What Shall We Do with the Convert Clergy?

Catholic Online ^ | February 1, 2010 | Fr. Dwight Longenecker

[NYer]

The Anglican Ordinariate may well help to solve the vocations crisis.These priests will also be authorized to celebrate Mass according to the Latin rite. GREENVILLE (Catholic Online) - Some time ago I attended a conference for Catholic priests. As a married, former Anglican priest, I felt honored and humbled to be numbered among them. The topic of our conference was the vocations crisis, and I could not help but notice that I was one of the younger priests, and I am in my early fifties. It is not enough to look forward and say that in a few years we will have a crisis in vocations. We already have a crisis in vocations.

Where will we get the priests we need to serve the American church? One of the solutions is to bring priests in from other countries. Already priests are helping us from Africa, India, Poland and South America. But is it really fair to take priests from the developing world? In his book Future Church, John Allen points out that while the seminaries are full in countries like Nigeria, they still are not producing enough priests for the exploding Catholic population in their own country.

Many observers feel that we have turned the corner. The seminaries and houses of religious formation are experiencing a new influx of young men with vocations. Ordinations are slowly on the increase. However, even with a large influx of young men, it will take more time than we have to train them and for them to get enough experience to become parish pastors. The vocations crisis is already here. Where will we get the priests we need?

[NYer]

Married men who are from other Protestant traditions are very unlikely to be considered for ordination. There are several reasons for this: first the Catholic hierarchy are rightly cautious about having too many married priests for fear that their presence will erode the tradition of clerical celibacy. Second, some fear that the influx of convert clergy will transform the traditional forms of Catholicism with ‘Protestant imports.’ Third, the training and formation of Protestants from other traditions is less likely to have been Catholic in it’s mindset, and therefore it is arguable that these men are less likely to make appropriate pastors and leaders in the Catholic Church.

[the invisib1e hand]

I’m sure they’d make great lecters and collection-takers.

[Uncle Miltie]

With great respect for my Catholic brethren, I've been waiting for an opportunity to post the following self-deprecating / reactionary post:

"As a Reactionary Conservative, I find this newfangled Christianity thing to be far to progressive, and have personally returned to the basics: Ultra-Orthodox Judaism.

This whole new "A.D." invention is overrated."

< / religious sarc >

[Mad Dawg]

I hope we’ll pray for ‘em.

[Judith Anne]

Probably 25 years ago, a married Lutheran clergyman with four children converted to Catholicism, and after years of study and some sort of papal dispensation, became a married priest. We were fortunate to attend his first mass at our parish—then he was assigned to a Michigan parish, and I lost track of him after that.

It’s not unheard of, and it’s not a problem for the majority of the Catholics I know.

And yes, in this year of the priest, we should especially pray for ALL priests.

[AnAmericanMother]

Sailors (singing):

What shall we do with the convert clergy?
What shall we do with the convert clergy?
What shall we do with the convert clergy,
Ear-lye in the morning?

I'm sure some verses will occur to somebody . . . .

[TheStickman]

Make them Deacons. Seems like the smart thing to do, IMO.

[bronx2]

After Viet Nam when the U.S. military was in disrepute, the Marine Corp adapted the slogan and practice of a “Few Good Men”.The corp did not compromise its values. The Church too must not compromise its values and it would be better to have a “Priest-less Sunday” than to allow those who do not share its values to become priests.Look at the damage done by those who have betrayed or marginalized Church doctrine. If necessary, have the current Latin Rite attend the new Anglican Rite and give the dissatisfied Happy Clappy crowd a road-map to the nearest Protestant Church , preferably the Episcopalian one.

[Salvation]

We have at least two married priests in our archdiocese. I expect other dioceses to have similar or larger numbers according to need.

[Salvation]

Yes, we need to pray for all these converts. They will make excellent priests.

[Salvation]

Yes, we need to pray for all these minister/converts. They will make excellent priests.

[Salvation]

Some may choose to be ordained permanent deacons, understaniding, of course, that if their wife dies, they cannot remarry.

I think others will fulfill the requirements for priestly ordinartion.

In fact I know of one who is pursuing that right now!

[Tax-chick]

Put ‘em in the longboat till they’re sober?

But seriously, although I welcome Anglicans, and I wouldn’t have any problems with a convert priest in my parish, the “vocations crisis” isn’t going anywhere until Catholics stop using birth control and have families that are oriented around God instead of money.

