There is much speculation that Pope Francis will call a consistory in the near future, either December of this year or February of 2017. A consistory is an assembly of the College of Cardinals gathered in council with the Holy Father. At this much anticipated consistory, it is expected that Pope Francis will name a number of new prelates to the College, whose principal task is to elect the successor of Pope in the event of his death or abdication from the Pontifical Office. It is generally desirable that there be 120 Cardinal-electors. On account of recent deaths as well as the number of Cardinals who have exceeded the age of 80 years, that number has significantly decreased.
Cardinals are created by a formal decree of the Holy Father which is made public at the consistory. The newly-created Cardinal is not ordained or consecrated, because the title is not sacramental. Moreover, even though people generally refer to a Cardinal as one who has received the "red hat" (the galero) which had a wide brin and tiers of tassels, it is no longer bestowed. Instead, Cardinals now receive a scarlet skullcap (zuchetto) and ceremonial cap (biretta).
Who can be named a Cardinal? Anyone the Holy Father chooses. Prior to 1917, a Cardinal did not have to be ordained. However, Pope Benedict XV, in promulgating the Code of Canon Law that same year, declared that in order for an individual to be capable of validly and licitly being named to the College of Cardinals, he already must have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders as a priest or a bishop.
Becoming a Cardinal does not increase a person's authority either in his diocese or his country. It is, however, a title of prestige and influence.
Cardinals exercise three functions within the Church.
Most importantly, those who have not completed the age of 80 years meet in conclave, the assembly of all Cardinals of voting age to elect the new Supreme Pontiff. The College of Cardinals became the sole electors of the Pope in 1059 AD. Before that, the Priests and people of the Diocese of Rome elected their bishop as was the custom in most dioceses at that time. Historians tell us that the reason for the election of the Pope by the Cardinals was to free the Sacred Office itself from the political pressure which Roman nobility would place upon the clergy and laity to elect their chosen candidate.
In addition to this principal function, Cardinals also offer advice to the Holy Father in his administration and governance of the Universal Church. They do this in two ways. First, by way of consistories at which all of the Cardinals meet to provide their counsel to the Pope. Second and more commonly, they serve as executives (prefects) or as members of various Vatican Congregations, Councils or Offices which comprise the Roman Curia.
Cardinals are likewise given title to a particular church in Rome for which they become responsible, their so-called titular church. These church were once the major churches of the Diocese of Rome and a Cardinal's right to vote at the election of a new Pope was based on the fact that he was pastor of one of these churches. It is not uncommon that Cardinals from wealthy countries are given title of Roman churches which are in need of expensive maintenance or repair.
Every now and then, we hear of a Pope naming a Cardinal in pectore, that is, in secret. Oftentimes, even the person himself does not know he was named a Cardinal. This occurs because the Pope names a person from a country where the government would oppose the appointment or where being a Catholic is very dangerous. Sometimes, it takes decades for a Cardinal in pectore to be publicly announced.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit to assist Pope Francis should he decide to call a consistory and name new members to the College of Cardinals. May they be persons of prayer and good will, faithful servants of Christ's redemptive charity and mercy. May the Lord bless the Church always and give her the Grace to be a worthy instrument of His Salvation.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Evangelical Lutheran Church Declaration: No longer Church-dividing Issues with Catholic Church on Many Topics
In what can only be described as an historic event of incalculable consequence, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) declared that "there are no longer church-dividing issues" with regard to many doctrinal issues with the Roman Catholic Church. The declaration was passed by a vote of 931-9 by the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly which took place on August 10 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The ELCA is one of the 10 largest Protestant denominations in the United States with more than 3.7 million members spread throughout the country and the Carribean Islands.
Remarkably the story has garnered little, if any, attention in any of the Catholic periodicals or publications which I frequently peruse. Yet, the implications and possible consequences of such a declaration are truly astounding.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton stated that "though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity...." That pathway to unity includes the 32 "Statements of Agreement" which no longer divide ELCA Lutherans and Roman Catholics on issues regarding the nature of the ecclesial community, sacred ministry and the Eucharist. These "statements" previously had been affirmed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
This declaration is the significant next step toward unity between the ELCA and the Catholic Church following the release in 1999 of the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification", a statement agreed upon by both the ELCA and the Holy See. It should likewise be noted that Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation issued a joint statement in 2013, "From Conflict to Communion", whose wisdom bears the fruit of Pope St. John XXIII's constant call that Christian churches should focus more on what they hold in common than on what divides them.
