Advent Group (UK)

Northern English dioceses are expected to lose as much as 40 per cent of their serving priests in the next decade, forcing them to dissolve or merge dozens of parishes. According to a report by the Centre for Catholic Studies at the University of Durham, the number of active clergy in the Diocese of Middlesbrough will decline from 62 to 36 by 2019. This follows earlier estimates for Hexham and Newcastle, which predict a 36 per cent drop in priest numbers by the end of this decade, while the Diocese of Lancaster expects a 40 per cent decline during the same period.