THE OLD CATHOLIC MISSION IN SUSSEX

Special Report Promising vocations news from Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

by Jeff Ziegler | July 2008 | CWR

The Church worldwide has been blessed since 1978 with a surge in the number of seminarians. According to data published in L’Osservatore Romano and the Vatican’s statistical yearbook (the Secretariat of State’s Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae),there were 63,882 diocesan and religious major seminarians when JohnPaul II began his pontificate in 1978; by the end of 2005, that numberhad grown to 114,439—a remarkable increase of 79.1 percent. During thesame time period, the number of Catholics worldwide grew 47.4 percentfrom 756,533,000 to 1,114,966,000, while world population increased48.8 percent, from 4.302 billion to 6.4 billion. Mostof the growth in the number of candidates for the priesthood took placein Africa, where seminarians more than quadrupled from 5,636 to 23,580,and in Asia, where the number nearly tripled from 11,536 to 30,066. TheAmericas, too, saw a growth in the number of seminarians, from 22,011to 36,891, as did Australia and Oceania, whose numbers rose slightlyfrom 784 to 944. The number of European seminarians, on the other hand,declined from 23,915 to 22,958.

While these continental trends manifest the vitality of the Churchin Africa and Asia during the past three decades, they do not addressthe question of which countries are currently the most successful inattracting priestly vocations. To answer this question, CWRhas calculated the ratio of seminarians to Catholics in each of theworld’s nations and territories based on data in the 2005 edition ofthe Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, which was published in 2007 by Libreria Editrice Vaticana. The Annuariumpresents a year-end statistical overview of the Church—the 2005 editionoffers data as of December 31, 2005—and does not publish any statisticsfor two nations: China and North Korea.

The ratio of seminariansto Catholics presents a more accurate picture of how vocation-rich anation is than does the absolute number of seminarians. While theUnited States, for example, has more seminarians than Eritrea does(4,736 vs. 289), an Eritrean Catholic is 26 times more likely to enterthe seminary than an American Catholic is. Likewise, Macedonia is 37times more vocation-rich than Canada, and an Indian Catholic is 75times more likely to become a seminarian than is a Catholic inLuxembourg.

ASIA

Worldwide,there is one seminarian for every 9,743 Catholics. In Asia, the mostvocation-rich continent, there is one seminarian for every 3,877Catholics.

Fifteen of the world’s three dozen most vocation-rich nations arelocated in Asia, and over 45 percent of Asian seminarians are Indian.India has more seminarians—13,754—than any other nation in the world,even though it ranks only 16th in the world in Catholic population.India has more seminarians than all of the nations of North America andCentral America combined. Nearly a quarter of Catholics inIndia are Eastern Catholics, and the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church,which has 25 Indian eparchies (dioceses), traces its origin to thepreaching of St. Thomas the Apostle. Father Antony Kollannur,chancellor of the Syro-Malabar Church’s major archiepiscopal curia,told CWR that India has so many seminarians because of “thelong-standing tradition of around 2,000 years of Christian living,which is nourished by daily family prayers, frequent attendance at theliturgical celebrations, even on weekdays, and the great care taken toimpart Christian teachings to the young children through thewell-organized regular Sunday catechism classes.”

Father GeorgeMadathi Parampil, vicar general of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese ofChicago, says several factors contribute to India’s success:

• “Veryexemplary Christian family life” with “no divorces”; “faith is anintegral part of life,” manifested in Mass attendance and thecatechesis of children;
• “The influence of Catholic schools and colleges, where the Catholic atmosphere is still very much alive”;
• “The good examples given by the priests and their active involvement in the lives of the people”;
• “The interest the Christian community shows in bettering the lives of the economically depressed people”;
• TheChurch’s “active voice, never keeping silence when secular forces tryto denigrate the moral and religious values of the people”; “Daily family prayer and Rosary at home”;
• “Thefaith tradition of ‘St. Thomas Catholics’ of [the southwestern Indianstate of] Kerala, which traces its faith-heritage to the preaching ofSt. Thomas the Apostle and which has the greatest number of vocations.”

Kerala is not a predominantly Catholic state: overhalf of its residents are Hindu, and a quarter are Muslim. FatherGregory Arby, a Latin Rite priest and dogmatic theology professor atSt. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary in Kerala, says that while “the mediaare very much critical of us,” the “faith remains very strong.” FatherArby also points to vocation-promotion programs for high schoolstudents and the strong social status of priests as keys to attractingseminarians. Observing that “many of the vocations we now have are fromthe poor families,” he concedes that the “financial security” ofpriestly ministry may also play a role in India’s success in producingpriestly vocations.