Pope Francis has had much to say about ecumenical and interreligious dailogue and communion. It is noteworthy that the Holy Father will travel to Sweden this Fall where he will preside at a joint prayer service with members of the Lutheran Church. Among the many controversies which the Pope has caused during his tenure as Supreme Pontiff has been his suggestion that Lutherans could receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church stating, "life is greater than explanations and interpretations." Perhaps, this declaration will make that possibility even more a reality.
As I write this posting, I wonder and pray at the same time. Is it possible that we may see in our lifetime the unification of these two religious communities which have been divided, oftentimes with great rancor, for more than 500 years? The scandal of the division of churches has weakened the proclamation of the Christian faith for centuries. Christian churches of all denominations have been less effective witness to Christ by these divisions, willfully ignoring the Lord's admonission, "by this they will know you are My disciples, that you love one another." In these many statements of agreement between Lutherans and Catholics can be found a great moment of promise.
May the Holy Spirit continue to inspire church leaders of good faith and good will to work together to ensure that arrival of that great moment when there truly will be "one flock and one Shepherd".
The ELCA is one of the 10 largest Protestant denominations in the United States with more than 3.7 million members spread throughout the country and the Carribean Islands.
Remarkably the story has garnered little, if any, attention in any of the Catholic periodicals or publications which I frequently peruse. Yet, the implications and possible consequences of such a declaration are truly astounding.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton stated that "though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity...." That pathway to unity includes the 32 "Statements of Agreement" which no longer divide ELCA Lutherans and Roman Catholics on issues regarding the nature of the ecclesial community, sacred ministry and the Eucharist. These "statements" previously had been affirmed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
This declaration is the significant next step toward unity between the ELCA and the Catholic Church following the release in 1999 of the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification", a statement agreed upon by both the ELCA and the Holy See. It should likewise be noted that Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation issued a joint statement in 2013, "From Conflict to Communion", whose wisdom bears the fruit of Pope St. John XXIII's constant call that Christian churches should focus more on what they hold in common than on what divides them.
Pope Francis has had much to say about ecumenical and interreligious dailogue and communion. It is noteworthy that the Holy Father will travel to Sweden this Fall where he will preside at a joint prayer service with members of the Lutheran Church. Among the many controversies which the Pope has caused during his tenure as Supreme Pontiff has been his suggestion that Lutherans could receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church stating, "life is greater than explanations and interpretations." Perhaps, this declaration will make that possibility even more a reality.
As I write this posting, I wonder and pray at the same time. Is it possible that we may see in our lifetime the unification of these two religious communities which have been divided, oftentimes with great rancor, for more than 500 years? The scandal of the division of churches has weakened the proclamation of the Christian faith for centuries. Christian churches of all denominations have been less effective witness to Christ by these divisions, willfully ignoring the Lord's admonission, "by this they will know you are My disciples, that you love one another." In these many statements of agreement between Lutherans and Catholics can be found a great moment of promise.
May the Holy Spirit continue to inspire church leaders of good faith and good will to work together to ensure that arrival of that great moment when there truly will be "one flock and one Shepherd".
Sunday, August 28, 2016
If God is perfect and all good, how did evil come into existence and why does it continue?
I was asked this question again not too long ago in an email from a dear friend. It's one of the most frequent questions (sometimes complaints) I've heard in my 41 years of priestly service.
One need not have to have lived many years on this earth before confronting this reality and all of its implications. Indeed, there is much evil and suffering in the world: war, hunger, sickness, natural disasters and the pain which our sinfulness causes to ourselves and others.
Every person of faith must wonder why God allows shipwrecks, airplane crashes and other catastrophes that bring such sorrow in their wake. Why does God allow so many to be born or to bear with infirmities or impairments they will live with for the rest of their lives?
The existence of evil will always remain a stumbling block for those who choose not to believe in God. Even some believers who have suffered so much or have witnessed so much evil have used those experiences as a justification for turning away from their Christian faith and for not living according to the moral precepts of Jesus.
There is no simple answer to this profound and disturbing question. Yet, our Catholic faith does provide us with insights into the reality of the world in which we live, a world created in goodness and love but a world that has been broken and disordered by sin.
