this decision hurt? Yes, a lot. Will a regularly scheduled weekend mass be returning
to Saint Mary of the Assumption, Saint Severins, or Immaculate Conception? If a full time
pastor gets assigned to Saint Agnes Parish then yes. Otherwise I just do not know.
This mass schedule was made with the consent of Bishop Persico after consultation with
the local retired priests and Rev. John Detish, the local dean. This plan was presented to the
pastoral councils of Saint Agnes and Christ the King parishes for their comments prior to you
receiving this letter.
I wish that the start of this temporary arrangement was because of more positive news
instead of this more painful reality. I am here to listen to the pain but I cannot change these
decisions at this time. I will review this mass schedule in January 2026 with the pastoral
councils once we have more guidance from Bishop Persico of what can or will happen.
I recognize that people will be upset, but after knowing the constraints, and protecting
my own mental and physical health, I proposed this solution. I believe this is the best I can offer
as your pastor and administrator in light of what has been asked of me from our bishop and the
reality of a shrinking number of active priests in our diocese. Please pray for vocations! I want
a thriving Catholic Church in twenty years, not a Church that will be half the size it is now. That
positive future will take sacrifice. In this Jubilee of Hope I hold onto the reality that we are a
dedicated people to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the rock we anchor ourselves to
during the storms of life. May he with the Father and the Holy Spirit bless you and keep you
strong in faith.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Johnathan Schmolt
Pastor, Christ the King Parish
Parochial Administrator, Saint Agnes Parish
Mass Time Change Announcement
September 1, 2025Mass Time Change
Saint Agnes Parish - Christ the King Parish
8/3/2025
Dear Parishioners of Saint Agnes and Christ the King Parishes,I, Fr. Johnathan Schmolt, get to write to you today with some challenging news. I wish
this letter was about how wonderful it is to be working together with everyone and laying out
plans for creating a brighter future, but that will need to be developed in the future.
For those who are unaware, I need to explain what has transpired in the last month. Fr.
Bill Barron has resigned as pastor of St. Agnes Parish and has gone on a medical leave of
absence. This decision came after another fainting incident he experienced in July. As a priest
and a friend of mine whom I have known since seminary, I pray he receives the treatment he
needs to return to vibrant health and priestly ministry. May God be with him and bless him.
Since I became pastor at Christ the King, I have been residing at St. Agnes rectory so I
would not be alone. That decision was made for my own mental health due to challenges with
anxiety I have faced in the past. While I am in great mental and physical health currently, I need
your help and support so I can maintain my health and be fully present to everyone.
Having some knowledge of Saint Agnes Parish already, I accepted the assignment of
becoming the parochial administrator of Saint Agnes Parish while continuing as pastor of Christ
the King Parish. This means I am now the leader of two parishes with a total of seven
churches, twelve cemeteries, and all the corresponding buildings and property across about a
third of Clearfield County. From our census information we are about 1,500 people who make
up about 750 Catholic families across the two parishes. Needless to say, this is a lot of people
and territory for me to provide ministry.
So how long will this arrangement last? In my appointment letter, Bishop Persico states
“This appointment is effective July 31, 2025, and continues until other determinations are
made.” What are “other determinations”? Here is the reality of the Diocese of Erie. In the last
four months two priests went on a leave of absence and one priest, who was a pastor, died.
This was added to the reality of three priests retiring this summer. While in past years the
diocese could have dealt with these unexpected issues it is not the case today. We have hit the
anticipated crisis point - there now is no bench. There are more places to assign active priests
to than there are priests to assign. While past pastoral planning has somewhat adjusted the
number of positions (pastorships) that need filled, the reality is the number of active priests is
declining faster than the number positions (pastorships) requiring a priest.
Looking into the future there will be no priest ordained for the Diocese of Erie in the next
three years. The diocese is anticipating bringing over foreign national priests but they will not
be assigned pastors but will instead be assigned to supporting roles that free up local priests for
other assignments.
Currently we need to anticipate this arrangement lasting until January 2026. Do not
anticipate the answer to “other determinations” to look like how things were in June 2025.
There is simply no priest to send without reducing the number of pastorships across the
diocese.
