|
God so loved the world that he gave his only son... |
The UNOFFICIAL Website of the Papal Visit |
Do We Need Married Priests?
Blogged by James Preece on 3rd June 2009
Bishop Drainey recently said that our Diocese has a culture that is "not favourable" to vocations.
It you would like to see that culture in action, why not read the following that was published in a parish newsletter in our Diocese last week...
It is an issue that ought to be keeping the bishops of England and Wales awake at night, as they struggle under the burden of meeting the expectations of their people with an ever dwindling band of clergy at their disposal. There are expected to be 16 priests ordained for the dioceses of England and Wales this year. To sustain present numbers, there would need to be in the order of 70 ordinations a year. Taking 19 as a recent annual average, and assuming that they would all move into parish ministry, the number of diocesan priests could drop from around 2,700 in 2005 to something like 650 thirty-five years hence. A catholic Church with an average of 30 priests per diocese is not just conceivable – unless of course the wholesale closure of parishes leads to a catastrophic drop in total Catholic numbers. The end of celibacy would undeniably be a loss as well as a gain. A married clergy would present congregations with a far greater burden as they would be entitled to a decent stipend on which to keep a family. But experience shows that other denominations have managed it, even those without the historic invested wealth of the Church of England. In any case, what other choice is there, if closing two-thirds of the parishes in England and Wales is not an option?
[link]
Interesting how the only "loss" they can see in an end to clerical celibacy is entirely financial.
"what other choice is there, if closing two-thirds of the parishes in England and Wales is not an option?"
Here are some options:
- You could stop undermining the priesthood by publishing articles like this.
- You could stop undermining the priesthood by encouraging your congregation to join in with parts of the Mass only the priest says.
- You could stop undermining the priesthood by organising dubious "services of the word and holy communion".
I short, you could encourage a culture which is favourable to vocations.
Reader Comments
Mark Dobson said...
I'm a bit sceptical about a direct link between those liturgical abuses and a culture unfavourable to voations. I think it's more likely that the first is a symptom of the second.
Interesting capitalisation:
"[a] catholic Church"
'The Church', yes, but 'a Church'?
With regards to 'Catholic' I understand the usual use is to capitalise any religious community, Methodist, Bahai etc.
+-
Amanda said...
This is very thought provoking.
I agree with Mark. Abolishing Celibacy will not increase vocations (I think thats what you said Mark?).
We need to show our children how to have a living relationship with the risen Christ, how to hear the Holy Spirit speaking in their hearts, how to LIVE the Catholic faith. Sadly too often these days for us Catholics faith is no more far reaching than just a weekly Sunday attendance at mass (tick in the box) that does not impact too much on the rest of our life. Vocations are declining because we dont hear God say anything to us at all!! Well, He might ask us to do something challenging, difficult or uncomfortable so deafness is an easier option, but will it lead to life??
Celibacy is a completely sepperate issue. A friend of mine wrote what I thought was a very balanced comment to Faith magasine on the topic. I'm not very good at this "techy" stuff but I will attempt to do a link...
http://www.faith.org.uk/Publications/Magazines/Mar09/Mar09LettersToTheEditor.html
Sorry, defeated!! Will have to get a lesson from someone. My friend's letter is the third one down on the page at the above web address. "Celibacy:A higher loving?"
+-
Mark Dobson said...
That's not really what I was trying to say, but I didn't put it very well, so it's no fault of yours.
I think you're right, and what you're saying ties in with what I was trying to say - to whit:
I'm not sure that correcting those liturgical abuses is the top priority when it comes to vocations. I think the liturgical abuses stem from the same culture that is unfavourable to vocations, but to address one is not to address the other.
Correcting abuses is a good thing, but I think the problem is more fundamental. I think what you say about discipleship is a key part of the puzzle. Formation, catechesis - I think that's the area to start from, remembering that the goal is to live in the Spirit.
+-
CEK said...
What's painfully obvious to anyone who gives a damn is that there is no guarantee removing the celibacy vow from the priesthood will actually increase the number of priests. Believe me, I know lots of young men who are Catholics, and the lack of a female marital companion is not one of the reasons they're not considering the priesthood.
FWIW, this bishop writes like someone who has little or no clue just what the younger generations think of him, his Office and Catholicism.
+-
Mark Dobson said...
The piece quoted is from the parish newsletter though. I don't think it's the bishop, but correct me if I'm wrong.
+-
John Martyn said...
Maybe CofE figures give a clue. In the period from 2001 to 2007 between 475 and 595 men and women were recommended for ordination training each year. There were never more than 90 of them who were younger than 30, and never more than 155 who were between 30 and 39. Vocations are coming later in life than before. The problem may not be that RC single men with a vocation are unwilling to pledge themselves to celibacy. It may be that RC men cannot do so, because they already have a wife.
+-
Dany said...
Strategically speaking, what you guys need is the establishement of an English Rite. Given the state of the Anglican communion, an English Rite within the Roman catholic church would quite possibly attract a lot of (quite possibly married) clergy to Rome. Not that it would be good for the CoE, but it'd be a pretty shrewd move.
+-
Mark Dobson said...
I don't really see where you're coming from.
Firstly, doesn't something similar already exist? I'm sure I've heard of Anglican Use parishes.
Secondly, I don't see what the draw would be. I probably don't really understand what a Rite is, but what I gather this would mean in practical terms is that there would be Catholic parishes operating under an Anglican liturgy. But what's the point? If the Anglicans want the Anglican liturgy they can, well, stay in the Anglican communion can't they? Why would they want to make use of such an arrangement?
It doesn't seem to make any sense from where I'm standing, but then high-church Anglicans really are a mystery to me, so perhaps that's only to be expected.
It would also be an odd move on the Church's part, making our worship more Anglican. I think it's safe to say that the magisterium likes what we, at least in theory, already have - so why change it for the sake of the Anglicans?
If anyone did come swim the Tiber with the liturgy as the deciding factor, it might be best to tell them to come back when they want the doctrine, no?
+-