Years for Priests

Today, June 19, 2009, begins the Year for Priests, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney, the Curé d'Ars.

In the Vatican, festivities will begin at 17:30 (11:30am, Eastern Standard Time) with the arrival of the Relics of the Saint Curé D’Ars. Pope Benedict will then preside over Vespers at 18:00 (12:00pm, EST). This event will be televised on EWTN (USA), Salt + Light TV (Canada), or any other network that picks up the live feed from Centro Televisivo Vaticano (Vatican TV).

If possible, attend mass on this day and pray for the Pope's intentions on the occasion of the opening of this joyful time!

Here is a prayer you can pray daily for all priests throughout the world:

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord,
Keep them, for they are Thine -
Thy priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world,
Though from the world apart;
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure -
Shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain,
When all their life of sacrifice
For souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and O remember, Lord,
They have no one but Thee,
Yet they have only human hearts,
With human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host,
That daily they caress;
Their every thought and word and deed,
Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

Our Father... Hail Mary...

Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for them.

Imprimatur: +D. Cardinal Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia.

Related Posts:

• World Day of Prayer for Priests (2007)
• 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (2007)
• World Day of Prayer for Priests (2009)
  

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World Day of Prayer for Priests

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and as such, it is also recognized as the World Day of Prayer for Priests. Remember to pray for priestly and religious vocations today in a most earnest manner, and pray for the sanctification of our clergy. Worthy of special notice, today marks the beginning of the Year for Priests (June 19, 2009 - June 19, 2010), which has been chosen by Pope Benedict XVI himself, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney. A special indulgence for priests and one for the faithful is also available this year:

For the faithful, a plenary indulgence can be obtained on the opening and closing days of the Year for Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean-Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

To obtain the indulgence the faithful must attend Mass in an oratory or Church and offer prayers to "Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to his heart."
The conditions for the faithful for earning a plenary indulgence are to have gone to confession and prayed for the intentions of the Pope.

Source: Zenit

In honor of today being the World Day of Prayer for Priests, please see the following past posts related to today.

Related Posts:

• World Day of Prayer for Priests (2007)
• 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (2007)

Prayer for Priestly Vocations:

O Lord, God of power and majesty, you said that the harvest is great but the laborers are few. Send forth, we beseech thee, laborers into your vineyard to forgive sins, celebrate the Eucharist, baptize, and above all make us a people worthy of thee. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Image Source 1: Unknown
Image Source 2: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Priests from 1932

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Leaving the Diocesan Seminary

While it may come as a shock to many of you, I have decided, upon prayer and reflection, to discontinue seminary formation at the end of this academic semester, which concludes for me at 10 AM CDT on May 22, 2009. Thus, effective in the latter part of May 2009, after two years of being a diocesan seminarian, I will leave the program. I would prefer not to go into a lengthy discussion about this issue at the present, but I do not feel that I can support many of the practices of the seminary and of the modern Catholic Church.

I still remain strongly supportive of traditional Catholic seminaries, but through my discernment, I have not felt the Lord calling me to any of these seminaries. I will continue to support Traditional Catholicism and Traditional Catholic seminaries, but I do not personally feel that I can best follow my vocation by joining a traditional seminary.

While I have decided to leave the diocesan seminary, I have decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in Accounting; therefore, in two years I will graduate with an Accounting Major and a Philosophy Minor. In regards to my pursuit of religious practices, I feel that effective immediately, I will be more able to serve the People of God than I have been able to do while in seminary. I have reactivated my blog and posted several articles that were previously saved as drafts (predominantly news stories), which I saved as drafts because I did not want to forget about them. All along I knew that someday (either through discernment or ordination) I would be able to reactive my blog. I will also continue to function as the administrator of Holy Vocations Blog.

I ask for your prayers and support at this crucial transition time. Next year, as I follow God's will for my life, I plan to once again actively write on the Catholic Faith, and Catholic Traditionalism in particular, which I have grown to love with the deepest depths of my heart. I will also make myself available for talks/conferences/lectures if anyone is willing to have me speak. I also plan to travel more extensively and visit Traditional Catholic Churches and shrines around the United States, while being open to the possibility to visiting European locations. Please direct any requests to me via email.

Through prayer, I have also discerned that from this point forward, I will attend the Tridentine Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite) and possibly some Eastern Catholic Rites. I will no longer attend the Novus Ordo Mass.

In the future, as a result of my current decision, I will have additional time to spend with the blogging community. It is my hope that I will eventually begin to meet more bloggers in person as we pursue a restoration of the Traditions of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. While this news is undoubtedly shocking, I know that I am following the will of God for my life in this regard. Once again, I ask for your prayers as I undertake this period of transition. It is my hope and prayer that A Catholic Life Blog will once again serve as a place for your spiritual growth.

As a final note, if any of the readers of "A Catholic Life" could donate to me via the Paypal button in the sidebar, it would be tremendously helpful. With this change, I will need to pay a large amount of money to continue my education, but rather than working 24/7 I wish to continue to serve the Church and volunteer my time in such activities like serving the Holy Mass. The more money that I can raise through my blog, the less that I will have to raise by working all of the time. This would mean that I could spend more time blogging as well.

Laudetur Jesus Christus!

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World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests

Vatican Congregation for the Clergy

Theme for World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests
May 30, 2008

by Cardinal Claudio Hummes

Reverend and dear Brothers in the Priesthood,

On the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus let us fix the eyes of our minds and hearts with a constant loving gaze on Christ, the one Savior of our lives and of the world. Focusing on Christ means focusing on that Face which every human being, consciously or not, seeks as a satisfying response to his own insuppressible thirst for happiness.

