Kudos to the parishioners, but there remains an unasked question, "How many seminarians came from this parish?" If this parish hasn't been a place where vocations are fostered, then why would they think they should have a full-time priest. Notice, I didn't say how many priests came from this parish but only seminarians. Too often I hear laments from people whose parishes close, "We had our wedding there," "We baptized all our children there," but I have never seen in any article, "Our son offered his first Mass there."

I heard the story about a bishop in the midwest who was consolidating parishes but there was one small parish with 50 families that he kept open. He did so because that little parish provided 5 priests to the diocese. If people want priests from a diocese they need to provide seminarians to the diocese.