Holy Posting by Austrian Parish

Frustrated churchgoers have put an advert in the paper for a new Catholic priest after the local diocese failed to find a replacement when the current priest was moved to a new area.

The advert says that people in Taufkirchen an der Pram at Schärding in Austria are looking for a qualified priest to manage the 3,600 souls in the community, and duties include spiritual management, and holding mass.

The current priest who has been serving the area for 20 years will be moved in September.

The advert highlights a shortage of priests in general in the dioceses of Linz where recruitment seems to yield little result.

The ad was placed by villager Christoph Crepaz in the job section of the local newspaper and includes mention of the very good financial position of the community.

The advert includes a telephone number and e-mail address for interested parties to call.

Linz diocese spokesman Martin Füreder said that it was the first time that the job advert for a priest had been placed in the careers section of the newspaper and it wasn’t something that they would encourage. But he praised the fact that locals felt strongly enough about the matter to try and encourage and aid the search for a replacement.

Interested candidates have until the end of February to apply to the email address 913779243@aon.at.