With the declining number of priests available, many Catholic dioceses are investigating various ways of organising their parishes. The issue is similar to that faced by many denominations. Catholic parishes, however, have some issues not faced by most Protestant denominations in that priests have an irreplaceable role in celebrating the sacraments. Priests are central to parish life in the Catholic church and there has not been a tradition of lay people as leaders of worship. However, two case studies suggests that the patterns of leadership can change and may even strengthen parish life as they do so.