Macomer, the sole parish priest returns after 60 years

Father Andrea Rossi, former parish priest of San Pantaleo and Madonna Missionaria, was also appointed administrator of the parishes of the Holy Family and San Francesco. He will carry out the activity assisted by Don Marco Saurra and the deacon Don Leonardo Arca. A new revolution, after the one that occurred 7 years ago.

After over 60 years, the single parish priest returns to Macomer, an indispensable condition for allowing all communities to have a priest. The problem is linked to the lack of vocations. This is a crisis that makes less noise than the others, despite worsening year after year, while the average age of active priests is around 60 years old.

It was not easy and it will be increasingly difficult for the bishop, Monsignor Mauro Maria Morfino, to be able to cover the uncovered "boxes". In the diocese of Alghero Bosa, the diocesan priests serving 61 parishes, with approximately 103 thousand inhabitants, were 63 in 2012, 60 in 2015, 56 in 2018 and now only 49. The parish priests remaining in service are therefore forced to divide themselves between several churches.

In Macomer, until 2016 there were four parish priests, one for each parish. In that year there was the first revolution with the arrival of two priests, superiors of the Conceptionists, with the parish priest Father Mario Pesenti, who governed the parishes of the Holy Family and that of San Francesco. Last June Father Mario Pesenti left Macomer and Sardinia to go and direct a youth center in Calabria. Throughout the summer the parish priest Father Andrea Rossi, together with Don Marco Saurra and the deacon Don Leonardo Arca, had to change the structure of the functions, creating some inconvenience. Now the new situation, which however does not appear easy, given that two priests will have to manage four parishes, in a town with more than 9 thousand inhabitants. Don Leonardo Arca is expected to be ordained a priest.

The situation also changes in Silanus, where Father Vito Lombardi will go to administer the parishes of Pozzomaggiore, Padria, Mara and Semestene. In his place, Don Ottavio Sias arrives from Macomer, who will also take care of the parish of Lei. He leaves Dualchi and Noragugume, Don Maurizio Demartis, to take care of the parish of Sedilo. Don Battista Mongili arrives from Sedilo in his place. Especially in Macomer, the developments of this change are awaited, even if management is quite difficult.