Catholicism is one of the world’s largest religions, however the United States is facing a priest shortage. In the past 54 years the number of priests has dropped by over 40%. This has caused Catholic churches to close and dioceses to reach out to foreign priests for assistance.  Nearly one in four Catholic priests in the U.S. is from out of the country, according to Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Priests feeling stretched

The Catholic communities in the City of Ithaca are feeling some of the impacts of these priest shortages but they are not letting it affect them. There are two priests spread between two parishes, two college campuses and six nursing homes within the Ithaca area. In early September, the Diocese of Rochester moved one of the three priests in the area to a different assignment north of Rochester.

Every few years, depending on where priests are needed, the Diocese will change priests’ assignments and locations. Last September, Rev. John Omboga, one of the area’s three priests, was removed from St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Cayuga Heights, upon Bishop Salvatore R. Matano’s request. This change created bigger roles for the other two priests in the area.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Fr. Dan McMullen and Fr. Augustine Chumo are the two priests currently assigned to the Ithaca area. Chumo, originally from Kenya, is the head priest at Immaculate Conception in downtown Ithaca, three nursing homes and has a shared role at Ithaca College. Chumo said he had planned to return to Kenya to continue his priesthood but stayed in the U.S. because he saw the need. McMullen is the head priest at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Cornell University, four nursing homes and also has a shared role at IC. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Lisa Hens, a parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena, said,”We are still able to have confessions before Mass on Saturdays but we are now down to two weekend Masses.” This large spread of locations has caused a change in the weekly Mass schedule. It has also stretched these two priests to bigger roles, creating busier schedules.

Faithful communities hold onto hope

Despite these challenges, the Ithaca community remains not only faithful but hopeful.

Mary Holzhauer, the campus minister of the IC Catholic Community, is optimistic about the future of the Catholic communities in the Ithaca area. “We’re doing rather well in comparison to other areas in the Diocese,” Holzhauer said.

Chumo began his alternating role at IC last September during the change. He is excited for the new opportunities to come.

“It gives me an opportunity to reach a younger population,” Chumo said. “It’s not a loss, it’s a gain.”

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​​​​​​McMullen began his role as the Cornell University chaplain in 2005 and began at IC in 2019. As of Sept. 1, 2025, St. Catherine of Siena’s church was added to his responsibilities.

“I like this work, and I’m holding up fairly well … I thought I’d be easing into a quieter life but evidently I’m just going to work until I drop.” McMullen said.

Immediately prior to a recent Mass on IC’s campus, McMullen was unable to celebrate Mass due to personal reasons. Holzhauer’s next step was to contact Chumo to fill his place. Due to his busy schedule, Chumo was not able to attend, leaving IC with no Mass.

“We ended up doing a liturgy of the word and all the music we would have done … and having some semblance of continuity,” Holzhauer said.

IC student, Ashley Vandenbrouck, attends mass with her family every weekend when she is home. “I felt really sad and I felt kind of lost,” Vandenbrouck said. “Coming to Mass makes me feel at home.”

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​Despite situations like these and the drop in Masses, residents of Ithaca’s Catholic community remain strong in their faith and hopeful about the future of the church.  Vandenbrouck, a regular attendee of IC’s Mass, was optimistic about the new priest schedule on campus.

“I enjoy the rotation of priests … it doesn’t bother me.”

Discussing the issue on a parish level, Chumo remained positive about the challenges.

“Sometimes it is a good thing for them to see the need.”  This is a need that is seen all across the U.S., yet Ithaca remains optimistic.