..Finally, the Roseville conference ["The Other Health Crisis", December 2007], hosted by Care of the Soul (www.careofthesoul.org), a counseling, pastoral care, and fitness outreach, proposed that research be done to determine what effect mandatory celibacy has on a man's decision to become a priest in this culture...
Guest opinion column by Fr. Lawrence Ventline, founding director of Care of the Soul, in The Oakland Press, 3/11/2008. The rest of the column about the priest shortage and crisis in the Catholic clergy is worthwhile too.
Reflecting on the priest shortage in New York ("Of the 176 Catholic dioceses in the U.S., the Archdiocese of New York ranks 170th in terms of the ratio of seminarians to the total Catholic population, according to a December study by Catholic World Report."):
...New York's Irish community has provided the vast majority of parish priests for 200 years. Part of the problem facing the archdiocese is that an estimated 40% to 50% of Catholic New Yorkers are Hispanic, but Hispanic communities are not producing priests.
Dominican-born Alex Reyes, 24, of the Bronx, a third-year seminarian, said many Hispanic young men told him they might be interested in becoming priests if not for one thing.
"I know a lot of young Hispanic guys who are very interested in the priesthood, but to tell you the truth, the big problem is celibacy," Reyes said. "That is the main reason they hold off."...
Priests hope Pope Benedict visit inspires vocation, by Gary Stern, Westchester Journal News, March 11, 2008. Again, the human resource issues of the Catholic Church are explored in detail here.
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2 comments:
So, why is celibacy not an issue for all the dioceses that are successfully recruiting priests and have overflowing seminaries?
Cherry picking a low performing diocese out of thousands worldwide and citing celibacy as the issue is poor proof to change a universal Catholic discipline. The Church is extremely unlikely to change a discipline because one U.S. diocese can't it together and recruit seminarians.
God bless...
+Timothy
Celibacy ISN'T the issue?
Issue or not isn't the ISSUE
Mandatory celebacy is a MAN-made law that is contrary to
- the freedom of the Children of God assured us by the Gospel cf. St Paul
- hindering Christ's wish of giving his Body to eat that gives eternal life
- in many cases makes it impossible for the dying to receive the last sacraments at the most crucial moment.
etc etc....
G Calleja (married priest)
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