That success has had ramifications inneighboring Nepal, the world’s second most vocation-rich nation, with26 seminarians for only 7,000 Catholics. “Almost all the religiousworking in Nepal today are Indians,” says Chirendra Satyal, secretaryof the nation’s Catholic Media Commission. Father Bill Robins, aCanadian Jesuit at St. Xavier School in Kathmandu, also told CWR thatmost of Nepal’s seminarians are Indians. Satyal says that Protestantismis spreading rapidly across the Hindu nation and predicts that, withthe collapse of the Hindu monarchy, Catholicism will soon follow suit:

Theoverall Christian population in Nepal has grown from a few thousand in1990 to an estimated half a million now…. The ratio of seminarians toCatholics will decrease in the future, as I feel many people will nowbe becoming Catholics as the freedom to preach or openly evangelize isnow there for the first time. You can now promote vocations intoreligious life openly, but still the number of lay people will growmore rapidly.

Bishop Anthony Sharma, SJ, the vicarapostolic of Nepal, has led the Church in his native land since 1984.He told CWR that the number of native seminarians has increased toseven because of an emphasis on pastoral work with youth. In additionto annual youth retreats and parish-based youth movements like theLegion of Mary, Bishop Sharma emphasizes the importance of “having afacility like what we call apostolic school, where village boys whogive indications of intellectual ability and/or desire for the priestlyor religious way of life are given the opportunity to continue theirhigh school education and helped to deepen their knowledge of faith.The boys who join apostolic school are usually 12 to 15 years old.”

Anactive program of youth vocation recruitment also plays a role inThailand’s success in attracting seminarians (the country is ranked11th). A spokesman for the nation’s episcopal conference told CWR that“there is an annual campaign in every diocese every year,” and“recruitment is made when they are still young.” One major program is“vocational camping for the youth during summer vacation every year.”

Two of Asia’s most vocation-rich nations—Myanmar (16th) and Vietnam(29th)—were among 11 nations cited by the US Commission onInternational Religious Freedom for grave violations of religiousfreedom on May 2. Bishop Pierre Trân Ðinh Tu of Phú Cuong told theSynod of Bishops in 2005 that Eucharistic devotion is bearing muchfruit in the Church in Vietnam:

VietnameseCatholics are practicing. For them, the Eucharistic celebration is ofspecial importance. About 80 percent attend Mass on Sundays, and 15percent during weekdays. On important feasts, such as Christmas andEaster, the number may reach 96 percent. If one wishes to find out thecause, one can find this out in the catechetical formation and infamily education…. The lay faithful are made aware and invited to studythe documents of the Magisterium of the Church on the Eucharist.… Theepiscopal conference organized a Eucharistic Congress at the CentreMarial National de Lavang, and there were 500,000 participants.

Parishesare invited to build adoration halls outside the church and to organizepermanent adoration or several hours of adoration in the day …Eucharistic worship in Vietnam has brought healthy effects: religiouslife has increased, community activities are more animated, fraternalcommunion is more sensitive, and mutual aid among families has becomemore natural and numerous. 

Even the prosperousAsian nations of South Korea (27th) and Japan (32nd) have been able toattract seminarians, though controversy has surrounded theNeocatechumenal Way seminary in the Diocese of Takamatsu, Japan. Threetimes between December 2007 and April 2008, delegations of Japanesebishops visited Rome to discuss the seminary’s potential closure.Asia-based UCA News quoted Tokyo Archbishop Peter Okada as saying, “Wehave here a serious problem. In the small Catholic Church of Japan, thepowerful sect-like activity of Way members is divisive andconfrontational. It has caused sharp, painful division and strifewithin the Church. We are struggling with all our strength to overcomethe problem.” In April, the Japanese bishops secured Rome’s approval toclose the seminary.

Technically, the world’s most vocation-richnation, based on official statistics, is Mongolia. Father PierrotKasemuana Kitengie, CICM, a Congo-born missionary and superior of hisreligious community in Mongolia, explains the anomaly: “We do not havea single seminarian here … [the three seminarians] were young membersof different religious congregations working in Mongolia … before beingordained priests. Actually this is the only kind of seminarian we havehere, from time to time.”

Not every Asian nation isvocation-rich: Middle Eastern Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia arehosting increasingly large numbers of Catholic guest workers, but maynot have a single parish, let alone a seminary.