We have encountered this Face and on that day, at that moment, his Love so deeply wounded our hearts that we could no longer refrain from asking ceaselessly to be in his Presence. “In the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5).

The Sacred Liturgy leads us once again to contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, the origin and intimate reality of this company which is the Church: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob revealed himself in Jesus Christ. “No one could see his Glory unless first healed by the humility of his flesh.... By dust you were blinded, and by dust you are healed: flesh, then, had wounded you, flesh heals you” (St. Augustine, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, Homily, 2, 16).

Only by looking again at the perfect and fascinating humanity of Jesus Christ -- alive and active now -- who revealed himself to us and still today bends down to each one of us with his special love of total predilection, can we can let him illumine and fill the abyss of need which is our humanity, certain of Hope encountered and sure of Mercy that embraces our limitations and teaches us to forgive what we ourselves do not even manage to discern. “Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts” (Psalm 42[41]).

On the occasion of the traditional World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests that is celebrated on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, I would like to recall the priority of prayer over action since it is on prayer that the effectiveness of action depends. The Church's mission largely depends on each person's personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and must therefore be nourished by prayer: “It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism” (Benedict XVI, "Deus Caritas Est," No. 37). Let us not tire of drawing on his Mercy, of letting him look at and medicate the painful wounds of our sin, in order to marvel at the ever new miracle of our redeemed humanity.

Dear confreres, we are experts of God's Mercy within us and only by so being, his instruments in embracing wounded humanity in a way that is ever new. “Christ does not save us from our humanity, but through it; he does not save us from the world but came into the world so that through him the world might be saved (cf. John 3:17)” (Benedict XVI, Urbi et Orbi Message, Dec. 25, 2006). Finally, we are priests through the Sacrament of Orders, the highest Act of God's Mercy and, at the same time, of his special preference.

In the second place, with an unquenchable thirst and longing for Christ, the most authentic dimension of our Priesthood is mendicancy, simple and continuous prayer that is learned in silent orison. It has always characterized the life of Saints and should be asked for insistently. This awareness of our relationship with him is subjected to the purification of daily testing. Every day we realize again and again that not even we Ministers who act "in Persona Christi Capitis" are spared this drama. We cannot live a single moment in his Presence without a gentle longing to know him and to continue to adhere to him. Let us not give in to the temptation to see being priests as a burden, inevitable and impossible to delegate, henceforth assumed, which can perhaps be carried out “mechanically” with a structured and coherent pastoral program. Priesthood is the vocation, the path and the manner through which Christ saves us, has called us and is calling us now to! abide with him.

The one adequate measure, with regard to our Holy Vocation, is radicalism. This total dedication with awareness of our infidelity can only be brought into being as a renewed and prayerful decision which Christ subsequently implements, day after day. The actual gift of priestly celibacy must be accepted and lived in this dimension of radicalism and full configuration to Christ. Any other approach to the reality of the relationship with him risks becoming ideological.

Even the great mass of work that the contemporary conditions of the ministry sometimes impose on us, far from discouraging us must spur us to care with even greater attention for our priestly identity which has an incontrovertibly divine root. In this regard the particular conditions of the ministry themselves must impel us, with a logic opposed to that of the world, to “raise the tone” of our spiritual life, witnessing with greater conviction and effectiveness to our exclusive belonging to the Lord.

We are taught total dedication by the One who loved us first. “I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I' to a nation that did not call on my name”. The place of totality par excellence is the Eucharist since, “in the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a ‘thing' but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood” ("Sacramentum Caritatis," No. 7).

Let us be faithful, dear confreres, to the daily Celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist, not solely in order to fulfill a pastoral commitment or a requirement of the community entrusted to us but because of the absolute personal need we have of it, as of breathing, as of light for our life, as the one satisfactory reason for a complete priestly existence.

In his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis," the Holy Father reproposes to us forcefully St Augustine's affirmation: “no one eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we not to adore it” (St. Augustine, "Enarrationes in Psalmos," 98,9). We cannot live, we cannot look at the truth about ourselves without letting ourselves be looked at and generated by Christ in daily Eucharistic Adoration, and the “Stabat” of Mary, “Woman of the Eucharist”, beneath her Son's Cross, is the most significant example of contemplation and adoration of the divine Sacrifice that has been given to us.

Since the missionary spirit is intrinsic in the very nature of the Church, our mission is likewise innate in the priestly identity, which is why missionary urgency is a matter of self-awareness. Our priestly identity is edified and renewed day after day in “conversation” with Our Lord. An immediate consequence of our relationship with him, ever nourished in constant prayer, is the need to share it with all those around us. The holiness we ask for daily, in fact, cannot be conceived according to a sterile and abstract individual acceptance but is necessarily Christ's holiness, which is contagious for everyone: “Being in communion with Jesus Christ draws us into his ‘being for all'; it makes it our own way of being” (Benedict XVI, "Spe Salvi," No. 28).