We know from the consistent teachings of the Sacred Scriptures and the Church that God is an all-wise, omniscient and omnipotent Father Who loves us whom He created in His image and likeness. The Book of Genesis instructs us that God looked upon everything He created and pronounced it good. In light of this revelation, God is not and can never be considered as the source or cause of evil.
Yet, it is quite obvious that God allows evil to enter into creation, principally by creatures who possess free will. God created us with the faculty of freedom of will. Endowed with this gift, we can choose to observe the teachings of the Lord which bring life and goodness into our lives. But, we can use this same freedom to live a life of pride, self-absorption and sinfulness. God will not take away man's freedom. To do so would mean the annihilation of the very nature of human beings as moral creatures. And so, God necessarily permits the consequences which result when human beings distort their freedom of will and engage in actions which are destructive of themselves, others and the created world in which they exist.
Humanity's misuse of freedom has brought disorder and destructiveness into creation. The Scriptures provide adequate testimony to this truth as does the consistent teachings of the Church regarding the moral character of humanity and the consequences of sinfulness.
Yet, even though His dearest and most beloved of creatures has chosen to introduce evil through stubborn pride, the same Scriptures and Church teachings proclaim that God continues to show His infinite compassion and love through the redemptive charity He offers us in the gift and sacrifice of His Only-begotton Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, there are physical and moral evils in the world. God, a good and loving Father, permits them to exist. Yet, in Christ Jesus and through His ministry which continues through the Church He instituted, God gives humanity the means of grace to heal this broken and disordered creation. We hold with our grasp the power of the Divine Godhead, Sanctifying Grace, to re-order ourselves and all creation back to the Mind and Will of the Creator.
Perhaps, the greatest mystery of evil in the world is this: that God permits it so that many may finally realize the self-destructiveness and futility of sin and turn in humility once again to the Father Whose will it is that we should live and not die. May the Lord inspire us to do just that and turn the world from selfishness and sin to the life of love to which Our Lord Jesus always invites us. God loves us this much. That in itself is the greatest mystery, indeed!
One need not have to have lived many years on this earth before confronting this reality and all of its implications. Indeed, there is much evil and suffering in the world: war, hunger, sickness, natural disasters and the pain which our sinfulness causes to ourselves and others.
Every person of faith must wonder why God allows shipwrecks, airplane crashes and other catastrophes that bring such sorrow in their wake. Why does God allow so many to be born or to bear with infirmities or impairments they will live with for the rest of their lives?
The existence of evil will always remain a stumbling block for those who choose not to believe in God. Even some believers who have suffered so much or have witnessed so much evil have used those experiences as a justification for turning away from their Christian faith and for not living according to the moral precepts of Jesus.
There is no simple answer to this profound and disturbing question. Yet, our Catholic faith does provide us with insights into the reality of the world in which we live, a world created in goodness and love but a world that has been broken and disordered by sin.
We know from the consistent teachings of the Sacred Scriptures and the Church that God is an all-wise, omniscient and omnipotent Father Who loves us whom He created in His image and likeness. The Book of Genesis instructs us that God looked upon everything He created and pronounced it good. In light of this revelation, God is not and can never be considered as the source or cause of evil.
Yet, it is quite obvious that God allows evil to enter into creation, principally by creatures who possess free will. God created us with the faculty of freedom of will. Endowed with this gift, we can choose to observe the teachings of the Lord which bring life and goodness into our lives. But, we can use this same freedom to live a life of pride, self-absorption and sinfulness. God will not take away man's freedom. To do so would mean the annihilation of the very nature of human beings as moral creatures. And so, God necessarily permits the consequences which result when human beings distort their freedom of will and engage in actions which are destructive of themselves, others and the created world in which they exist.
Humanity's misuse of freedom has brought disorder and destructiveness into creation. The Scriptures provide adequate testimony to this truth as does the consistent teachings of the Church regarding the moral character of humanity and the consequences of sinfulness.
Yet, even though His dearest and most beloved of creatures has chosen to introduce evil through stubborn pride, the same Scriptures and Church teachings proclaim that God continues to show His infinite compassion and love through the redemptive charity He offers us in the gift and sacrifice of His Only-begotton Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, there are physical and moral evils in the world. God, a good and loving Father, permits them to exist. Yet, in Christ Jesus and through His ministry which continues through the Church He instituted, God gives humanity the means of grace to heal this broken and disordered creation. We hold with our grasp the power of the Divine Godhead, Sanctifying Grace, to re-order ourselves and all creation back to the Mind and Will of the Creator.
