Posted on 09/17/2004 8:36:25 PM PDT by Land of the Irish
Bishop Donald Wuerl is calling on the people of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to prepare for a future with fewer priests.
"Fewer priests does not mean less ministry," Wuerl wrote in a pastoral letter in this week's Pittsburgh Catholic.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Catholics - Pray for vocations!!!!
Ping
ping
There is no shortage of married men willing to serve the Church. There is, however, a shortage of celibate men willing to serve the Church.
What am I missing?
Huh??? I think you just answered your own question...
What am I missing?
Looking at it from a practical standpoint, I think that there would be many more priests if they were allowed to be married. However, I think those priests would also be very distracted with the duties and responsibilities of parenthood and children. After all if priests were to marry, they obviously wouldn't commit the very grave sin of practicing artificial birth control. Many of these priests would have a wife and a bunch of kids. How could they tend to their families and their parishes at the same time? Could the Church support them financially? We all know Catholics are notoriously cheap.
Things seem to be working quite well in the parishes (five of them) served by Anglican dispensation priests in our diocese. Catholics have stepped up to support their married pastors.
Well you really won't know for some time. I often tell people that I won't know whether I was a success as a parent until my children have died and THEY have gone to Heaven.
Now, if married Catholics were considered for the priesthood, it would be enriched further.
The fact that this is the first time in the history of the Catholic church that it can't get anyone to take vows of celibacy to serve it. Never was a problem in the past.
The precipitous devolution just happens to perfectly coincide with the late 60s, just when Vatican II befell us. Just luck of the draw I guess.
Part of the problem is that heterosexuals don't care to attend seminaries full of leftists who often treat the dorms as a bath house, just to graduate and go to work for an episcopal in the John F. Kerry wing of Catholicism.
I'm married. Do you believe that the Church would be enriched further if I was a ordained a priest?
I'm more interested in the solution to a shortage of priests and to the enrichment of the oriesthood.
Only if you came back to the Catholic Church.
Many priests don't even respect themselves. Many are afraid to tell people what they need to hear. Many are afraid to stand up for the Church and Her teachings. Many have as their main goal, to be popular and well liked. For many, salvation of souls is secondary.
Please note, I said many priests, not all priests. Unlike the ICEL, I can distinguish between many and all.
Come back to the Church. I can't take you seriously until you do.
What are you talking about? I go to an FSSP parish. Why am I not in the Church?
Let's go straight to the source.
Matthew 19 10-12;29
His disciples say unto him: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry. Who said to them: All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mothers womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it.And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.
Not a chance. I am done with the arrogance of bishops. Perhaps Martin Luther was on to something.
This megalomaniac should have considered the alternative headline:
...the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is calling their bishop to prepare for a future with fewer parishioners.
Because he said you are and you're bad.
Despite the admonitions of our RM who is somehow trying to get a handle on this, it has to get personal immediately... if not sooner. Look at his tagline.
I for one am 100% behind our RM on this. I would like to be able to intelligently discuss issues once in a while.
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