Christ's “being for all” is realized for us in the Tria Munera by which we are clothed in the very nature of the Priesthood. These Munera which constitute the entirety of our Ministry, are not the place for alienation or, even worse, a mere functionalist reductionism of ourselves but rather are the truest expression of our belonging to Christ; they are the place of our relationship with him. The People which has been entrusted to us to be educated, sanctified and governed is not a reality that distracts us from “our life” but the Face of Christ that we contemplate daily, as the face of his beloved for the bridegroom and the Church his Bride for Christ. The People entrusted to us is the indispensable path for our holiness, in other words the path on which Christ manifests through us the Glory of the Father.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea... those on the other hand who send to perdition an entire people... what should they suffer and what punishment should they receive?” (St. John Chrysostom, "De Sacerdotio," VI, 1.498). In the face of the awareness of such a serious task and such a great responsibility for our life and our salvation, in which faithfulness to Christ coincides with “obedience” to the needs dictated by the redemption of those souls, there is not even room to doubt the grace received. We can only ask to surrender as much as possible to his Love so that he will act through us, for either we let Christ save the world, acting in us, or we risk betraying the very nature of our vocation. The measure of dedication, dear confreres, is totality, again and anew. Yes, “five loaves an! d two fishes” are not many but they are all! God's Grace makes of all our littleness the Communion that satisfies the People. Elderly and sick priests who exercise the divine ministry daily, uniting themselves with Christ's Passion and offering their own priestly existence for the true good of the Church and the salvation of souls, share especially in this “total dedication”.

Lastly, the Holy Mother of God remains an indispensable foundation of the whole of priestly life. The relationship with her cannot be resolved in pious devotional practice but is nourished by ceaseless entrustment to the arms of the ever Virgin of the whole of our life, of our ministry in its entirety. Mary Most Holy also leads us, like John, to beneath the Cross of her Son and Our Lord in order to contemplate, with her, God's infinite Love: “He who for us is Life itself descended here and endured our death and slew it by the abundance of his Life” (St. Augustine, "Confessiones," IV, 12).

As a condition for our redemption, for the fulfillment of our humanity, for the Advent of the Incarnation of the Son, God the Father chose to await a Virgin's “Fiat” to an angel's announcement. Christ decided to entrust, so to speak, his own Life to the loving freedom of the Mother: “She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ, she presented him to the Father in the temple, shared her Son's sufferings as he died on the Cross. Thus, in a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the work of the Savior in restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace” ("Lumen Gentium," No. 61).

Pope St Pius X said: “Every priestly vocation comes from the heart of God but passes through the heart of a mother”. This is true with regard to obvious biological motherhood but it is also true of the “birth” of every form of fidelity to the Vocation of Christ. We cannot do without a spiritual motherhood for our priestly life: let us entrust ourselves confidently to the prayer of the whole of Holy Mother Church, to the motherhood of the People, whose pastors we are but to whom are entrusted our custody and holiness; let us ask for this fundamental support.

Dear confreres, the urgent need for “a movement of prayer, placing 24-hour continuous Eucharistic adoration at the centre so that a prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, praise, petition and reparation will be raised to God, incessantly and from every corner of the earth, with the primary intention of awakening a sufficient number of holy vocations to the priestly state and, at the same time, spiritually uniting with a certain spiritual maternity -- at the level of the Mystical Body -- all those who have already been called to the ministerial priesthood and are ontologically conformed to the one High and Eternal Priest. This movement will offer better service to Christ and his brothers -- those who are at once ‘inside’ the Church and also ‘at the forefront’ of the Church, standing in Christ's stead (cf. "Pastores Dabo Vobis," No. 16), and representing him as head, shepherd and spouse of the Church” (Letter of the Congregation of the! Clergy, 8 December 2007).

A further form of spiritual motherhood has recently been outlined. It has always silently accompanied the chosen ranks of priests in the course of the Church's history. It is the concrete entrustment of our ministry to a specific face, to a consecrated soul who has been called by Christ and therefore chooses to offer herself, with the necessary suffering and the inevitable struggles of life, to intercede for our priestly existence, thereby dwelling in Christ's sweet presence. This motherhood, which embodies Mary's loving face, should be prayed for because God alone can bring it into being and sustain it. In this regard there are plenty of wonderful examples; only think of St Monica's beneficial tears for her son Augustine, for whom she wept “more than mothers weep when lamenting their dead children” (St. Augustine, "Confessions," III, 11).

Another fascinating example is that of Eliza Vaughan, who gave birth to 13 children and entrusted them to the Lord; six of her eight sons became priests and four of her five daughters became women religious. Since it is impossible to be true mendicants before Christ, marvelously concealed in the Eucharistic Mystery, without being able in practice to ask for the effective help and prayers of those whom he sets beside us, let us not be afraid to entrust ourselves to the motherhoods that the Spirit will certainly bring into being for us.

St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, aware of the extreme need of prayer for all priests, especially those who were lukewarm, wrote in a letter to her sister Céline, “Let us live for souls, let us be apostles, let us save above all the souls of priests.... Let us pray and suffer for them and on the last day Jesus will be grateful” (St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Letter 94).

Let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Queen of Apostles, our sweetest Mother, let us look to Christ with her, ceaselessly striving to be totally, radically his; this is our identity!

Let us remember the words of the Holy Curé d’Ars, Patron of Parish Priests: “If I already had one foot in Heaven and I was told to return to the earth to work to convert sinners, I would gladly return. And if, to do this, it were necessary that I remain on earth until the end of the world, always rising at midnight and suffering as I suffer, I would consent with all my heart” (Brother Athanase, "Procès de l’Ordinaire," p. 883).

May the Lord guide and protect each and every one, especially the sick and those who are suffering the most, in the constant offering of our life for love.

Cardinal Cláudio Hummes
Prefect

Mauro Piacenza
Titular Archbishop of Victoriana
Secretary

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World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Greetings from the Catholic Converts blog,

April 13 is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In his message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Benedict XVI said:

"The Church prays everyday to the Holy Spirit for the gift of vocations. Gathered around the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, as in the beginning, the ecclesial community learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new apostles, alive with the faith and love that are necessary for the mission."