Perhaps, the greatest mystery of evil in the world is this: that God permits it so that many may finally realize the self-destructiveness and futility of sin and turn in humility once again to the Father Whose will it is that we should live and not die. May the Lord inspire us to do just that and turn the world from selfishness and sin to the life of love to which Our Lord Jesus always invites us. God loves us this much. That in itself is the greatest mystery, indeed!
Saturday, August 27, 2016
On the Retirement of Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD, as Bishop of Memphis
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD, as Bishop of Memphis, Tennessee. It's been a year since the bishop submitted his request for retirement, a canonical requirement for those in office who reach the age of 75 years.
At a press conference announcing the Holy Father's granting his request, Bishop Steib jokingly told his audience that he has been waiting patiently but expectantly for this day. No wonder. It's tough being a bishop these days, perhaps tougher than it has ever been in modern times. The demands upon one's energy and health are indeed overwhelming. People are so ready to find the littlest excuse to criticize or complain about what the bishop or the Church is doing or saying. Good bishops, like good priests, are having to carry the cross of those who abused many entrusted to their care. Good bishops and good priests carry this burden everyday, with little thanks or recognition. It's easy to understand how bishops, and priests, grow weary and tired.
I congratulate Bishop Steib on a job well done. It was my privilege and joy to have known him and, in some small ways, cooperated with him in his days as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis prior to his appointment to the Diocese of Memphis.
Bishop Steib is man of principle and courage. Soft-spoken and gentle, compassionate and kind. He is the quintessential gentleman in every circumstance or situation. He has brought honor to the Church, his diocese, and himself. The Church will be poorer for his absence from leadership both in Memphis and among his brother-bishops in America. The people of Memphis are rightfully saddened in their loss of this noble shepherd who has led them diligently and lovingly for so many years.
God bless you, Bishop Steib. A long and happy, satisfying and fulfilling retirement. Don't stop teaching us that, in many ways, the softest and most caring voice often penetrates the din of self-appointed and self-serving defenders of the faith.
At a press conference announcing the Holy Father's granting his request, Bishop Steib jokingly told his audience that he has been waiting patiently but expectantly for this day. No wonder. It's tough being a bishop these days, perhaps tougher than it has ever been in modern times. The demands upon one's energy and health are indeed overwhelming. People are so ready to find the littlest excuse to criticize or complain about what the bishop or the Church is doing or saying. Good bishops, like good priests, are having to carry the cross of those who abused many entrusted to their care. Good bishops and good priests carry this burden everyday, with little thanks or recognition. It's easy to understand how bishops, and priests, grow weary and tired.
I congratulate Bishop Steib on a job well done. It was my privilege and joy to have known him and, in some small ways, cooperated with him in his days as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis prior to his appointment to the Diocese of Memphis.
Bishop Steib is man of principle and courage. Soft-spoken and gentle, compassionate and kind. He is the quintessential gentleman in every circumstance or situation. He has brought honor to the Church, his diocese, and himself. The Church will be poorer for his absence from leadership both in Memphis and among his brother-bishops in America. The people of Memphis are rightfully saddened in their loss of this noble shepherd who has led them diligently and lovingly for so many years.
God bless you, Bishop Steib. A long and happy, satisfying and fulfilling retirement. Don't stop teaching us that, in many ways, the softest and most caring voice often penetrates the din of self-appointed and self-serving defenders of the faith.
The Church Is Missing the Mark in its Defense of Life and Marriage
I recently read an article which questioned whether or not Pope Francis was moving away from the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II regarding the sanctity of life as well as the sacredness of marriage. My answer is no. Francis is not declaring that the individual human person is any less a sacred reflection of the Divine Godhead, nor is he is redefining the divine character of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
It is true, however, that the Holy Father is expanding the Church's reflection on life and marriage, looking particularly how human beings in the real day to day exigencies of the experience of family life make decisions about about children and family commitments and responsibilities. Francis wishes to aim the spotlight of the Church's teachings on real, flesh and blood people not academically-analysed moral principles.
