Idaho’s Upcoming Catholic Priest Shortage

Faith is essential to most Idahoans. Folks who live in Idaho faithfully attend their favorite house of worship on Sundays. Some of the faithful attend service multiple times during a typical workweek. Some folks folk that the state has a gym, dental office, and a church on every corner.

But what happens when federal law threatens one of the state's most popular religions? A new report from East Idaho News says Idaho Catholics could be seeing a shortage of priests.

Why would the nation's largest denomination not have enough priests to shepherd the flock in the nation's fastest-growing states? Reportedly, the Trump Administration's immigration policy has impacted the number of foreign-born priests allowed to live and stay in the country.

The Catholic Church has augmented the shortage of American Catholic priests by bringing in clergy from other countries. It's not unusual to see many parishes with foreign-born priests administering Mass.

The limiting factor is due to a change in federal law that happened in 2023 when the U.S. Department of State altered the process by which immigrants seeking to enter the United States obtain visas. It applies to those seeking an EB-4 visa, which is part of Employment-Based Immigration and is available to religious workers, special immigrant juveniles, and others.

The changes in the law have created a backlog for those from Latin American countries. East Idaho News spoke with one priest who fears he might have to leave Idaho because his paperwork has not been approved.

If the visas are not renewed or green cards are not provided, those without documentation are staying in the country illegally.

We'll continue to monitor this situation and update you on this story as it develops.