The Catholic Converts blog has been working on putting together a 24 Hour Rosary for Vocations. Based on the time in Vatican City it will begin at 6:00 PM tonight on the East Coast in the United States.

We are asking people to sign up for as little as 30 minutes of praying the rosary with an intention for vocations. I encourage you to consider participating in this event and also ask that you consider helping spread the word by forwarding this message to others who you think might be interested.

For complete information click this link: 24 Rosary World Day of Prayer

God Bless,

Chris

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary Closes

An excerpt from The News Tribune:

For more than a century, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary has prepared teenage boys for the priesthood, largely unchanged as the city transformed around it from gritty industrial center to modern metropolis.

But another kind of change finally caught up with Quigley.

The 102-year-old seminary, a Gothic-style building in a tony Chicago shopping district, closed this month because of a shrinking student body that has seen just one graduate ordained in the past 17 years.

Another seminary closes in our country and people are asking why there are few vocations. People can't figure out why no one wants to be a priest. The answer is rather apparent - there is no obvious honor in the priesthood. Honestly, without seeing the glory of a priest at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Tridentine Rite I would most likely not be entering a seminary this year. Returning to the Traditions of the Church including altar rails, Rogation Days, Latin Masses, women wearing head coverings, Rosaries in Latin, etc. will bring countless vocations to the Church.

In the 1950s, there was a plethora of vocations to the holy priesthood. Today, few men enter the priesthood and liberal seminaries are slowly drying up. I pray that the greater use of the Tridentine Mass will be allowed. I know that through its usage, vocations will begin to soar.

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World Day of Prayer for Priests

Today is not only the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, but also the World Day of Prayer for Priests. The priest is more than just a social worker or a therapist. Above all, the priest is a doctor of souls, whose sole purpose is to work for the salvation of the people of God.

The Roman Catholic Church has the sole privilege of possessing the four marks of the Church of God: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Because of the connection to the apostles, the Roman Catholic Church still has a valid priesthood along with the Eastern Orthodox Church. No protestant church has a valid priesthood.

Jesus came to destroy sin, satan, and death. He gathered twelve disciples to replace the twelve tribes of Israel - forming a new covenant with His people. These twelve disciples were the only ones allowed to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass, instituted at the Last Supper. These twelve were the only ones given the power to forgive sins and celebrate the Eucharist, which is passed down only through the ordained priesthood (CCC 1411). The apostles - meaning those sent by Christ - were given the full power of authority by Christ: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The sacred power of the priesthood is passed down at the ordination ceremony by the laying on of hands.

And at the Last Supper, Our Savior's words, "Take and eat, this is my body... take and drink this is my blood" (Matthew 26:26-28) truly transformed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood. In yet another act of humility, Christ gave Himself to us through this Sacrament - the Holy Eucharist. The apostles alone were given this power passed down through apostolic succession.

Our priests today have this same power to stand at the altar on account of their ordination. Our same priests have the power to forgive sins (John 20:21-23) and baptize (Matthew 28:19). Only the hands of the priest are consecrated to touch the Most Holy Eucharist; lay people should never touch the Eucharist. Only deacons and priests are truly allowed to touch the sacred vessels including the chalice and paten. Even though few parishes teach thus: servers, subdeacons, and even acolytes should only touch the sacred vessels using a chalice veil or a purificator.

Jesus Christ is the invisible head of the Church (CCC 792), but He chose to build His Church on St. Peter (CCC 552). And through the Church's history, priests have received the heavenly gift of ordination, mystically turning them into an "alter Christi". The priest stands in the person of Jesus Christ at the Mass and in ministering the Sacraments. In the "Catechism on the Priesthood" by St. John Vianney, St. John Vianney writes, "If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. Saint Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed." I highly recommend reading the Catechism on the Priesthood.

Of all the accounts of the Last Supper and the Institution of the Priesthood, which took place there, I am most fond of the account in The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. From pages 76-88, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich recounts a vision of the Institution of the Eucharist. In pages 89-93, she recounts the Institution of the Priesthood using holy oils. It is a wonderful section of the book to read - especially today.

The Theme for the World Day Of Prayer for the Santification of Priests (2007) (.pdf) is available on the Internet. To conclude, I ask my readers to pray for priests not only today but at least once a week, preferably on Thursday, the day that the priesthood began. Please also pray for more priests - more holy, traditional priests. Several prayers and a reflection are available at my post on the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

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Our Sunday Visitor: May 27, 2007

In the "Our Sunday Visitor" from May 27, 2007, my blog is mentioned in regards to an article on priestly celibacy (page 12). A few weeks ago the author of the article emailed me and asked my opinion on three questions. I replied to him, but he was only able to include a little amount of my words due to limited space. Here is what is written:

"Two seminarian bloggers - Matthew (acatholiclife.blogspot.com)... said that the abuse scandal is often put forward as an argument against priestly celibacy." The article goes on to refute arguments that attack the practice of mandatory priestly celibacy.

Below is a copy of his questions to me and my response. Although these were not published in the periodical, they are still something that I want to share.

1. In his recent apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed that priestly celibacy remains obligatory in the Latin tradition (no. 24). What are the most common objections you have encountered to obligatory priestly celibacy, and how might you answer those objections?