Repeatedly, Francis reminds us that people are not perfect and that living the moral life is not just a question of intellectual assent. Living the Gospel requires a commitment of spirit and will which fallible human beings will never do perfectly. Consequently, the repeated message of the Holy Father is one of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. If the Church is to go out into the highway and byways to invite souls to the Heavenly Banquet, the Church must be willing to accept those she encounters along the way. Not saints, but sinners all.
Pope Francis should be commended for bringing this healthy dose of reality to the classrooms of moral consideration and judgment. As he has stated, we must realize, priests especially, that not everything is white and black but rather life is experienced in a majority of gray situations and circumstances.
I agree. Teachings about life and respect for the individual human person should be addressed where and how people live. Well, people do not live in the classroom. People live in a messy, disordered, confused and broken world. Out there, the moral compass is not calibrated by academics, philosophers or theologians. Peoples' moral attitudes and dispositions are most influenced by what they most often see and hear, by pop culture and the entertainment media.
The Church can speak until she is blue in the face about the dignity of life. But how can that message have any impact upon young people spending the vast majority of their time on video games and telephone apps which glorify the violence of killing and maiming? It is remarkable how little attention the Church pays to the gruesome and extreme violence that has become part of the daily diet of children supposedly at play.
The Pope and Bishops can rant and rave all they wish about the permanence and indissolubility of Matrimony. But what affect will their pronouncement have upon people who see and hear the rich and famous, the popular and sought-after celebrities, who jump from marital bed to marital bed almost jokingly and with little sense of shame or embarrassment?
The Church is missing the mark. She must incorporate into her teachings an awareness of the impact of secular media and entertainment. The Church needs to teach people to make their media and entertainment choices in a way which respects Gospel values. The Church needs to assist people in helping them to be critical in these choices. Reality shows which down play marital commitment and fidelity should not be part of a family's entertainment fare. Programs which are excessively violent or extremely graphic should be avoided since they desensitize the human spirit to the grief and suffering which such violence causes.
Pope Francis, who has become a part of the pop culture and has such a powerful voice among youth, needs to speak to them especially about how their media and amusement choices can poison their innocent optimism about themselves and others. The Church needs to turn its attention to advertisers and sponsors of the moral depravity and mayhem which is disguised as entertainment and amusement. Commercial and media enterprises need to be held accountable. The video gaming industry must be made to understand and accept the role it plays in the moral formation of children and families.
Pope Francis, the bishops and priests must use the pulpit to speak about life and marriage, about righteous moral living where the people live. Adding this dimension to the Church's pedagogy can only help the People of God as they, and all of us, attempt to incorporate the life and vision of Our Divine Savior into our daily lives.
It is true, however, that the Holy Father is expanding the Church's reflection on life and marriage, looking particularly how human beings in the real day to day exigencies of the experience of family life make decisions about about children and family commitments and responsibilities. Francis wishes to aim the spotlight of the Church's teachings on real, flesh and blood people not academically-analysed moral principles.
Repeatedly, Francis reminds us that people are not perfect and that living the moral life is not just a question of intellectual assent. Living the Gospel requires a commitment of spirit and will which fallible human beings will never do perfectly. Consequently, the repeated message of the Holy Father is one of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. If the Church is to go out into the highway and byways to invite souls to the Heavenly Banquet, the Church must be willing to accept those she encounters along the way. Not saints, but sinners all.
Pope Francis should be commended for bringing this healthy dose of reality to the classrooms of moral consideration and judgment. As he has stated, we must realize, priests especially, that not everything is white and black but rather life is experienced in a majority of gray situations and circumstances.
I agree. Teachings about life and respect for the individual human person should be addressed where and how people live. Well, people do not live in the classroom. People live in a messy, disordered, confused and broken world. Out there, the moral compass is not calibrated by academics, philosophers or theologians. Peoples' moral attitudes and dispositions are most influenced by what they most often see and hear, by pop culture and the entertainment media.
The Church can speak until she is blue in the face about the dignity of life. But how can that message have any impact upon young people spending the vast majority of their time on video games and telephone apps which glorify the violence of killing and maiming? It is remarkable how little attention the Church pays to the gruesome and extreme violence that has become part of the daily diet of children supposedly at play.
The Pope and Bishops can rant and rave all they wish about the permanence and indissolubility of Matrimony. But what affect will their pronouncement have upon people who see and hear the rich and famous, the popular and sought-after celebrities, who jump from marital bed to marital bed almost jokingly and with little sense of shame or embarrassment?