THE HOLY LAND

Christiansalso face grave difficulties in vocation-rich Israel and thePalestinian Territories (13th); among these difficulties, says recentlyretired Jerusalem Auxiliary Bishop Kamal H. Bathish, are “the very hardtimes that have always troubled this area because of the manysuccessive wars, the consequent and permanent hard conditions of life,and emigration of Christian faithful.” The political situation led tothe closure of a seminary for a year, and at it has been physicallyimpossible for some young men to attend seminary. In addition, “socialconditions (style of life, mentality, some aspects of civilization,etc.) imported from foreign European or American countries easily had anegative influence, reducing or almost suppressing the number ofvocations to the priesthood and religious life in some parts.”Nonetheless, Israel and the Holy Land remain vocation-rich, says BishopBathish, for several reasons:

Wemust acknowledge that in the Middle East our people still conserve thesense and the importance of family life. This has been minimized insome parts of the diocese but, generally speaking, marriage and familyare held in great respect, esteem, and importance. It is very frequent,after a generation that had easily five, six, or seven children, to seefamilies even today with three, four, and even more children….

OurCatholic population usually lives around and close to the parish centerand to the pastor, making relations with the Church easy and frequent.Where the pastor and the sisters frequently visit the families, theidea of becoming a priest or a nun remains alive within the people.

Theparish school, usually run by either the pastor or the nearby sistersor even by some lay person belonging to the community and under thesupervision of the pastor, is one of the most important elements thathelp to promote vocations, either to priesthood or to religious lifefor men or women. The parish school, financed by the Church, tries toreceive as much as possible all the children of the community….

Weare so privileged that our seminary has never known any vocationscrisis (neither a students’ nor professors’ crisis), as it happened inEuropean and American countries…. One difference [now] is that some“late vocations” (around 20-28 years of age) have been introduced. 

Father Humam Khzouz, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, concurs; he told CWRthat “we still have strong family relations … we still have ourCatholic schools, where our parishioners receive their spiritualeducation, Catholic values, and catechism. The link between the priestsand the families is strong; there are visits to the families, theblessing of houses. We still have [a] religious atmosphere.”

Msgr.William Shomali, rector of the Latin patriarchate’s major seminary,believes that the ratio of seminarians to Catholics is actually closerto one seminarian per 3,000 Catholics. Few seminarians, he says, comefrom the state of Israel, for “the quality of life in Israel is likethe USA and Europe: very materialistic. The religious practice and thenumber of children per family are lower” than those of Palestinians andJordanians.

AFRICA

With oneseminarian for every 6,508 Catholics, Africa is the second mostvocation-rich continent. The Coptic and Ethiopian Christian culturesthat arose from the preaching of St. Mark in Alexandria remain fertile:modern-day Eritrea (5th), Egypt (15th), and Ethiopia (24th) are amongthe world’s most vocation-rich nations.

Eritrea —“one of theworld’s most repressive countries,” according to Paris-based Reporterswithout Borders—is the home of three Eastern Catholic eparchies of theEthiopian Catholic Church. Father Ghebriel Woldai, who ministers toEritrean Catholics at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Berkeley,California, says that many Eritrean Catholics become seminariansbecause of the “good faith of the people and support of each family tothe seminarians. And the faithful, by practicing their faith, alsoinspire the seminarians to see priesthood and a religious life as aperfect life for them. Most of the families of seminarians encouragetheir sons to become priests.”

Egypt ’s Coptic Catholic Church,like the Ethiopian Catholic Church, uses the Alexandrian Rite. BishopKyrillos William Samaan, the Coptic Catholic bishop of Assiut, told CWRthat the principal reasons for the Church in Egypt’s success inattracting seminarians are cultural (“We are a traditional, religiouspeople”), economic (“To be priest is a promotion for many people”), andapostolic (“We are doing intensive vocational pastoral work forrecruiting vocations”).

Two of Africa’s most vocation-richnations— Algeria (3rd) and Niger (11th)—are almost entirely Muslim. IvoMukoudi Lobe, the Algerian contact for the Charles de FoucauldFraternity, says that since September 11, 2001, Algeria has experiencedfewer tensions between Christians and Muslims than many other nations.The spirituality of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, says Lobe, “has beenvery helpful in fighting against poverty in many disadvantaged areas ofthe world” and has also “been helpful for those Christians in minorityliving in Muslim countries,” perhaps “further explaining thephenomenon” of seminarians in Algeria, whether foreign or native.

Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, has an average life expectancy of44. Father Callistus Baalaboore, SMA, who ministers in Zinder, thenation’s second-largest city, discounted the importance of thevocations statistics. “The Christian population in Niger is so low thatwhen you divide the number of seminarians into it the ratio is high,”he says. “The Church in Niger is still in the primary [stages] ofevangelization, and more than 97 percent of the population is Muslim …Niger is still lacking pastoral agents at all the levels.”

