Free Republic

Lahore Sees Its Largest Class of New Priests LAHORE, Pakistan, JULY 3, 2003 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- The Lahore Archdiocese has witnessed the ordination of five new priests -- its largest class ever. "The Lord has chosen you to be his messengers," Archbishop Lawrence Saldhana told the new priests in Sacred Heart Cathedral last Friday. "You are called to carry out your pastoral duties with zeal and dedication." Present at the ordination were the local clergy, religious and 700 lay faithful, as well as numerous Franciscans. The archbishop thanked the Franciscans for their work in Pakistan. He also thanked the parents of...

Raising Up Priests for the New Millenniumby Most Rev. Timothy DolanWhen I was Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis last year, I resided at a wonderful parish that was particularly hard hit by the current scandal of sexual abuse by priests. The popular pastor of this vibrant parish had to resign, acknowledging an incident of abuse from years before. The parish was devastated: Many were angry with the priest for his past sin, many were angry with the archdiocese for requiring his resignation. In the midst of this sadness, scandal, and shock, I returned one evening to the rectory, to be...

<p>Within the subdued desert hues and serene lighting of St. Joseph Cathedral, two men lay before Bishop Robert Carlson as they accepted their calling to the priesthood.</p> <p>Carlson, in the presence of Bishop Paul Dudley and 80 priests, deacons and seminarians, ordained Martin Lawrence, 38, and Todd Reitmeyer, 34, for the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls during a special two-hour Mass on Friday.</p>

<p>On Saturday, at the age of 39, that became a reality.</p> <p>At an ordination Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, Brewer became the 136th priest now assigned in the 12-county Roman Catholic Diocese.</p> <p>"This assembly is made up of people far and near. The common thread is their value of and association with Mark," said the Bishop Matthew H. Clark, who presided over the ceremony.</p>

Is There a Priest Shortage?  LAY WITNESS The number of seminarians worldwide has grown 73 percent during the pontificate of John Paul II. In 1978, there were 64,000 seminarians — compared to more than 110,500 in 2000. The greatest increases were in Africa, where the number tripled; and Asia, which showed an increase of 125 percent. As of 2000, the worldwide number of priests in active ministry increased by 189 over the previous year. This brought the total to 405,000 priests, which reflects an overall increase of nearly 800 diocesan priests, and a decrease of 600 religious priests. Baptized...

I Will Give You Shepherds: Addressing the Priest Shortage    FAITH FACTS Issue: Is there a priest shortage? What is being done to address shortages where they occur? What can be done to increase the number of candidates for ordination? Response: There is some debate as to what constitutes a priest shortage. Some compare current ratios of priests to faithful with ratios from other eras, though some say that demand for priests has diminished to the point that the ratios are not comparable. Others contend that "priest shortage" is a slogan used by those who seek structural change in...

    In face of the general furor against child abuse by Catholic priests and even by Bishops, some of the principle American Catholic leaders are trying to deviate public indignation to an issue useful for the progressivist cause. Strange Marriage    Applying this strategy, the Jesuit magazine America blamed priesthood celibacy for the scandals. It reported: "A nun said she feels great shame, pain and powerlessness and called for a new model of Church. 'The male celibate hierarchical structure is falling apart,' she said" (April 1, 2002, p. 5). Commenting on the March 15 editorial of The Pilot, the Boston...