Speaking of which, what about married Anglican priests? Unless their wives are post-menopausal, are they going to give up birth control? Imagine the poor man who would like to be a Catholic priest, but his wife would never take going off the Pill. Or are they all sterilized already?

[AnAmericanMother]

The only 'high churchers' I knew were unmarried.

I do know some ECUSA priests with large families, but they're more at the evangelical end of things.

[A.A. Cunningham]

After Viet Nam when the U.S. military was in disrepute, the Marine Corp(sic) adapted the slogan and practice of a “Few Good Men”.

The Corps began using the slogan "A Few Good Men" in the 18th century.

[iowamark]

Key paragraphs:

There is another way that convert clergy can help to ease our vocations crisis without being ordained as priests. A good number of men from traditions other than Anglican and Lutheran have become Catholics. They are theologically trained and pastorally experienced. Many of them have run churches and ministered for many years. If there were a special training course established for them to prepare for ordination as permanent deacons these experienced and enthusiastic men could assist the priests in administering parishes.

If a bishop needs to combine parishes under the ministry of one priest, who better to reside in the second parish and administer for the priest it than a well qualified, enthusiastic and experienced convert clergyman? If that man were ordained as a permanent deacon he could virtually run the parish in co operation with the parish priest. He may not be a priest, but he could do many of the jobs that our priests still take on themselves, thus releasing the priest for his essential ministry of celebrating the sacraments and preaching the gospel.

[markomalley]

…There are several reasons for this: first the Catholic hierarchy are rightly cautious about having too many married priests for fear that their presence will erode the tradition of clerical celibacy…

Jesus, talking to his followers, said (Matt 16)

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it.

Furhter, He had this exchange with one who wished to be His disciple (Mark 10)

17 And when he had gone forth into the way, a certain man, running up and kneeling before him, asked him: Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive life everlasting? 18 And Jesus said to him: Why do you call me good? None is good but one, that is God. 19 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, bear not false witness, do no fraud, honour your father and mother. 20 But he answering, said to him: Master, all these things I have observed from my youth. 21 And Jesus, looking on him, loved him and said to him: One thing is wanting unto you. Go, sell whatsoever you have and give to the poor: and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. 22 Who being struck sad at that saying, went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

How often do we really hear those verses expounded upon in regards to ourselves? The modern American Church (AMCHURCH^™) prefers to teach and preach Alinskyite community organizing rather than shedding materialism and gaining true freedom.

If you look at it, though, those passages above explain precisely why we have a vocations crisis in the developed world and why they have a vocations explosion in the developing world. The short answer is that it's a lot easier to give everything up, pick up one's cross, and follow Him when one has next to nothing to start off with. Combine that with the materialism of our sophisticated, advanced, enlightened society </sarc>, and it becomes apparent, likewise, that we would have a lot of people who would go away sorrowful: for he they had great possessions. AMCHURCH^™'s teachings are just slightly different than St. Francis' idea of complete freedom.

Father Longenecker is a wonderful guy. But the idea of compromising to the materialistic world by ordaining former Presbyterians or Baptists to the priesthood is not the answer. Actually preaching and living the full gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer. Authentic vocations will follow.

[Tax-chick]

There seems to be a perception that the celibate pastoral vocation is hard, while the married vocation is easy. I don’t know where that comes from ... certainly not from most people who’ve been married and made a real effort at it! Take it from me (or from my husband ;-), being married is hard. I know sometimes I wish I’d tried “old maid with cats” instead.

Another issue is the perception that, in addition to “married” or “celibate,” there a vocation of “single and screwing around” available, and that it’s really the ideal, while any other way of life is second best, at best.

[Mad Dawg]

In general I would agree. I believe the proposed or considered accepting of priests already married is temporary.

It is true that to speak of a clergy shortage when our Lord at one time was down to 11 may betray a lack of confidence in God's ability to multiply yields even more than a hundred-fold.

In the Diocese of Richmond, beset as it is with liberals, one fear was that if they ordained me one wing would be horrified to have a priest who had intimate knowledge of where babies come from and another side would be all outraged that SOME priests can be married, while others can't.

IN any event, any wife of a Catholic priest had better understand that widowhood would probably (a)be easier and (b) probably not decrease the amount of time she got to talk and pray with her husband.

And there's the poverty factor. Episcopal clergy are generally pretty comfortable. I don't see married Catholic clergy in the US being as comfortable.

Vague inchoate thoughts while waiting for the caffeine to reach the cerebral cortex.