Facing A Future With Fewer Catholic Priests

[bernadette d]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1277239034' post='2132921']
My biggest fear is that with fewer priests, we will begin to see the role of the priest merely as a disposer of the sacraments.
[/quote]
I could not agree more with this

[bernadette d]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1277239174' post='2132923']
people already treat priests as a "Sacrament Machine" like a vending machine. in my experience, it happens more often at parishes where the lay people do more of the work at a parish than a priest does.
[/quote]
So so true, when we should think of the Priest as the "Alter Christus"

[bernadette d]

Our diocese (in UK) is very concerned about the ability to "cover" the parishes. One deanery (9 parishes) I know well has gone from 8 priests to 5 and another (7 parishes) from 7 to 5 and these cover large rural areas. The youngest Priest is 35. We really need to pray

[BG45]

In the diocese I'm in now, we're constantly talked to about vocations and the lack of men attending seminary. That said, 45 minutes away, the Franciscan seminary is overflowing with people sending in applications, most of them from the surrounding dioceses such as my own.

[Basilisa Marie]

[quote name='BG45' timestamp='1323645894' post='2349364']
In the diocese I'm in now, we're constantly talked to about vocations and the lack of men attending seminary. That said, 45 minutes away, the Franciscan seminary is overflowing with people sending in applications, most of them from the surrounding dioceses such as my own.
[/quote]

Yeah, I think part of the issue is that various regions have more seminarians than others. And while I'm all for lay people getting [i]properly [/i]trained and stepping up to help run day-to-day operations of a parish, it's more of a band-aid than a cure. Are dioceses with lots of new priests (not that any really has any to spare) allowed/able to send priests to other dioceses that are especially hurting for vocations?

[BigJon16]

Do we have a "Vocations Crisis"? Sure. But I think we should remain optimistic. Have Hope, yo.


I had a dream. It was about my ordination class. There were 75 of us, from my diocese alone.

"Oh, but it was just a dream." They said the same thing to Martin Luther King jr...





I have a strong feeling that the Church will re-bound from this. She will come back; She always comes back.

At least this is what I pray for.


"You are Peter, and upon this Rock, I shall build My Church. And [i]the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."[/i]

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

ummm, pax domine sit semper vobiscum, whoms prediction woz thiz? A prophet ? Think about it if you have a shortage of priests pray the ones that are there increase in holyness so as they can be almost 24/7 like padre pio amongst many others. The cure is to pray for more priests in all orders and there increase in holyness,shouldn't we be doing this anyhow shortage or no shortage? But make sure at the end of such a prayer to say if it is your will LORD. Pray for more deacons and nuns and there increase in holyness again with the if it is your will LORD. Oh add an our father at the end of each such prayer and if you would like extra credit a hail mary and glory be. This is all just my opinion and of course there may be more to it than what i have stated or less <shrugs> i am just a man and can not reveal the will of GOD perfectly,i think saint paul stated that,but if there is a mustard seed of the truth in what i have stated may it grow LORD Jesus.Amen.

Onward Christian souls.
God is good,God is love,God saves.
JC "seek and ye shall find." "knock and the door will be opened."
St Paul "persistance bears fruits of hope."

St Francessca Cabrini the american saint "one whom dares nothing recieves nothing,a missionary should be fearless."
St Mary Mackillop of the cross "Be eager in your desires but patient in there accomplishment."

[penguin31]

I know it's a terrible way to phrase things, but perhaps the causes for priest shortages are merely serving to thin out those who don't actually and truly have a calling to the Priesthood. Better to have 10,000 priests who are solid and faithful Catholics than 20,000 priests - half of whom really don't want to be there, aren't really called to be there, and whose half-hearted efforts and disinterest only serve to dilute and distort the message of the Church.

[brandelynmarie]

This is just my opinion.


