USCCB Day One: Bishops grapple with priest shortage
Print Friendly VersionBy JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Baltimore
In what shaped up as the liveliest discussion of the morning, a proposed new rite for weekday celebration of the Eucharist in the absence of a priest brought the bishops face-to-face with the difficult choices created by a spreading priest shortage.
The draft rite was presented as a simple response to pastoral reality, but some bishops wondered aloud if it might amount to institutionalizing what should be seen as an exceptional and temporary situation.
“The number of priests available to celebrate daily Mass has been greatly reduced,” said Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, Penn., chair of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, in presenting the draft to the conference. “One priest may be the pastor of several parishes, and in some cases may be barely able to provide Sunday services to these faith communities.”
In those situations, Trautman said – especially in rural and mission dioceses – a rite for celebrating a Liturgy of the Word, which includes the distribution of communion hosts previously consecrated by a priest, is a simple pastoral necessity.
Trautman argued that such sites are already being celebrated in many places, and the new text, which would require Vatican approval, would “bring order” to the practice.
Grounded in concerns about Catholic identity, some have criticized the trend towards priestless liturgies of the Word for blurring the boundaries between the Mass and other rituals which lay people may lead. Trautman, however, argued that the approval of a standard rite is important for precisely this reason.
“A main goal is to differentiate this rite from the celebration of the Eucharist,” Trautman said. “We are responding to the unfortunate labeling of some of these rites as ‘the deacon’s Mass,’ or ‘sister’s Mass,’ or the ‘lay Mass,’” Trautman said. “This must not be confused with the Eucharist.”
Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, Ohio, however, asked whether the publication of such a rite might amount to “institutionalizing, encouraging, and even promoting communion services as viable alternatives to celebration with priests.”
Blair proposed that instead of publishing the text as a formal rite and seeking Vatican approval, the document simply be issued as a set of “guidelines” that bishop could adapt to their local situations as they see fit.
Blair compared the situation to the publication of the so-called “third rite” of penance, involving group absolution, which was published as an exceptional rite but which in some parts of the Catholic world has become widely practiced.
Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento echoed the concern, asking if it might be preferable to promote other forms of community prayer in the absence of a priest, such as the Liturgy of the Hours.
The Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy will meet this evening, and could consider the possibility of issuing the new rite as a recommendation to bishops rather than as a formal liturgy to be submitted to Rome.
The bishops in this country
The bishops in this country have a virtually untapped resource to help address the priest shortage, namely, the priests who have left active ministry. These men are educated, often experienced and many are still willing to serve in some capacity, even to the point of celebrating Eucharist for a community that has no resident priest.
Will the chuech have to acknowledge the marriages of those married? Yes. Might they put restrictions on such priests? Probably. But the pool is large and a creative approach to these men might not only heal the clergy shortage, but heal a lot of hurts as well...
If the bishops haven't
If the bishops haven't figured out how to solve the vocations problem, maybe the laity should pipe up.
1. Launch a full bore program to pry the television out of the Catholic home, and i-pods, videogames etc etc out of the hands of young people. Cultivating personal interior silence and prayerful, peaceful, joyful Catholic homes should be a predominant theme for the next few years.
2. Start a program that emulates the Mormons practice of spending family time together on Monday night, a program in which-among other things- we read lives of the saints outloud together. Only we should do it five nights a week with our children. Suggested format: half an hour with good secular lit such as Chronicles of Narnia, followed by half an hour of lives of the saints, not three page lives, but booklength lives. Downloading the lives of the saints into the minds and hearts of our young people would lead to many vocations.
3. At baptisms hand out the Baltimore catechism and suggest parents start working with their children at about age 3 1/2 to 4. The memory available to learning languages at this point is also available to memorizing- with great pleasure- a number of things. They should/sould show up at first grade knowing what our 8th grade graduates know now. See "The Lost Tools of Learning" by Dorothy Sayers.
4. Get the professionals out of the diocesan education offices and replace them with experienced home schoolers sold on putting a classical Catholic curriculum in all the parochial schools of the diocese.
6. Re-instate the Ember Days, three days of fasting and abstinence in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, for vocations to the priesthood and for graces for our priests.