Besidesthe nations where the Alexandrian Rite Eastern Catholic Churches havetaken root, West Africa is the most vocation-rich area of thecontinent. Nigeria (39th) has 5,631 seminarians, more than any otherAfrican nation; other West African countries that have a strong trackrecord of attracting seminarians are Mali (38th), Cameroon (41st),Burkina Faso (42nd), Benin (43rd), Ghana (46th), Senegal (48th), andTogo (49th). Zimbabwe (36th) and Swaziland (40th) also attract aproportionally high number of seminarians.

OCEANIA

Oceania, with one seminarian for every 9,214 Catholics, has nations andterritories that are among both the most vocation-rich and the mostvocation-poor in the world. While Australia’s 252 seminarians ranksecond numerically within Oceania to Papua New Guinea’s 427, the nationhosting the 2008 World Youth Day is vocation-poor (154th), as is NewZealand (144th).

Other Pacific Island cultures, however, havebeen remarkably succes

sful in producing candidates for the priesthood.Tonga (6th), the Cook Islands (7th), Tokelau (10th), Fiji (17th), theSolomon Islands (19th), Vanuatu (31st), American Samoa (35th), andSamoa (37th) are among the world’s most vocation-rich nations andterritories.

Emily MacGruder, a Catholic Peace Corps volunteerin Tonga’s capital of Nuku’alofa, offered CWR an American’s perspectiveon Catholic life in Tonga:

Thereason that the Church in Tonga has attracted so many seminarians hasmore to do with Tonga’s culture than anything else. Tonga is anincredibly Christian society in practice. On Sundays, the entirecountry shuts down except for the bread stores. Every family attends achurch each week, often multiple services.… Religious leaders here aregiven a great deal of respect and, to an extent, power. This is thereason I believe that the Catholic Church in Tonga has so manyseminarians.… Working for the Church is one of just a few ways to gainprestige in this society that still has a political and social systemwith kings and nobles.…

Thelarge majority of Tongans desire to get abroad. The priesthood is a wayto do that. All seminarians are sent to Fiji and many appear to havefurther opportunities to work or study abroad.… I hope that answerdoesn’t sound too cynical. It’s the way I see it here.… That said, allof the priests I’ve met in Tonga have struck me as extremely committed,discerning, curious, and intelligent. 

BillFalekaono, the Diocese of Tonga’s communications secretary, himself aformer seminarian, traces the growth in Tongan vocations to the 1970opening of a regional seminary in Fiji; previously, seminarians wereeducated in Australia or New Zealand. Falekaono also says that thecloseness between Tongan priests and laity has helped to fosterpriestly vocations. “Because there are more and more local priestsbeing ordained, people often know these young men, and they visit, andthe priest becomes an ordinary person—not isolated and [not] leftlonely in a presbytery,” Faledaono says. In addition, “people arewillingly and genuinely offering their sons and daughters to the workof the Church,” for families have “a sense of pride” when one of theirfamily members “serves in the life of priesthood or nunnery.”Materialistic motives cannot be discounted in some cases, he says; the“clergy lifestyle is an attractive one” in slow economic times.

LikeFalekaono, Bishop Stuart O’Connell, SM, of the Cook Islands’ capital ofRarotonga, attributes his diocese’s success in attracting seminariansto Catholic family life. “While every vocation is a gift of God,” hetold CWR, “I would see the foundation of wholesome familylife as being an important ingredient. The vocations in the CookIslands (both of priests and sisters) have come from families living onouter islands and atolls. In these smaller communities, family life iscentered around Church life and activity.… Unless a young person isgrounded in a strong faith, vocations will not come. I am filled withadmiration for the wonderful faith of many of these families who haveto struggle for everything they have. Yet challenges are a breedingground for strong faith.”

Similarly, Archbishop Adrian Smith,SM, of the Solomon Islands’ capital of Honiara, says that “many parentsseem happy that their sons want to be priests. The place of the priestis important in our village communities.… Families are large here inSolomon Islands, and so giving a son to the priesthood is moreacceptable.” Other factors, he believes, contribute to his nation’ssuccess in producing seminarians:

• “Having our seminary in Solomon Islands has made a difference; young men feel confident about giving it a try”;
• “People in Solomon Islands are a very spiritual people; God plays a big part in their lives”;
• “Atthe end of secondary education, there are not many job opportunitiesavailable to young people; searching for something to do with theirlives is very real to them”;
• “The Church is young inSolomon Islands, and there is a lot of excitement when a young man isordained—that must spark off ideas in the minds of other young men.”