The Church is missing the mark. She must incorporate into her teachings an awareness of the impact of secular media and entertainment. The Church needs to teach people to make their media and entertainment choices in a way which respects Gospel values. The Church needs to assist people in helping them to be critical in these choices. Reality shows which down play marital commitment and fidelity should not be part of a family's entertainment fare. Programs which are excessively violent or extremely graphic should be avoided since they desensitize the human spirit to the grief and suffering which such violence causes.
Pope Francis, who has become a part of the pop culture and has such a powerful voice among youth, needs to speak to them especially about how their media and amusement choices can poison their innocent optimism about themselves and others. The Church needs to turn its attention to advertisers and sponsors of the moral depravity and mayhem which is disguised as entertainment and amusement. Commercial and media enterprises need to be held accountable. The video gaming industry must be made to understand and accept the role it plays in the moral formation of children and families.
Pope Francis, the bishops and priests must use the pulpit to speak about life and marriage, about righteous moral living where the people live. Adding this dimension to the Church's pedagogy can only help the People of God as they, and all of us, attempt to incorporate the life and vision of Our Divine Savior into our daily lives.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Vatican III: On the Nature and Mission of the Sacred Priesthood
As I reflect upon the shortage of priests in the United States, I wish to note that the problems addressed in this article are by no means an especially American phenomenon. Even with the small but notable exception of a modest rise in priestly vocations in Africa and Oceania, the critical decline in vocations is a quantifiable and demonstrable fact.
No matter how one tries to spin it, one cannot deny the reality that there are not enough priests or priests-to-be in the seminary pipeline to replace the those presently serving in parishes now and in the foreseeable future. The average age of a priest engaged in pastoral service in the United States is presently 65 years. Within the next five years, roughly 45 percent of priests presently serving as pastors will reach the age at which Canon Law requires them to submit their resignations from pastoral office to their respective diocesan bishops.
In the face of this growing crisis, what are bishops to do? What solutions has the Vicar of Christ along with his brother bishops recommended to assure that the Catholic faithful's assurance of Sacramental assistance will be available to them?
Thus far, the bishops have been left to address the problem individually and with little direction or assistance of the Holy See. In dioceses where the problem has reached crisis proportions, the solutions most bishops have opted to enact are to either suppress the priest-vacant parish and incorporate its parishioners into a neighboring parochial community or to assign a pastor to administer a number of parishes in a relatively close geographical area. In both cases, aging or infirm priests are being called upon to take on greater and greater pastoral obligations and responsibilities.
Imagine the physical, psychological and spiritual strain which such solutions place upon these priests. Imagine a priest of 70 years or older being charged with the administration and pastoral care of thousands of parishioners or multiple parishes. And, in most cases, these priests are being asked to fulfill these additional obligations alone and without the assistance of a brother-priest. At best, this strategy is but a short-term solution to a growing crisis which threatens to deny the accessibility which the Catholic faithful will have to the Sacred Liturgy and the Sacraments for generations to come.
In 1962, I entered the minor seminary in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. There were 186 freshmen in my class. Less than 10 percent of us were ordained. Shortly after my ordination, I returned to that same minor seminary as a part-time teacher. During my years of teaching, I became aware of the fact that the average percentage of those entering seminary who would eventually be ordained was a statistical constant, roughly 10 percent or less. That percentage remains the same today. And so, with seminaries experiencing fewer and fewer admissions, the numbers of priests available for pastoral care in the future looks grim indeed. The Church needs to address this growing crisis to be sure.
I propose that the most serious response should come in the form of an Ecumenical Council (the highest teaching authority of the Church) focusing specifically on the nature and mission of the Sacred Priesthood. Ecumenical Council Vatican I defined the Papacy and declared that the Pope was infallible when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals. Vatican II essentially defined that nature of the episcopacy restating the ancient truth that, in his diocese, the bishop is the vicar of Christ who, in union with the Pope, teaches, sanctifies and lawfully governs those entrusted to his pastoral care.
A future Ecumenical Council Vatican III will need to address the very nature of the priesthood and the critical role of the parish priest in the life of the Church. While the Church is often considered in its universal character and mission, the reality is this: the Church is experienced in the day to day, week to week, year to year celebration and proclamation of the Catholic Faith in the parish setting. It is at the parish level that the average Catholic touches and its touched by Christ and His Mystical Body. Redemption takes place in one's neighborhood, in the pews of one's parish church. It is here that the ancient wisdom of the Fathers of the Church is validate, namely, the fact that where there is no priest, there is no parish and where there is no parish, there is no Church.