7. Lead short pilgrimages of 5-10 miles on Saturday mornings throughout the year, from one parish to another, begging the graces of many vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
8. Give religion pride of place in the parochial curriculum, the first class of the day, a full class period, with substantial textbooks, and make it very clear that students are going to be held responsible for mastering a lot of material. Everything about the school, the curriculum, the teachers, should make it very clear that religion is the most important class *by far."
Implemented with vigor the above approach will produce vocations *without doubt*
In short, we have to stop pretending that we don't know what to do, because it is totally, totally obvious.
You forgot Perpetual
You forgot Perpetual Adoration, the daily Rosary, and frequent reception of Confession and Communion (in that order please). ;-)
It truly is sad that so much that was a given in the process of encouraging vocations is now relegated to a relative handful of observant Catholics.
PS Oh yeah return the understanding of the Mass (as consistently taught) as the Sacrifice of Calvary re-presented, and only male altar boys.
Now I knew that there was
Now I knew that there was something I wanted to ask you about, HT. Say there's someone like me (although I'm still not sure that I would fit your definition of 'observant Catholic' since this is kind of an awkward list you've constructed) who likes daily mass and communion. Would you think I should be going to confession every day before communion?
Only if you need to. I was
Only if you need to. I was referring to the long lines for communion every Sunday and the non-existent lines for confession in most parishes. Many Catholics, apparently, regularly receive Communion in a state of mortal sin or do simply do not sin (hmmm, which seems more likely?)
Well, considering a lot of
Well, considering a lot of things, I sure don't know what I'd do with a daily confession, besides have any priest worth his salt asking me a few obvious questions about my spiritual maturity.
As to your apparent assumption that so many Catholics are in a state of mortal sin, what on earth are you believing? Even in Pre-V2 days, an encouragement toward even weekly confession had to do with working on perfection in the small things, not on absolving daily mortal sins or something. You may believe your neighbors are much more the potential subject of novels than they actually are!
It is also interesting that you equate confessional lines for numbers of confessions. Many people make appointments for confession and spiritual direction in easy preference to standing in a line with only a few minutes available to them before mass. There has been a return to a style of confession that was strong at different times in our tradition, such as the time of such as Teresa of Avila. And there has been a rebirth of spiritual direction, as also in her time.
And, of course, if you're judging folks by what line you see them in, even in some general way, I think that you might want to re-visit that issue.
You assume the Church has a
You assume the Church has a power over people that it does not have. These might be "nice to do" things, but those few families who would be inclined to do them probably already do. So far as I can tell, religion does have pride of place in the parochial curriculum. And, since religious home schoolers are so particular about their children's education that they do not even defer to Catholic parochial schools, it would be absurd to assume that they would not destroy them if put in charge--should they condescend to becoming involved with them at all. Implementing this stuff with vigor would repel most people, persumably those whom you would judge most in need of it.
Marie, surely you jest! That
Marie, surely you jest! That any of this should be about what people need? tut...tut..back to the baltimore catechism, which not long ago, if I do recall accurately, HT was calling an illegitimate catechism or something? BUT WE COULD HAVE LIMBO BACK!! And then we could see it all before us again, as though drawn upon a veritable wall--heaven, limbo, purgatory and hell...a place for every person in every circumstance..
A Married Priesthood is the
A Married Priesthood is the answer. There are about 20,000 married priests in the United States. Bishops, Wake up before it is over. No Eucharist, no Church -- it is that simple. Celibacy is the albatross, make it optional.
While we have all read all
While we have all read all the theological and other reasons for restricting the priesthood to males, no one has ever said that an agape service with pre-sanctified hosts could not be led by a woman ("sister's Mass"). As the people get used to seeing women at the altar and the male-priest crisis becomes more critical, the move to women presiders may well be on the way.
That is the sociological
That is the sociological reality, frannie, and thank you for pointing it out (probably again). There is already a strong majority of Catholics in this country who favor women as presiders, and the shortage of priests and stepping-in and -up of women creates the comfort that allows the changes in the future...shifts the rationales and the responses. Circuit-riding priests have never held much weight with Catholics who believe that part of "identity" is the availability of the sacramental moments.
There is a big problem with
There is a big problem with the priest shortage and it has nothing to do with a sufficient number of men willing to answer God's call. I have been and always will be a devout Catholic, loyal to the teachings of the Church. I first pursued the priesthood in 1981. I went to the Franciscan University of Steubenville as a Theology major, with the intention of entering the priesthood. For the first three months there was an active vocation discernment program there. The priest running that program was transferred and never replaced. The discernment program disappeared. Steubenville is a fine university but I and the many other young men suffered from a lack of guidance.