First and foremost, as a Roman Catholic Seminarian preparing to enroll at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Minnesota, I am honored to be part of group of a holy and reverent seminarians upholding the Traditions of the Church. Priestly celibacy is a gift from God. If a man is truly called to the priesthood, he is not called to the married life. If priests did marry, they would be unable to provide adequate time and devotion to either the family or the congregation. Both vocations - marriage and the priesthood - require full-time attention and devotion. I am proud to go to a seminary with Catholics who hold similar opinions.

However, some Catholics do prescribe to the ideology that priestly celibacy is harmful to the Church. One of the most common reasons cited to end the ancient practice of mandatory priestly celibacy is that it would stop the sexual abuse of minors. Firstly, I must state that the abuse of minors by members of the clergy is not only mortally sinful but repulsively disgusting and scandalous. However, removing the requirement for priestly celibacy will not improve the situation. Statistically, the number one abusers of children are not priests but rather parents. After considering the number of married men and non-Catholic ministers that have committed the grievous sin of molesting children, the argument against celibacy is negated.

Some people claim that mandatory priestly celibacy burdens a priest with unrepressable sexual energy. However, if a man is called to the priesthood, wouldn't God give him the ability to respond to the call and fulfill the obligations established by the Church? Of course - a man truly called to the priesthood would have the ability to forsake marriage and love celibacy by the grace of God. As St. Paul affirmed in the midst of trial and persecution: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). And priests can do all things through the grace of Christ. Relaxing requirements would only allow more doctrinal and theological room for error. The Catholic Faith does not principally flourish in areas where the priest does whatever he wants. Rather, the Faith flourishes in the midst of intense obligations and requirements. Since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, modernism and liberalism have spread around the globe, and a decline in not only vocations to the priesthood but also to the married life has taken place. There are more and more divorces. According to statistics, 1 in 2 families experienced divorce in the 1990s compared to 1 in 7 in the 1950s. The current crisis in our world is simply a crisis in commitment and removing mandatory priestly celibacy would not correct the crisis.

Some people claim that with the implementation of mandatory priestly celibacy men will become fearful of women. This again is unfounded. By learning and internalizing the teachings of the Church through the centuries, man can communicate with women without difficulties. I see this all of the time with priests. I have never met a priest or a seminarian scared to talk with women. Celibacy is a gift, and if a man is truly called to the priesthood, the gift will not be a burden but rather a blessing.

2. What, in your judgment, is the single most compelling objection to obligatory priestly celibacy, and how might you answer that objection?

I believe it is the argument against the sexual abuse of minors, and I previously addressed that.

3. Do you have any additional, more general reflections on priestly celibacy that you might wish to share with Our Sunday Visitor readers?

We must remember the words of Our Savior: "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it" (Matthew 19: 11,12). Similarly, St. Paul remained celibate for the safe of the Kingdom of God and his words formulate the essential reply to critics of mandatory celibacy: '' I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord" (1 Cor 32-35)

To follow Jesus as a priest requires commitment and commitment is the answer to the current crisis in commitment in our society. By remaining celibate and following the words of Jesus and St. Paul in the New Testament, a priest places all of his trust in Jesus and renounces Himself for the Gospel (Luke 9:23). By living a life of Sacrifice, the priest becomes more and more like Christ, which is gravely important since the priest is an "alter Christi" at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Just as the habit is a symbol of faith in the midst of a secular world, celibacy is a sign that a priestly soul is entirely dedicated to furthering the Kingdom of God.

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Minor Orders

One thing that I find extremely appealing concerning seminary formation is the minor and major orders. Unfortunately, except in indult societies and traditional orders, seminary formation no longer includes any of the minor orders and the major orders are reduced to just deacon and priest. These orders dated back all the way to Pope St. Caius in the late 200's AD.

I find the old practice of slowly growing in rank in the Church extremely spiritually edifying. I feel that as the seminarian obtains more rights and powers in the Church, he will become more prepared for ordination as a priest of Jesus Christ.

The New Liturgical Movement has a post on its blog with photos of a minor ordination: A view into the Life of the Institute of the Good Shepherd and commentary on Minor Orders.

Baltimore Catechism No. 3:

Q. 981. What are the grades by which one ascends to the priesthood?

A. The grades by which one ascends to the priesthood are:

1. Tonsure, or the clipping of the hair by the bishop, by which the candidate for priesthood dedicates himself to the service of the altar;
2. The four minor orders, Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte, by which he is permitted to perform certain duties that laymen should not perform;
3. Sub-deaconship, by which he takes upon himself the obligation of leading a life of perpetual chastity and of saying daily the divine office;
4. Deaconship, by which he receives power to preach, baptize, and give Holy Communion.

Minor Orders Explained:

Porter (Doorkeeper): In the early Church, the porter was charged with ringing the bells for Mass and for the offices, opening the church and the sacristy, holding the book in front of the preacher and keeping troublesome persons out of the church. Spiritually, this symbolizes closing oneself to the devil and opening oneself to God by one's words and examples, our souls being temples of the Holy Ghost. In giving this order, the bishop has the candidate touch the keys, saying: “Comport yourself as if you were to render account unto God, of all that you close with these keys.”

Lector: Those ordained lectors have the privilege to read Lessons and Prophesies during the liturgy. The Bishop calls them to “Apply yourselves to reading the word of God in a clear and distinct manner to instruct and edify the faithful."

Exorcist: The bishop has the candidates touch the ritual, containing the rite of exorcism. He instructs them, saying “As you drive forth the devil from the bodies of your brothers, be sure to reject from your spirit and body all impurity and iniquity, so as not to be slaves of him from whom you deliver others.” However today, exorcists do not have the faculties to exorcise, that being left to priests with permission of the diocesan bishop.