Saint Agnes Parish - Christ the King Parish
So how will this affect us? This is the painful part. I need to drastically change the
weekend Mass schedule. Why? Here are the constraints.
? Canon 905 states the maximum number of Masses a priest can say is one Mass per day
and two Masses on Sunday. An exception can be granted to do one more Mass a day
for a serious cause. This means that for the ordinary schedule a priest's maximum Mass
count is three masses on a weekend - one on Saturday and two on Sunday. This is to
keep the workload for a priest manageable. Funeral and wedding Masses get added on
to the standard schedule.
? Retired priests are just that - retired. A retired priest is free to do as much or as little
assistance as he chooses. This means that the regular schedule and ministry life of a
parish is not to require them to assist in order to make a regular schedule manageable.
This allows them to assist periodically as they desire for times when the active priests
are sick or take a vacation. Retirement for a priest in the Diocese of Erie is at age 75.
The men who have given decades of service should have their freedom be respected.
? Masses cannot overlap. That will require two priests to be scheduled.
? The times between Masses need to be sufficient for a priest to get from one location to
another without having to rush.
With these constraints the following Mass schedule will be in effect.
Weekend
? Saturday: 4:00 PM at Christ the King Church? Sunday: 9:00 AM at Christ the KIng Church
? Religious Education: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
? Sunday: 11:00 AM at Saint Agnes Church
? Religious Education: 9:40 AM - 10:55 AM
Weekday
- Monday: Noon at St. Agnes Church
? Gets replaced by a funeral mass if scheduled.
? Tuesday: 8:30 AM at Christ the King Church
? Wednesday: 8:30 AM at Christ the King Church
? Thursday: 5:30 PM rotating over three weeks between
? St. Mary of the Assumption Church
? St. Severins Church
? Immaculate Conception Church
? Friday: 8:30 AM at Christ the King Church
Holy Day of Obligation
? Check the bulletin for scheduleFunerals
Saint Agnes Parish - Christ the King ParishA funeral mass will generally be scheduled at 11:00 AM on Wednesday through Saturday and
Noon on Monday.
As you can see in the mass schedule only the primary church for each parish will have a
weekend mass. I believe the fairest way to cut back to three masses is to eliminate the
weekend masses at all the secondary mission churches and consolidate at the two primary
churches.
In light of the current mass attendance numbers, there is plenty of seating capacity at
Saint Agnes and Christ the King churches. A rotating weekday mass will be offered in the
secondary mission churches. I recognize that is not much of an offer for the people who are
devoted to St. Mary of the Assumption, St. Severins, and Immaculate Conception churches, but
it is what I am realistically capable of providing at this time.
This schedule is temporary, but as I said earlier I do not know how long this arrangement
will last.
Are Saint Mary of the Assumption, Saint Severins, or Immaculate Conception closing?
No. Does this decision hurt? Yes, a lot. Will a regularly scheduled weekend mass be returning
to Saint Mary of the Assumption, Saint Severins, or Immaculate Conception? If a full time
pastor gets assigned to Saint Agnes Parish then yes. Otherwise I just do not know.
This mass schedule was made with the consent of Bishop Persico after consultation with
the local retired priests and Rev. John Detish, the local dean. This plan was presented to the
pastoral councils of Saint Agnes and Christ the King parishes for their comments prior to you
receiving this letter.
I wish that the start of this temporary arrangement was because of more positive news
instead of this more painful reality. I am here to listen to the pain but I cannot change these
decisions at this time. I will review this mass schedule in January 2026 with the pastoral
councils once we have more guidance from Bishop Persico of what can or will happen.
I recognize that people will be upset, but after knowing the constraints, and protecting
my own mental and physical health, I proposed this solution. I believe this is the best I can offer
as your pastor and administrator in light of what has been asked of me from our bishop and the
reality of a shrinking number of active priests in our diocese. Please pray for vocations! I want
a thriving Catholic Church in twenty years, not a Church that will be half the size it is now. That
positive future will take sacrifice. In this Jubilee of Hope I hold onto the reality that we are a
dedicated people to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the rock we anchor ourselves to
during the storms of life. May he with the Father and the Holy Spirit bless you and keep you
strong in faith.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Johnathan Schmolt
Pastor, Christ the King Parish
Parochial Administrator, Saint Agnes Parish
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