MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – The Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire is tackling a shortage of priests by asking the faithful to pray at special monthly Masses.

In a newspaper ad on Monday, the Diocese of Manchester says the need for priests in New Hampshire is great and asks people to support those seeking a religious vocation.

A special Web site, www.liveinblackandwhite.com, says the church is hoping 1,000 people will commit to attending a monthly Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester to pray for more priests. The Web site says that more than 400 hundred people have made the commitment.

The first special Mass is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 8.

In the meantime, Catholic parishes in Auburn and Candia are asking the diocese to approve their plan to share a single priest. They’re also asking for help figuring out how to schedule Masses so the plan will work.

The diocese had 109 full-time priests in active ministry, 64 percent of whom were more than age 50 a year ago. By 2012, the number of priests will have fallen to 70 to 75 full-time priests, the diocese said.

Information from: New Hampshire Union Leader, http://www.theunionleader.com