Recently the Catholic bishop of Peoria sent his representative to our parish to encourage vocations to the priesthood. He preached to a congregation of men and women, 60 to 80 years-old.
The Catholic Church is short of priests. So, what's the solution?
Through most of the first-half of the twentieth century, the US Catholic Church had an adequate number of priests. In the 1950s, my parish had a pastor and three assistants. When Father Lee first came to Sacred Heart as Pastor, he generally had two assistants. Our two most recent pastors have generally had one assistant, but our former pastor at times worked alone. Presently our assistant is a missionary.
The shortage, however, is not confined to the US.
In October 2019, Pope Francis convened a synod of South American bishops to discuss, among other issues, the shortage of priests in the Amazon region.
Cardinal Hummes, (retired Archbishop, Sao Paulo) the lead organizer of the synod, stated the priest shortage has led to an “almost total absence of the Eucharist and other sacraments essential for daily Christian life [in the Amazon region]. ... It will be necessary to define new paths for the future.” Hence, the Synod's Working Paper stated:
"Affirming that celibacy is a gift for the Church, it is requested that for the most remote areas of the region, the possibility of priestly ordination be studied for older people, preferably indigenous, respected and accepted by the community, even if they have an existing and stable family, in order to insure the availability of Sacraments that ... sustain Christian life."
On 26 October 2019, by an affirmative vote of 128 to 41, the Synod, in its Final Document, took a half-step, proposing that married permanent deacons be ordained as priests for the region "in extreme situations.
"Many of the Church communities in the Amazonian territory have enormous difficulties in attending the Eucharist. Sometimes it takes ... several years before a priest can return to a community to celebrate the Eucharist, [hear confessions] or anoint the sick ....
"We appreciate celibacy as a gift of God ... [It] enables the missionary, ordained to the priesthood, to dedicate himself fully to the service of the Holy People of God. ....
"[But] we know that this discipline "is not demanded by the very nature of the priesthood" although there are many practical reasons for it. In his encyclical on priestly celibacy, St. Paul VI ... set out theological, spiritual and pastoral motivations that support it. ... St. John Paul II ... confirmed this tradition in the Latin Church.
"Considering that legitimate diversity does not harm the ... unity of the Church, but rather ... serves it - witness the plurality of existing rites and disciplines.
"[Therefore] we propose that criteria ... be established by competent authority, within the framework of Lumen Gentium 26, to ordain as priests suitable and respected men of the community with a legitimately constituted and stable family, who have had a fruitful permanent diaconate and receive an adequate formation for the priesthood, in order to sustain the life of the Christian community through the preaching of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments in the most remote areas of the Amazon region."
The Final Paper, not unexpectedly, did not meet with unanimous approval.
Some felt ordaining only those married men with previous service as permanent deacons, would not produce enough priests to alleviate the crisis. Others, like Cardinal Walter Brandmüller condemned the proposal as "heretical," contradicting "binding Church teaching in decisive points."
Pope Francis has now replied to the synod, writing Querida Amazonia"
"87. ... the exclusive character received in Holy Orders qualifies the priest alone to preside at the Eucharist. That is his particular, principal and non-delegable function.
"89. In the specific circumstances of the Amazon region, particularly in its forests and more remote places, a way must be found to ensure this priestly ministry.
"90. This urgent need leads me to urge all bishops, especially those in Latin America, not only to promote prayer for priestly vocations, but also to be more generous in encouraging those who display a missionary vocation to opt for the Amazon region"
But hasn't praying for priestly vocations, and encouraging missionary vocations already been tried? Time will tell if more prayers and encouragement do the job?
A married Anglican friend, after retiring from a long teaching career, decided to serve his church as a deacon. To his proposal, his bishop responded, "I don't need deacons; I need priests." After completing the prescribed training, my friend was ordained. He now serves as an Anglican priest.
Another friend, a long-time Anglican priest, wanted to become a Catholic priest. With Pope Benedict XVI's permission, though married with teenage children, he was ordained a Catholic priest. He served our parish as such until he re-located to serve in Colorado.
Cardinal Hummes, (retired Archbishop, Sao Paulo) the lead organizer of the synod, stated the priest shortage has led to an “almost total absence of the Eucharist and other sacraments essential for daily Christian life [in the Amazon region]. ... It will be necessary to define new paths for the future.” Hence, the Synod's Working Paper stated:
"Affirming that celibacy is a gift for the Church, it is requested that for the most remote areas of the region, the possibility of priestly ordination be studied for older people, preferably indigenous, respected and accepted by the community, even if they have an existing and stable family, in order to insure the availability of Sacraments that ... sustain Christian life."
On 26 October 2019, by an affirmative vote of 128 to 41, the Synod, in its Final Document, took a half-step, proposing that married permanent deacons be ordained as priests for the region "in extreme situations.
"Many of the Church communities in the Amazonian territory have enormous difficulties in attending the Eucharist. Sometimes it takes ... several years before a priest can return to a community to celebrate the Eucharist, [hear confessions] or anoint the sick ....
"We appreciate celibacy as a gift of God ... [It] enables the missionary, ordained to the priesthood, to dedicate himself fully to the service of the Holy People of God. ....
"[But] we know that this discipline "is not demanded by the very nature of the priesthood" although there are many practical reasons for it. In his encyclical on priestly celibacy, St. Paul VI ... set out theological, spiritual and pastoral motivations that support it. ... St. John Paul II ... confirmed this tradition in the Latin Church.
"Considering that legitimate diversity does not harm the ... unity of the Church, but rather ... serves it - witness the plurality of existing rites and disciplines.
"[Therefore] we propose that criteria ... be established by competent authority, within the framework of Lumen Gentium 26, to ordain as priests suitable and respected men of the community with a legitimately constituted and stable family, who have had a fruitful permanent diaconate and receive an adequate formation for the priesthood, in order to sustain the life of the Christian community through the preaching of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments in the most remote areas of the Amazon region."
The Final Paper, not unexpectedly, did not meet with unanimous approval.
Some felt ordaining only those married men with previous service as permanent deacons, would not produce enough priests to alleviate the crisis. Others, like Cardinal Walter Brandmüller condemned the proposal as "heretical," contradicting "binding Church teaching in decisive points."
Pope Francis has now replied to the synod, writing Querida Amazonia"
"87. ... the exclusive character received in Holy Orders qualifies the priest alone to preside at the Eucharist. That is his particular, principal and non-delegable function.
"89. In the specific circumstances of the Amazon region, particularly in its forests and more remote places, a way must be found to ensure this priestly ministry.
"90. This urgent need leads me to urge all bishops, especially those in Latin America, not only to promote prayer for priestly vocations, but also to be more generous in encouraging those who display a missionary vocation to opt for the Amazon region"
But hasn't praying for priestly vocations, and encouraging missionary vocations already been tried? Time will tell if more prayers and encouragement do the job?
A married Anglican friend, after retiring from a long teaching career, decided to serve his church as a deacon. To his proposal, his bishop responded, "I don't need deacons; I need priests." After completing the prescribed training, my friend was ordained. He now serves as an Anglican priest.
Another friend, a long-time Anglican priest, wanted to become a Catholic priest. With Pope Benedict XVI's permission, though married with teenage children, he was ordained a Catholic priest. He served our parish as such until he re-located to serve in Colorado.
An abbreviate verison of this piece was published in the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus on February 23, 2020
Copyright 2020, John Donald O'Shea
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