It does begin with the families. Young children hearing parents talk about priesthood & religious life in a positive manner is essential. The [i]active prescence[/i] of even a few religious &/or seminarians in a parish make a difference as well. The more young people get to [i]interact [/i]with sisters & seminarians & brothers & especially priests, (even visiting the cloistered nuns!) the more vocational "seeds" will be planted...

However, there are religious orders within my diocese that I have never seen or have never had contact with *sigh* .

[Norseman82]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1277238225' post='2132907']
the problem is that not enough priests/parishes/ministers are talking about vocations! no one is inviting these young men to the priesthood. no one encourages discerning a call - and young men are less likely to look up to hippie priests as someone to emulate. instead we hear about solving the problem WITHOUT encouraging young men to be priests (women priests, married priests, lay ministers, etc.)
[/quote]

My pastor does go to single men he sees and says they should consider the seminary. He said it to me once, and I remember watching him before Mass as he was walking to say similar to the son of one of our permanent deacons (I don't think he realized the deacon's son was engaged to be married).

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Norseman82' timestamp='1323662734' post='2349606']My pastor does go to single men he sees and says they should consider the seminary. [/quote]
THAT RAWKS.

but, it's not just a one-time deal, ya know? (not that i'm saying your pastor treats it like a one-time deal.) the vocations director in my diocese has started a twice-monthly (one at each of the diocese's cathedrals) vocations Mass - praying for vocations, encouraging young men to the priesthood and young women to discern religious life. the vocations director is developing a relationship with men of the diocese, as best as he can since the diocese is so spread out.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Lil Red

[Lil Red]

[quote name='brandelynmarie' timestamp='1323650139' post='2349428']
This is just my opinion.


It does begin with the families. Young children hearing parents talk about priesthood & religious life in a positive manner is essential. The [i]active prescence[/i] of even a few religious &/or seminarians in a parish make a difference as well. The more young people get to [i]interact [/i]with sisters & seminarians & brothers & especially priests, (even visiting the cloistered nuns!) the more vocational "seeds" will be planted...[/quote]
i definitely agree. build up holy families and the vocations will flow from that.

[TheresaThoma]

At my parish we are blessed to have two young seminarians working at our parish as well as a young priest. I know that they spend a good amount of time with the high school kids and I think that will go a long way in promoting vocations.I know personally one of my big turning points was realizing that you don't have to be super holy to be a Sister, and that came through actually meeting some Sisters. We also have a many posters up around the parish promoting vocations to the priesthood. And I know for sure that over the past 8 or so years we have had 3 seminarians and 3 Sisters come from our parish. There might be a couple more that I haven't heard about and I would bet that there are a few that are seriously thinking about it.
Give kids who are grounded in their faith to really get to know some priests and religious brothers/sisters and the results might be surprising.

[savvy]

We need to pray for vocations. Adoration helps a lot, so does talking to people about vocations. It's also families being opposed to it. A person often feels torn apart if this such a case. I have met people with non-Catholic parents who have frankly been more supportive than Catholic parents.

A vocation is ultimately a call from God. If someone truly has one, nothing on earth can keep them away.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Basilisa Marie' timestamp='1323648440' post='2349405']

Yeah, I think part of the issue is that various regions have more seminarians than others. And while I'm all for lay people getting [i]properly [/i]trained and stepping up to help run day-to-day operations of a parish, it's more of a band-aid than a cure. Are dioceses with lots of new priests (not that any really has any to spare) allowed/able to send priests to other dioceses that are especially hurting for vocations?
[/quote]
In my parents' diocese there are a few priests from India, who have been sent by their religious order to help fill the need in that diocese. I've heard of this happening in a few other places, though I have not heard of a diocese sending their priests. (The really interesting part of the priests in my parents' diocese is that they're not Latin Rite. I'm not even sure what rite they are, but they had to learn how to say the Mass in the Latin Rite. I also feel kind of bad for them, because they don't get to have the same community life they would if they were at home, and I imagine that has to be really hard, when that's what you're used to and what you "signed up for.")