My parents separated in 1984. There was no money left to finish my education, and I left after finishing my first semester Junior year. I had only three semesters left to receive my bachelor's degree in Theology.
Back at home in Ellicott City, MD, I contacted the vocations office of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and met with Fr. Jay O'Connor at my home parish. I told him of my desire to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the apostles, my love for the church, desire to serve. It was a fifteen minute conversation. He told me that I did not have enough dating experience. He told me to go out and date some girls and then call him afterwards. This was in 1984. I was 23 years old. There was no follow up. He did not tell me when to call him, nor did he even give me any contact information whatsoever. What he did not know, and what I did not know, was that it would not be until 1992 that I would finally be able to "call him afterwards." I asked perhaps 20 or so young ladies out on dates, but all of them said no, until 1992 that is. The relationship was unpleasant and shortlived.
Life can be very distracting. I did not contact another vocations director until 2004, in the Archdiocese of Harrisburg(I now live in Pennsylvania). I was told that I was too old. I was 43 going on 44 at that time, and the cut-off age for the Archdiocese was 42. The vocations director was warm and friendly, told me goodbye. I left without ever really being interviewed.
Frankly, I don't understand it. I was rejected by the Archdiocese of Baltimore because I did not have enough dating experience(for a celibate vocation nonetheless). I was rejected by the Archdiocese of Harrisburg because I was too old.
The problem is that I still love the Church and I still would love to be a priest. I can live with this. I will remain celibate, remain devoted to the Church. I will probably not mention this to anyone in my current parish. What good would it do? What disturbs me is that at my current age of 47, I can look back and say with conviction that I had always had a legitimate vocation. What I did not have were people capable(or willing)to recognize it and nurture it.
We do not have priests for many reasons, I'm sure. But this is why I am not a priest. The priest shortage puzzles me. I am not the only young man Fr. Jay O'Connor told to date. There were two other young men in my parish at the time who I was well acquainted with and who were equally interested in pursuing the priesthood, and they were told the same thing. Go date some girls and then get back to me. To the best of my knowledge, they never entered seminary.
We're squandering our resources. The vocations are there. They're not being nurtured. I would STILL become a priest, even at age 47, if I knew where there was an archdiocese that would take a man of my age. I would do it tomorrow.
Dear BigJoe, Blessings from
Dear BigJoe,
Blessings from a convert in Santa Monica, CA. I've been pondering and praying about your post, and have an experience which may be interesting and useful to you. My goal is not to offend you, and I hope you read this in the spirit of love and service with which it is given. You sound like a good and holy person, and I send you my prayers. OK, here's my story:
Early in my Catholic life, back in 2002, our parish Pastoral Care Coordinator (a cradle Catholic with an MDiv from St. John's in Collegeville, MN) selected me to volunteer on our pioneer team of parishioners who lead a Communion service every Sunday at the local retirement and nursing homes. No, I am clearly not a priest, and our service is definitely not a Mass, but we bring Jesus to the exiled elderly in a rite that has been authorized by the Vatican and USCCB.
I am in the process of writing a "How To" guide on the service (which is, as you may know, called the Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest) and my coauthor lives near you! He is the founder of the Institute for Sunday Liturgy for the Elderly: www.isle-national.org. Please check it out and don't be put off by the abundance of dead links giving you 404 messages...we are a new organization and have a long way to go.
Acting as a SCAP leader has been a great benefit to my faith, and the elderly folk with whom we celebrate are so happy to have us. Yes, there is a "danger of abuse" with the SCAP (pronounced "ESS KAP") and we are in what my coauthor calls "a pastoral rock and a theological hard place", but you might be able to move in the direction you seek by working with the elderly on Sundays.
Kindly let me know if I can give you any more information on this rewarding and much appreciated service. Now I've got to go work on my reflections on this Sunday's readings for my folk over at Ocean House!
Totus tuus,
Devout and Grateful Catholic Convert Lynn
BigJoe, It does seem strange
BigJoe,
It does seem strange that the Church heirarchy would have an age requirement and perhaps they should consider increasing the age limit to allow you to become a priest, especially when there is such a shortage of priests, and also considering that people are living and working longer.
