Traditional Catholicism Is Winning

Wall Street Journal ^ | 12 April 2012 | ANNE HENDERSHOTT AND CHRISTOPHER WHITE

[Cronos]

There were 467 new priestly ordinations in the U.S. last year, and Boston's seminary had to turn away applicants.

.. progressive Catholics were predicting the end of the celibate male priesthood in books like "Full Pews and Empty Altars" and "The Death of Priesthood." Yet today the number of priestly ordinations is steadily increasing.

A new seminary is to be built near Charlotte, N.C., and the archdiocese of Washington, D.C., has expanded its facilities to accommodate the surge in priestly candidates. Boston's Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley: when he arrived in 2003 to lead that archdiocese he was advised to close the seminary. Now there are 70 men in Boston studying to be priests, and the seminary has had to turn away candidates for lack of space.

.. there were more than 5,000 more Catholic priests world-wide in 2009 than there were in 1999.

..The biggest gains are not only in traditional Catholic strongholds. In Lincoln, Neb., Catholics constitute only 16% of the population yet have some of the strongest numbers of ordinations. In 2011, there were 10 men ordained as priests in Lincoln.

What explains the trend? Nearly 20 years ago, Archbishop Elden Curtiss, then leader of the Omaha, Neb., diocese, suggested that when dioceses are unambiguous and allow a minimum of dissent about the male, celibate priesthood, more candidates answer the call to the priesthood. .. dioceses with the largest numbers of new priests are led by courageous bishops with faithful and inspirational vocations offices.

Leadership and adherence to church doctrine certainly distinguish the bishop of Lincoln, the Most Rev. Fabian Bruskewitz. He made national news in 1996 when he stated that members of dissident Catholic groups including Call to Action and Catholics for Choice had automatically excommunicated themselves from the church.

[Salvation]

That isn’t coming up for me.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Where did you get the impression that they have "queers standing in line"? Can you give us numbers, a source, a quote, a link, or is it just something whispered in your ear from je ne sais quoi?

[Mrs. Don-o]

My pic just pffffft, disappeared. I don't know why.

Evil spirits attack Catholic babies!

Catholic babies fight back!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Actually, it's the Dragon Baby Video!

[Salvation]

LOL!