Acolyte: The acolyte carries candles during ecclesiastical functions and presents wine and water at Mass. The bishop cites the Gospel according to St. Mark, saying “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father that is in heaven.”

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Summer Session for Young Adults: Brothers of St. John

I'm passing this on to any readers that may be interested in attending the retreat with the Brothers of St. John. If you know someone that may be interested in the retreat, please pass this message on to them.

Dear young person ages 19-30,

The time is drawing nearer for the Summer Session with the Brothers of St. John. We know that many of you are interested in coming! Great! Please spread the word by forwarding this e-mail, and please let me know BEFORE MAY 28TH if you can come, or are thinking about coming, even if you are not sure!

The Summer Session will begin with having the participants arrive at 2 p.m. on June 6th. It is comprised of four elements: the hiking/camping trip; the Philosophy Session; the Theology Session; and the Silent Retreat. Participants may participate in any of the above activities, or two of them, or three of them. We simply need to know in advance in order to organize our guesthouse.

The hiking trip will be fun but also a good work out! I have not yet scouted out the course, but it should pulse through the beautfiul hills of Wisconsin. We will be sleeping in tents and sleeping bags in parks along the way. (We can supply them for those who cannot bring them by plane. If you can bring them with you, though, all the better!) Please bring boots, rain gear, sunscreen, hats, water bottles (large), a Rosary, and any other camping gear you think of. Please let me know if you can bring anything which we all can use -- I am thinking especially of things for cooking. We will leave Wednesday afternoon to drive to our destination and set up camp. From there, we will start our hike on Thursday morning, and hike all day Thursday and Friday and most of the day Saturday. The hike will be a good work out! Be ready for it! We will have Mass, Adoration, and the Offices every day. The rest of the day will be spent in "God's Cathedral" of nature! Sounds like Heaven!

After we return to Princeville Saturday night, we will have the chance to rest all day Sunday, celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi with the Brothers and Sisters in Princveille.

Sunday night begins the Philosophy Session, taught by Brother Nathan. We hope to have three Philosophy Classes per day on the theme of art and contemplation, with a conference a little more spiritual in nature in the evenings after dinner. The rest of the day will be structured by the prayer of the Offices and Mass with the Brothers, and a variety of things in the afternoons, varying from free-time to fun activities (like sports, walks, art and culture, etc) to work projects with the Brothers and Sisters. At night, we will have campfires, music, and time to relax together. We also hope to invite local artists and musicians to come for a few evenings per week to share their art with us. These evenings will be open to the young adults in the area to come and join us. The session will run through Friday night.

Saturday, the 16th, we will have a hike together in the woods nearby, and spend a day of recreation.

Sunday, the 17th will be celebrated with the Community of the Brothers and Sisters, in the calm repose of the Day of the Lord. On the evening of the 17th, will begin the Theology Session.

This Theology session, taught by Father Joseph Mary, will mirror the Philosophy Session in schedule, and will be based a lot on the Summa of St. Thomas Aquinas. (If you have a copy, please bring it, along with your Bible.) There will also be certain evenings for an "evening program" just as there will be during the week of Philosophy.

After another exhilarating weekend of hiking and rest, on the evening of Sunday, June 24th, a retreat will begin: a silent retreat on the Gospel of St. John. The retreat will be preached by Father Antoine Thomas (and perhaps another Brother), and will include three meditations per day on the Christian life flowing from the Gospel of St. John. Free time for personal prayer and study, time for solitary Eucharistic adoration every afternoon, spiritual direction and confession, and the liturgical prayer of the Brothers and Sisters will provide the perfect opportunity to go "into the deep waters" of John's contemplation of Christ Crucified and Glorified. The retreat will close on Sunday, July 1st, after lunch. The retreat will be entirely in silence, to afford each of the participants the opportunity to discover the unique choice and bond of love between their hearts and the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

The cost for the whole session is only $350! If you would like to come to any one of the parts, the price is $150 for each of the three main parts: the hike, one or both of the two-week sessions, and the retreat. Obviously, we are offering our services to you freely, out of love for Christ. If you can offer a larger donation, it would be appreciated, since we live on gifts. However, if this price is already too much for you, please just let me know and we can work something out!

All in all, this summer is going to be great! Please spread the word about this session, and bring your friends! We are happy to serve you, and I stand ready to answer any questions you may have.

May Mary draw the young people here who will most benefit from it.

"Let the one who thirsts come forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water!" (Revelation 21).

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Pope Benedict XVI Ordains 21 Men

On the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Benedict XVI ordained 22 men in St. Peter's Basilica, including Juan Carlos Mari, the son of the man who has been the Vatican's official photographer for decades. Juan Carlos Mari was ordained along with the other 21 men as members of the Legionaries of Christ.

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44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Today is the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and Pope Benedict XVI's message for today is available on the Vatican's website. For me, this is day especially important since I am now an official Roman Catholic Seminarian. Over the past year, I have heard the call of the Lord to leave the offerings of the world and follow after the things of eternity. It is no secret that Holy Catholic Church needs vocations. According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the number of religious sisters at the end of 2006 was 55,500 and the average age was 70 with 73% being 65 and older. But, as in most areas, quality is better than quantity even in vocations.