I am wondering how old the Apostles and disciples were when they were chosen by Jesus to follow Him? I am wondering if he thought that age was a consideration, or one's sex, or one's marital status when He called on them to follow Him, serve Him, spread the Good News?
I don't think you should give up your calling to serve the Church and Jesus. Are you a Deacon? Are there age requirements for that? Not that that is the answer, but in the interim would that be something you might consider until such time that you find a Diocese willing to accept your age as an asset to the Church rather than a liability?
You might be pleased to here
You might be pleased to here that FUS's current pre-theology program is doing well. You are right that many have been (and still are) put off for lack of worldly experience completely irrelevant to a call to the priesthood.
As far as your vocation, while I don't know of any off the top of my head, I know that there are orders and dioceses that are open to older vocations. Please keep looking. (the people on phatmass's vocation station seem to have quite a bit of contacts collectively, perhaps one of them could help you?)
++++++
Friends of OLGC
BigJoe, you are a victim of
BigJoe, you are a victim of circumstance - wrong place, wrong time, wrong people, etc. When this kind of thing happens to me, I think God is talking, and I request clarification and stay alert for it. The answers are often amazing in that things that did happen (in which I played a role when I was unable to do what I thought I would want or should do) are revealed to have been much more important than I realized and beyond anything I could have wished to accomplish.
Clearly, the priest shortage is not something with which you are meant to concern yourself.
It still amazes me that the
It still amazes me that the Bishops still do not consider that nuns be allowed to be priests?
It seems to me they are negligent of the Holy Spirit to obstinately insist that only men could possibly be called by God to the priesthood.
It appears the bishops will
It appears the bishops will forever be in a position of reaction instead of proaction. Perhaps if they had dealt with the issue of the priest shortage in a pro-active way, i.e. determining WHY a priest shortage is looming and looking at the situation theologically as well as practically, they may have seen solutions such as ordination of married men and women. Now, they are faced with being worried about the proper way to deal with a situation that could have been avoided from the get go. THAT people have access to the EUCHARIST is vastly more important than HOW they have access.
You would think that Bishop
You would think that Bishop Trautman would have a better theological vocabulary than to use the words faith communities to describe Catholic parishes. You would think that he did not bother to read the document released this summer as a follow up to Dominus Iesus where the Catholic Church is described as a Church and the other protestant denominations are described as faith communities. why would he dumb it down?
I don't know mavfan, maybe
I don't know mavfan, maybe he dumbed it down because at the rate parishes are losing priests, too many of us will experience Catholicism as a faith community in that sharing in a Mass will become a thing of the past. Our Catholic identity as Church, complete with a real live Mass, will have been lost to the hierarchy's insistence on an all male and very dwindling priesthood.
It just seems logical to me to take another look at this "truth" of an all male celibate priesthood. When maintaining such a truth is an impediment to the flock experiencing of the larger TRUTH, this insistence on the smaller truth is not spiritual, it's institutional ego.
Let me see if I can get this
Let me see if I can get this after a year on the cafe...because the Cardinal-who-would-be-Pope used certain words in certain ways, they are now to be used only in one way for "time and all eternity" (woops, mormon words...), as though those definitions have suddenly, magically so-to-speak, become infallible. And all others must step into line and use those words in exactly the same way assuming the infallible definitions. wow! "Church" is better than "faith community"?
To use the phrase for those prot groups would then be dumbing ourselves down to their level of religious existence? wow! we are a triumphant group of Christians, are we not? We have infallible words to describe ourselves!
"ddamdg" Where did you get
"ddamdg" Where did you get the "20,000 Married Priests from? Did anyone notice that "Orthodox" Catholic Diocese have more Vocations to the Priesthood than those who are more Progressive. Should I say the Archdiocese of Denver, Lincoln, Arlington,Omaha and the now the Diocese of KAnsas City Missouri.
Also David Hartline's New Book "Tide Is Turning to CAtholicism" is a great book why does John Allen refered to us as Evangelical Catholics?
Also why does the Church have to change to a bunch of old Hippie Catholics still stuck in the 1960's SPirit of Vatican II MAntra. Thats so 1960's!
A word of advice, What's Popular and "Cool and considered" modern will all change in the next 20 or 30 years. A Priest told me a "A dead instution goes with the current flow because it is dead but the Living Church is Alive because it goes against the current flow."