Nice work!
How many men have you steered into any of the vocations of Holy Orders, thor?
I'm not a priest, I'm a deacon. You think I'm "non-critical", but I did three funeral vigils this past week, and officiated at two weddings. This week.
You think deacons are useless, I know.
How many men have you steered into any of the vocations of Holy Orders?
My statement still stands.
And yes - deacons are indeed non-critical, in terms of their function and usefulness. We have played this game before - and virtually all but a few of the things which a deacon can do, can be done by a lay person.
The Church needs priests - not halfway, stopgap measures.
No, I have not personally been responsible for encouraging a vocation to the preisthood.
But I have tried to lead some of my contemporaries - as well as younger persons back to the faith.....with some success.
And I also have stopped a few suicide attempts.......and counseled those in absolute despair.
For that I did not need any fancy degrees, or a pat on the head from a Bishop. Just my Catholic training, , and a little help from that tiny white dove who has seven gifts to give.
Whether I be a layman or priest, those credentials are available to all - and for free.