The Church does not need thousands of women entering religious life, who refuse to practice celibacy or who refuse to wear the traditional habit as an expression of faith. As I stated in my post Nuns Should Wear the Habit, traditional orders are growing, liberal and modernistic ones are thankfully dying away. So, let us pray to Our Lord and God for a greater amount of holy, reverent women to enter religious life and become brides of Christ. In my post Nuns Should Wear the Habit, I listed several religious orders that are faithful and holy, which have not fallen into the grasp of modernism. These holy order are following the requirement set forth in the current Code of Canon Law: "Religious are to wear the habit of the institute determined according to the norm of proper law as a sign of their consecration and as a testimony of poverty" (Canon 669, 1).

Similarly, the Church needs vocations of holy, reverent men to the priesthood as well as the religious life as monks. Speaking as a Roman Catholic Seminarian, men who promote heresy or heterodox ideas - including the need to ordain women, the need to allow homosexuals to be ordained, and the need to abandon priestly celibacy - are not the answer to the Church's prayers. The Church needs holy men who feel called to rise up in the midst of the world in order to defend the Real Presence, defend Marian doctrine, encourage weekly Confession, and promote Traditional practices including women's veils, altar rails, and the Tridentine Mass. As Fr. Pat Stratford stated in his article "Why the Church must continue to uphold priestly celibacy", priestly celibacy must be retained in the Catholic Church, and the Church does not need another modern priest attack this Church doctrine. People who promote the ordination of women remain oppose to the firm teachings of the Church in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, and they only perform great dishonor to Christ and His Church.

If you have not previously read it, I strongly suggest reading my article The Priestly Vocation today where I share a beautiful metaphor pertaining to the vocation to the priesthood.  In this past year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) finally published a 98-page Program of Priestly Formation document (.pdf), the fifth of its kind, which thankfully states, "A candidate must be prepared to accept wholeheartedly the Church's teaching on sexuality in its entirety."

Let us remember to fast, prayer, and give alms not just in Lent but year round. By practicing such virtues and living in the state of grace, we can hear the words of Christ: “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men!” (Mk 1: 17; cf. Mt 4: 19). I heard the calling of Christ to serve the people of God and offer the Mass and the Sacraments.  Just a few days ago, a friend of DilexitPrior, the blogger at Letters from a Young Catholic, entered the Poor Clares.

The Church is very much alive and vocations are sprouting! Let us continue to pray for holy, reverent men and women to answer the call of Christ. Let us also pray for the conversion of those who promote heresy, heterodox ideas, or have not remained faithful to their vows. And let us pray for the growth of traditional religious orders.

Prayer for Vocations:

O Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church, To You We Commend our Young People, In Particular Those Called to Closely Follow Your Son. You Know the difficulties, the Struggles, the Obstacles They Must Face. Assist Them to Answer "YES!" to the Divine Call, As You Did at the Invitation of the Angel. Draw them near to your heart So that They Can Understand the Beauty and the Joy that Awaits Them When the Lord Jesus Calls Them Into His Intimacy, To Be Witness of His Love in the World.

Prayer for Priestly Vocations:

O Lord, God of power and majesty, you said that the harvest is great but the laborers are few. Send forth, we beseech thee, laborers into your vineyard to forgive sins, celebrate the Eucharist, baptize, and above all make us a people worthy of thee. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Parent's Prayer for Vocations:

Dear Heavenly Father, You Have Blessed Us With Children. We Sometimes Forget that They are Not Ours, But Yours, And that You Have Asked Us to Bring Them Up in Your Ways. 0 Gracious and Loving God, We Pray that Our Children Will Discover And Respond Enthusiastically To Your Desire for Them Whether It Be to the Vocation of Consecrated Religious or Single, Sacramental Marriage, or Ordained Life. Please Help Our Children To Have Open Hearts and Minds to Your Call. Help Us to Support and Encourage Our Children To Seek Your will in Choosing a Vocation. We Offer this Prayer in the Name of Jesus through the Power and Grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Photo #1 Source: Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation

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USCCB: Number of Religious Sisters

These from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Religious Retirement Office:

The number of religious sisters at the end of 2006 is 55,500. Average age is 70. 73% are 65 and older.

Let us pray that vocations increase for the Traditional religious orders. They are, after all, the only orders with newer vocations.

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Why the Church must keep Priestly Celebacy

I am suggesting the following article: "Why the Church must continue to uphold priestly celibacy" by Fr. Pat Stratford.

As someone that is planning on embarking on that journey leading me to ordination, I can not publicly support mandatory priestly celebacy enough. Priestly celebacy is a necessary component of serving God completely. If a priest were allowed to marry, he would have a family and a parish - two vocations. The result would be that one would be primarily focused on, thereby neglecting the other. Celebacy is not meant to be easy, but it is meant to be a sacrifice endured for the greater glory of the Kingdom of Christ.

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Vocations are Booming in Mexico

Vocations Booming in Mexico

KOENIGSTEIN, Germany, DEC. 5, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Mexico is seeing a veritable boom in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, says an official of Aid to the Church in Need.

"There are about 12,000 young men preparing for the priesthood in Mexican major seminaries, while 15,000 active priests are serving the faithful," said Xavier Legorreta, head of Aid to the Church in Need's Latin America I section.

"In addition, there are some 32,000 religious sisters," the expert said today upon his return from a visit to the country, where he attended the general assembly of the bishops' conference.

"One of the fundamental reasons for the Church being lively and rich in vocations is the persecution it suffered during the 1930s, which 'helped' Catholics to defend their faith," Legorreta said.

The official said that "the formation of seminarians and support for contemplative sisters are priorities for our charity."

