The Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno is in a growth phase, with two new churches being built and the possibility of a new Catholic school on the horizon.That's because estimates show about 120,000 Catholics in Northern Nevada, up from 95,000 five years ago.
Plans call for new churches in Fernley and Carson City.
Diocesan officials also are discussing building another Catholic school in the area but haven't yet decided on a location.
With growth comes challenges, said the Most Rev. Randolph Calvo, installed as the diocese's seventh bishop two years ago.
He said the congregations are expanding at a time when a shortage of priests affects parishes. He said if a new school is built, the diocese must keep it affordable for families.
"The question is how to make Catholic education accessible and affordable for people," Calvo said. "How do you bring in revenue and at the same time meet expenses without putting it all on the shoulders of families?"
He said families are struggling with increased expenses across the board, especially if they have more than one child.
"They are not only looking at paying for elementary school, but also high school and college," he said. "With the costs of college education today, that's going to be a challenge for them. We really don't have an easy answer to that."
Currently, the diocese has four elementary schools and Bishop Manogue High School in southwest Reno. Under Calvo, a diocesan school board has been formed to deal with education and school issues.
Clergy shortage
Catholic clergy is stretched thin in the Silver State.
This year, Truckee Meadows parishes lost three priests who retired or moved.
"One priest was ordained, and three left or retired, and that does pose a challenge," Calvo said.
"There's not much flexibility when it comes to assigning priests. When you look at the map, it seems impossible to fill the vacancies that have been created, but somehow, we're managing."
In addition to the ordination of Edgar Villanueva, priests from other nations have volunteered to serve in Nevada, three local men are attending seminary in Menlo Park, Calif., and two candidates for the seminary are living at Saint Albert's rectory while attending the University of Nevada, Reno.
Staffing problems are especially acute in the state's rural areas, he said.
"Look at Elko County, where we have four parishes and one mission," Calvo said. "We've got Elko, Carlin, Eureka, Wells and Jackpot.
"We've got two priests circuit riding to cover nine Sunday services. That's 200 miles round trip. That's quite a commitment that has to be made to serve those people."
He said not all priests can adjust to a diocese that stretches across a sagebrush ocean. In urban areas, priests live together in rectories, but in rural parishes, isolation is the rule.
"Not everyone is cut out for that," he said.
Calvo said Nevada parishes are beginning a new four-year initiative called "Why Catholic?"
"We'll be trying to get a deeper understanding of their faith with small groups praying together and sharing together," he said. "We'll launch next year, and we'd like all the parishes to be participating in a common sense of our faith."
Calvo said the diocese will continue to reach out to the area's Hispanic community and to young people.
"It's a big challenge reaching younger people" who might not be regular church-goers and might not think of religion as a major part of their lives, he said.
He said it's "not an unnatural process" for young Catholics to move away from their faith as they become adults, but "they tend to return once they have a family and settle down.
"How to communicate with young people is a problem," Calvo said. "They are using the Internet and going places I can only imagine these days. "» We're looking at better ways to utilize electronic media (to reach youngsters)."
Calvo said his two years in Nevada have been a pleasant learning experience, and though the state is vast, there is a sense of community that transcends the distances.
"In Nevada, the people are more sociable," said Calvo, who worked in Redwood City, Calif., and San Francisco before coming to Reno.
"Go to a grocery store checkout, and people talk to you, and they are friendly," he said. "That's not always the case in a big city where there's often tension in the air. There's a lot more relaxed attitude here. That's one thing about Nevada that's just striking to me."
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