Part 2: I wish we had married priests (Billy Pilgrim)

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic : One Thread

My original post sparked an intelligent conversation. Permit me, please, to refocus ...

Do you remember that our discussion began with my statement ... "I recently made the acquaintance of a priest who was ordained after his wife died and his kids were grown. It really caused me to look back over my life ..."

My Christmas wish is that there might be an enormous increase in such vocations; men who become priests after being widowed. They really do have a wealth of insight and experience to bring to the priesthood.

Imagine that the Church had a major outreach program to get widowers to consider entering the priesthood. Say we cut the ordination program down to 2 or 3 years for a widower in his mid-50's. The celibacy reqirement continues, for now, but, over time, the Church gains a more experienced priest force, greater insight into parishoners needs.

It would seem to make more sense than relying on a vocational recruitment concept that focuses on young boys in catholic school - that mades sense when life expectancy was 40 years. But in the year 2100, life expectancy advances mean a 55 year old widower would have more years of active service potential than a young seminarian did in 1800.

To those who will say that we already have such a program, or that this is already in place with the re-emergence of "deacon programs", I'd say, "BullFeathers!"

If we have this program in place already, it isn't working as well as it could. Get some new people and some new thought working here. Catholics deserve more priests, more experienced priests, more choice in priests.

-- Billy Pilgrim (madhack@mail.md), December 20, 2001

Answers

Well, BP,
in the other thread you said we had become unfocussed. You want to focus on adding new priests onto the roster, mainly in the U.S. So, an ''outreach'' is the answer? OK.

Information is now the greatest new industry on earth. The Church could reach out on the Internet, for example. Look at all the potential priests out in cyberspace. Looking for just this opportunity! Only the saintly widower need apply. For that matter, tell them celibacy is optional. After the first onslaught of applications is received by the bishops, an urgent message to the Pope can be e-mailed:

Have made 5 gazillion contacts on the Internet; all willing to serve as pastors to Your Holiness' flock, under one condition. Celibacy has become hard to sell; we beseech your reconsideration of this out-dated rule for Holy Orders. If a sacrament is worth having, let it be modernized to meet the Church's current needs. Signed with all reverence and deference to His Holiness by United States Bishops.

Why even bother the Holy Spirit with such an easily-solved problem? What does He know, anyway? (''Get some new people and some new thought working here. Catholics deserve more priests, more experienced priests, more choice in priests.'' )

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), December 20, 2001.


Eugene, Thank you for that insight... , What?

One of us (at least) isn't making any sense.

-- Billy Pilgrim (madhack@mail.md), December 20, 2001.


Billy: What you have stated (deacon programs)is happening,it is just that different dioceses of the USA have growth and some don't. Here in the Lansing,MI diocese they have tremendeous growth of widowed candidates and incumbents,but you go up in the many northern parts of Michigan and you have 1 priest serving 3 parishes or parishes with nuns who hold communion services.It has happen on several occasions in parishes I am familar with where the Music/liturgy director has performed communion services because no priest showed up for Sunday mass.One problem is that the growth dioceses do not share their priests with other dioceses even in the same state. It has to be the priest themselves to decide if they want to leave one diocese for another. Another problem with attracting 50+ pre-married is the marriage issue. Alot of 50+ men who have been married for say 20,30 years have the tendency to eventually want another wife,because thru previous marriages they have become accustom to having a wife to share things with,especially the widowers.

Do the parishoners deserve better,more experience priests? Yes,but too many opportunies exist today for the people with the experience,education,etc. and its not just the church but you see the same in public service.

The outreach programs some dioceses have in place to attract young men borders on main stream advertising gimicks. If fact here,there is one vocation outreach called "Gladiator 2002" and the man on the poster looks and is dressed like a cross between Bruce Willis and Hulk Hogan. It's a joke!! especially when the young guys see that poster and then see the actual priest half asleep in his office.

A problem exist with recuiting young people for priest hood because of several factors, One,is times have changed,it's not Kansas anymore ToTo, the job/career opportunies that hold true for older people hold also for young people today, they are just wide open with pay scales to match and alot of young people do not have the mindset of the older generation where as you have the same job for life. Many of the young folks today will change careers 3 to 4 times before they reach 50 and for them to get into a lifetime commitment of priesthood is not on their agenda.

Another problem is celibacy, Young men 16,18,22,etc. look at that requirement of the church and with them being at that stage in life where their testosterone is at its peak, for the majority of young men it just don't get it. Calling or no calling, it is a honest,natural fact. The church has dealt with it for many centuries,and through that time has become like the military,"We won't ask and you don't tell" The truth of the matter is alot of priests have girlfriends or boyfriends whatever the case may be and have to hide the fact in order to keep from being punish. Again it's a joke!

There are other reasons as far as, scandels have hurt certain dioceses,doubts about their faith,even political and moral feelings,etc.

-- TomK (tjk@cac.net), December 20, 2001.


So, between the naivete of Billy Pilgrim and Tom K's cynicism, this old Church never produced a saint. She only lured young men into Holy Orders by setting up ''outreaches'' and covering up the sins of men who couldn't land a better job in the mainstream. Better to leave the priesthood up to an opportunist than to expect God to protect us.

For this a new thread was introduced on the subject???

Oh ye of LITTLE faith!

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), December 20, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