He added: "Today, Mexico is -- together with Colombia -- one of the countries that send out most missionaries to the world and especially to Europe."

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Financial Crisis - Lack of Nuns

The Church desperately NEEDS nuns (those that live in cloistered communities) and religious sisters (those that don't live in cloistered communities). Religious sisters are excellent teachers and help the Church tremendously not only in teaching but in making altar bread and various other areas. The sacrifice of prayer of nuns certainly brings us many graces.

Article via Yahoo News article:

Though billions of dollars have been salted away, there still remains an unfunded future liability of $8.7 billion for current nuns, priests and brothers in religious orders. The financial hole is projected by a consulting firm to exceed $20 billion by 2023.

...

In some ways, religious orders face the same problem as many governments: increasing numbers of older retirees need benefits, but there are fewer workers to support them. America's younger workers pay now for the Social Security benefits of seniors, while younger religious support their older generations by caring for them.

Sisters, who make up 82 percent of retirees, are especially vulnerable.

Between 1965 and 2005, their numbers plummeted from 179,954 to 68,634, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

With far fewer younger novices being recruited, the majority of sisters are now more than 70 years old, the retirement office's new survey said. Even though sisters usually work until age 75, caring for the retired population is a huge task.

...

Some religious orders are financially healthy, but Fries' office reckons that only 4 percent of current sisters are adequately funded for their retirement needs. Typically, the problem is worst in smaller orders.

Religious orders are totally independent from dioceses in administration and finance. But they often serve in schools and other parish or diocesan institutions, so bishops and parishioners naturally feel a responsibility to help.

The religious orders' plight first gained national attention with a 1985 Wall Street Journal article by John Fialka. Contacted by fellow Catholics who offered donations, Fialka helped organize SOAR (Support Our Aging Religious), which pioneered in fundraising and last year received $1.4 million to aid retirees.

The U.S. bishops then followed suit, sponsoring their first annual collection in 1988 under the new retirement office, co-sponsored with three organizations of women's and men's orders.

The annual December collection was scheduled to cease next year, but at their June meeting the bishops agreed to extend the program another 10 years. Also, the retirement office plans to increase training for orders on how to manage investments, buildings and other assets.

Hundreds of orders have been forced to sell off assets to cover expenses

If you are considering a vocation as a nun or as a religious sister, please pray about it. We desperately need you! Please pray for vocations. And, pray for traditional vocations - people that will actually wear a real habit and remain faithful to Rome.

In addition, please see my well known post entitled "Nuns Should Wear the Habit."

Image Source: Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus

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The Community of the Monks of Adoration need donations

June 30, 2007 Update: The Monks of Adoration in the Venice diocese have been suppressed due to lack of vocations

While I was searching the Internet for the best site to find a copy of the Liturgy of Hours, I found the website for the Community of the Monks of Adoration. It is a contemplative order following the Rule of St. Augustine. They wear a gray tunic and scapular with a hood, a black rosary worn on the belt, and a medallion with the symbol of their community (the photo to the left).

While on the site, I read that the Monks of Adoration are in need of money for a new monastery building. They desperately need the money, so they are asking that everyone that visits their website to participate in the BUCK A BRICK program. They are asking readers to send them one dollar. That's all they ask for! Please, visit their website and send a dollar to them today. A dollar isn't worth much, but if everyone of their millions of visitors sends a dollar, they will have a new monastery.

Please send contributions to this address:

The Community of The Monks of Adoration
Saint Joseph the Worker Monastery Fund
2241 Englewood Road
Englewood, FL 34223.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."

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Pope Benedict XVI Ordains 15 Men

Today is the 43rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and it is also the day when Pope Benedict XVI ordained 15 men at St. Peter's Basilica to the holy priesthood. Please pray for the these men, who answered the call of Christ.

Here is part of Pope Benedict XVI's midday address:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, in which the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is observed, I have had the joy of ordaining in St. Peter's Basilica 15 new priests of the Diocese of Rome.

Together with them, I think of all those that, in all parts of the world receive priestly ordination at the same time. In thanking the Lord for the gift of these new priests at the service of the Church, we put them in Mary's hands, while invoking her intercession so that the number will grow of those who accept Christ's invitation to follow him on the path of the priesthood and consecrated life.

This year, the theme of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is "Vocation in the Mystery of the Church." In the message I have addressed to the entire ecclesial community for this occasion, I recalled the experience of Jesus' first disciples that, after meeting him on the lake and in the villages of Galilee, were captivated by his attractiveness and love.

The Christian vocation always implies renewing this personal friendship with Jesus Christ, which gives meaning to one's life and makes it available for the Kingdom of God.

The Church lives from this friendship, nourished by the word and the sacraments, holy realities entrusted in a particular way to the ministry of bishops, priests and deacons, consecrated by the sacrament of holy orders. For this reason, as I underlined in the same message, the mission of the priest is irreplaceable and, although in some regions there is a lack of clergy, there is no doubt that God continues to call adolescents, youths and adults to leave all to dedicate themselves to the preaching of the Gospel and the pastoral ministry.

© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana [adapted]

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Novena for Vocations: Final Day

Today K has posted the final day of the Novena to St. John Vianney for greater vocations to the priesthood. Several other Catholics have joined in this novena for me, and I thank you all earnestly for your cooperation.

Image Source: Ordination Class of 1928, Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Novena for Vocations: Day Eight

Please pray the eighth day of this Novena, which is posted on K's blog. It is vitally important to pray for holy, traditional vocations to the priesthood and to religious life.

Image Source: Unknown, Believed to be in the Public Domain

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