This is the crux of the crisis for the Church in the modern world. Vatican III will needs be the answer to this crisis. The College of Bishops and the Vicar of Christ in unison must speak authoritatively and in unity in addressing the crisis in vocations and in defining the nature of priesthood in such a way that the pastoral care of the faithful will be assured.
Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will move the hearts and minds of the Holy Father and the Bishops to ask God's guidance in providing such a solution to the generation crisis in the priesthood and the life of the Church which we are experiencing in our time.
No matter how one tries to spin it, one cannot deny the reality that there are not enough priests or priests-to-be in the seminary pipeline to replace the those presently serving in parishes now and in the foreseeable future. The average age of a priest engaged in pastoral service in the United States is presently 65 years. Within the next five years, roughly 45 percent of priests presently serving as pastors will reach the age at which Canon Law requires them to submit their resignations from pastoral office to their respective diocesan bishops.
In the face of this growing crisis, what are bishops to do? What solutions has the Vicar of Christ along with his brother bishops recommended to assure that the Catholic faithful's assurance of Sacramental assistance will be available to them?
Thus far, the bishops have been left to address the problem individually and with little direction or assistance of the Holy See. In dioceses where the problem has reached crisis proportions, the solutions most bishops have opted to enact are to either suppress the priest-vacant parish and incorporate its parishioners into a neighboring parochial community or to assign a pastor to administer a number of parishes in a relatively close geographical area. In both cases, aging or infirm priests are being called upon to take on greater and greater pastoral obligations and responsibilities.
Imagine the physical, psychological and spiritual strain which such solutions place upon these priests. Imagine a priest of 70 years or older being charged with the administration and pastoral care of thousands of parishioners or multiple parishes. And, in most cases, these priests are being asked to fulfill these additional obligations alone and without the assistance of a brother-priest. At best, this strategy is but a short-term solution to a growing crisis which threatens to deny the accessibility which the Catholic faithful will have to the Sacred Liturgy and the Sacraments for generations to come.
In 1962, I entered the minor seminary in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. There were 186 freshmen in my class. Less than 10 percent of us were ordained. Shortly after my ordination, I returned to that same minor seminary as a part-time teacher. During my years of teaching, I became aware of the fact that the average percentage of those entering seminary who would eventually be ordained was a statistical constant, roughly 10 percent or less. That percentage remains the same today. And so, with seminaries experiencing fewer and fewer admissions, the numbers of priests available for pastoral care in the future looks grim indeed. The Church needs to address this growing crisis to be sure.
I propose that the most serious response should come in the form of an Ecumenical Council (the highest teaching authority of the Church) focusing specifically on the nature and mission of the Sacred Priesthood. Ecumenical Council Vatican I defined the Papacy and declared that the Pope was infallible when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals. Vatican II essentially defined that nature of the episcopacy restating the ancient truth that, in his diocese, the bishop is the vicar of Christ who, in union with the Pope, teaches, sanctifies and lawfully governs those entrusted to his pastoral care.
A future Ecumenical Council Vatican III will need to address the very nature of the priesthood and the critical role of the parish priest in the life of the Church. While the Church is often considered in its universal character and mission, the reality is this: the Church is experienced in the day to day, week to week, year to year celebration and proclamation of the Catholic Faith in the parish setting. It is at the parish level that the average Catholic touches and its touched by Christ and His Mystical Body. Redemption takes place in one's neighborhood, in the pews of one's parish church. It is here that the ancient wisdom of the Fathers of the Church is validate, namely, the fact that where there is no priest, there is no parish and where there is no parish, there is no Church.
This is the crux of the crisis for the Church in the modern world. Vatican III will needs be the answer to this crisis. The College of Bishops and the Vicar of Christ in unison must speak authoritatively and in unity in addressing the crisis in vocations and in defining the nature of priesthood in such a way that the pastoral care of the faithful will be assured.
Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will move the hearts and minds of the Holy Father and the Bishops to ask God's guidance in providing such a solution to the generation crisis in the priesthood and the life of the Church which we are experiencing in our time.