Posted on 07/22/2006 7:06:59 AM PDT by NYer
Aw dang, Jeff, you caught us red-handed!Trying to Hook More Youths on Priesthood
In this era of Eminem and Britney Spears, of sexy sitcoms and sexier commercials, of high-speed Internet and instant gratification, a life of celibacy devoted to God can be a hard sell to a teenager.
So as the nation's Roman Catholic leaders gathered recently and watched a video called "Fishers of Men," designed to draw young men to the priesthood, they had good reason to worry about the future of their chosen way of life.
Church leaders have long been aware of the statistics. There are now about 43,000 Catholic priests in America, down from more than 58,000 in 1965. As the U.S. Catholic population has risen to about 70 million, more churches have had to share priests.
What receives less attention is that the men who go into the seminary generally don't do so until later in life. The average age of newly ordained priests was 36 last year, up from 28 in the 1960s and 26 in the 1940s.
...
Observers of vocational trends say more effort is needed now because of smaller families, with parents who want grandchildren; a secularized culture wary of lifetime commitment and celibacy; Catholic assimilation in America; and increased family mobility, which detracts from parish loyalties. [More...]
great pic. in who's audience were the jovial clerics (I think I know already)?
it's "whose," isn't it?
We just had a visit from Cardinal Arinze here in St. Augustine. He celebrated Mass at the Cathedral yesterday, and we all turned out for it. He's a very charming person, with that wonderful African accent and fondness for telling odd little allegories to illustrate his point. Afterwards, when he was greeting people, he kept asking all the young boys if they were going to be priests when they grew up!
Those young American seminarians were reacting to the announcement "Habemus Papam . . . Cardinale Josephus . . . Ratzinger."
. . . soon as I heard "Josephus" on the radio, I knew who it was too. And everybody in my office thought I was nuts . . . jumping up and down and cheering . . .
IIRC, one of those young men was a college athlete of some renown who set all his fame and fortune aside to answer the call to the priesthood.
Maybe in response to the spectre of overpopulation? That's just PC enough to get through to a secular world forever worried about Problems for Our Children and the Future. Being celibate and spiritual is one way to combat the problems daily being added to a burdened planet--oh wait, it's still an appeal to the Church and to Mary, not Gaia. *sigh*
*************
LOL!
The Catholic Church position demanding celibacy among the priesthood could be argued as quite unbiblical...
Some people are given the grace to live single and pure lives for a given season of their life in order to serve in ministry or missions function...
Yet eventually seasons pass, and the blessing of a believing spouse is received.
The "tradition" of celibate life for ministers is the invention of men -- and Christans should prayerfully consider the Biblical point of view -- then I suspect recruiting would improve by God's grace given in the lives of these young candidates.
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him.” -- Genesis 2:18
Do we not have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter? -- 1 Corinthians 9:5
let me be the first to say, "oy."
All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.- Matthew 19:11-12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Flames, from me - never! Catechesis - always!
The Catholic Church position demanding celibacy among the priesthood could be argued as quite unbiblical...
Some clarification is in order. Celibacy is a discipline not a demand and is required only by the Latin Church. The Eastern Catholic Churches allow for a married priesthood, with limits and restrictions.
Celibacy is totally biblical. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, was celibate, as were His disciples, with the exception of St. Peter (who was called by Christ after he was married).
"But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please [his] wife. There is difference [also] between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please [her] husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction." - 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman." - 1 Corinithians 7:1
"And every one that hath forsaken houses, 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 inherit everlasting life." - Matthew 19:29
"His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with [his] wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All [men] cannot receive this saying, save [they] to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from [their] mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive [it], let him receive [it]." - Matthew 19:10-12
St. Augustine, FL ?? I love that place.
Love that picture!!! It was taken in St. Peter's Square immediately following the announcement Habemus Papam, naming Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as the successor to St. Peter. These seminarians were obviously in agreement with the Holy Spirit's selection :-)
One and the same! Our bishop is very pro-life, and the Cardinal came here for a conference on family life being held in Jacksonville.
ALso, we got a very nice article in the local press today, where it mentioned several times how Cardinal Arinze kept asking the boys if they wanted to be priests!
Afterwards, when he was greeting people, he kept asking all the young boys if they were going to be priests when they grew up!
That invitation is a seed planted in each boy's heart. If properly watered and fed, it will blossom into a new vocation. God bless Arinze! He recognizes the importance of asking, regardless of the child's age.
Forgive the ignorance but what does this mean?
With all due respect, you are wrong. Priestly celibacy is an ancient tradition which has been part of the law and practice of the Church since the patristic era.
Although celibacy defined in the strict sense as the conferring of Orders only upon unmarried men did not become the law of the Church until the eleventh century, celibacy broadly defined as “absolute continence for a cleric who was married or not” was, in fact required since the start of fourth century and possibly even from apostolic times.
Before considering ecclesiastical law and practice of the patristic era, it is necessary to briefly review the epistles of St. Paul since the earliest references to clerical marriage and clerical continence are found there. Paul wrote that “a bishop must be irreproachable, married but once” (1 Tim. 3:2 NAB) and that “he must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity” (1 Tim 3:4) He laid down the same requirement for deacons (1 Tim 3:12) and priests (Titus 1:6). Aside from the prohibition against ordaining digamists, these passages not only permit the ordination of married men, but seem to require it. However, Paul told the Corinthians not to take wives if they were single and instructed those who had wives to live as though they did not (1 Cor. 7:27-9), adding, “An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided.” (1 Cor. 7:32-4) These passages of Scripture were adopted by the early Church which forbade the ordination of digamists, the remarriage of clerics, and marriage after ordination.
The first known legislation on clerical continence can be found in the decrees of the Council of Elvira, which was held in Spain around the year 305. Canon 33 states:
"It has seemed good absolutely to forbid the bishops, the priests, and the deacons, i.e. all the clerics in the service of the ministry to have relations with their wive and procreate children; should anyone do so, let him be excluded from the honor of the clergy."
The Council of Arles (314) also required clerics to observe perfect continence, citing ritual purity as the reason. Canon 29 reads: “Furthermore, with a care for what is worthy, pure and honest, we exhort our brothers [in the episcopate] to act in such a way that priests and deacons have no relations with their spouses, given that they are engaged each day in the ministry. Whoever acts contrariwise to this decision will be deposed from the honor of the clerical state”
At the same time the Council of Neocaesarea (314-25) issued one of the earliest decrees prohibiting priests from marrying after ordination. Canon 1 says: “If a priest marries, he will be excluded fom the ranks of the clergy; if he commits fornication or adultery, he will in addition be excommunicated and subject to penance.”
These decrees of local synods were soon followed by one from the first ecumenical council held by the Church, which was convened by Constantine in Nicea in 325. Canon 3 reads:
"The great Council has absolutely forbidden bishops, priests, and deacons--in otherwords, all the members of the clergy--to have with them a sister-companion [sub-introduced woman] with the exception of a mother, a sister, an aunt, or, lastly, only those who are beyond any suspicion."
In other words, from at least the patristic era, men who ordained to the priesthood or episcopacy were forbidden to have relations with or even live with their wives after marriage. And unmarried priests and bishops were forbidden to marry.
Sorry! There's no way to keep up with all the little abbreviations/acronyms.
What's worse is all the abbreviations the kids use when text messaging . . .
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