Replies

I thought that the Los Angeles ordinations were pretty pathetic and was surprised to hear them described as healthy.

I went to their website and found it difficult to find but did find the Cardinal's speech at the ordination in January of 2002. At that time they ordained 3 priests. The cardinal said then that there would be no more ordinations until June,2003 when they would be ordaining five.

I believe one or two of the anticipated ordinands dropped out but I am not positive.Even if all of them were ordained that would be a grand total of eight over 1 and a half years,pitiful from a diocese of 4,000,000.

I also know that they closed their diocesan seminary due to lack of candidates. This again demonstrates that the liberal dioceses are bleeding.I think Rockford ordained 8 or 10 this June.Even Phoenix with one tenth of the Catholic population of L.A. ordained 6 or 7 over a one year period.

The Rockford Diocese has ordinations each spring. This year Bishop Doran ordained eleven men. There were then 43 seminarians left after those ordinations, not counting a substantial incoming class of first year seminarians.

It helps to have a thoroughly orthodox bishop. It helps to have diocesan officials relentlessly seeking orthodox vocations and encouraging them as a very high priority for the diocese. It helps to recruit members of the quite conservative and manly Knights of Columbus and to encourage conservative blacks and Hispanics to consider the priesthood. The priests here also set an example by approaching their work with orthodoxy, zeal and joy. We are privileged to have moved here from the East Coast.