Unlikemost of Pacific Island lands, the French territory of New Caledonia(170th) has faced particular difficulties in attracting seminarians.Father François Grossin, SM, a French missionary who serves as vicar ofthe cathedral of the Archdiocese of Nouméa, says that the decision toclose New Caledonia’s seminary when the regional seminary opened inFiji proved disastrous; while it eventually reopened, most seminariansare still sent to Fiji. Also harmful to priestly vocations was “theFrench 1968 cultural revolution and its side effects on the youth andalso on the young priests of New Caledonia,” a significant number ofwhom left the priesthood at that time, including the seminary’s lastdirector before its closing. Finally, the “nickel boom” of the 1970sbrought prosperity to the territory but transformed it into a“secularized and materialistic” society, says Father Grossin.

Ingeneral, though, Oceania—excepting Australia and New Zealand—is one ofthe world’s most vocation-rich areas. “Who can fathom the mind of God?”asks Archbishop Smith. “Perhaps, it being evening time for themissionaries, it is morning time for the local Church.”

Simple Priesthood by Fr Sean Connolly Biretta tip to Br Anthony TOS *{];~)

Father Sean Connolly is a priest of the Diocese of East Anglia. He studied dogmatic theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome where he obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Theology. His first book, The Road to Holiness, was published by ST PAULS Publishing in the United Kingdom. Alba House is pleased to introduce him for the first time to an American audience.

What does it mean to be a Catholic priest working in a parish today? Sean Connolly, a young priest, reflects with great honesty on his vocation, the shock of being catapulted into parish life as a curate, and how he has coped with the demands and expectations on him. He is revealing about the workload and the strain of living a celibate life. In the second part, three priests and one deacon - John Udris, Ian Dalgleish, Paul McDermott, and Michael Griffin -reflect on what "being a priest" means to them. While remaining positive, they do not shrink from some radical suggestions for improvements including: support structures for priests, continuous education and monitoring of priests, more teams of priests and better collaboration with the laity, proper financial planning for pensions, a return to simplicity, and a recognition of stress and burnout among the clergy. A great book that could be used in every day life. Priests, and those considering the priesthood, will find this book a valuable insight into this a most wonderful calling.

Reflection; There is no way priestly training can anticipate every possible situation. A step from seminary to pastoral ministry is a large one.

There are several immediate hurdles we need to be aware of: getting to know your flock, them getting to know you, being put on a pedestal because you are a priest, learning the job from scratch, hearing confessions, confronting death, school ministry, and spotting dangerous situations. Confessions practice has to be learned in the confessional, on the job training.

The priesthood is a ever growing need to learn through on the job practices, these things you don't learn in the seminary.

All vocations are the results of free human co-operation with the gratuitious intervention of divine grace. God is truly a father who with an eternal and preeminent love calls human beings and opens up with them a marvelous and permanent dialogue.

The priestly vocation; 1. To preach the gospel, to celebrate the sacraments, in particular the Mass, and to enable the people of God to realize or I should say to shepherd them towards there own priestly dignity.

1a. Be a shepherd and lead the flock to their own priestly dignity, though all the tools put before us as priests.

The specific issue to be examined is the mechanism of priestly vocation;

2. How do I know I am called?

2a. every priest receives his vocation from our Lord though the Church. It's the Bishops' job "to recognize it." God calls us to serve through the community, then the community has a duty to foster vocations and to support and accompany those in the process of discernment. Lets be clear, "You don't choose God, He chooses you!"

3. another issue to consider is the effect of priestly vocation; my response to the call of God to the presbyter services, what happens to me? Am I on the path to conversion?

3a. In Baptism we have "put on Christ" and are called to share in his priestly, prophetic, and Kingly mission. Those in Holy Orders, however, the sharing takes on a new dimension. We have accepted a public role. In other words we are to become a living sacrament.

Conversion is the call within every calling and a touch stone of every true vocation. I think that the most persuasive proof of any authentic call of God lies in the conversion it always calls forth. Conversion is the corner stone of every calling, and it is always ultimately toward love. It's the life-task and eternal destiny of each one of us.

You are a priest forever. Christ's priestly mission doesn't come and go and neither does our participation in it through the sacrament of initiation and ordination. Thus the Church puts a, character being imprinted upon our souls in the sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. We are being recreated. This stamp or character can't be repeated and is permanently fixed.

To all thinking about entering the priesthood, including myself, this is a big thing to meditate on, you are putting on Christ and it can't be removed from your soul, this is not a game, "you are a priest forever." This is no small thing.

Simplicity above all, and to all things. Not over done, but done with common sense and with taste. Again we hear Christ's words in Matt. 17-21.

I am I on the path to conversion? Conversion is the call within every calling and a touchstone of every true vocation. I think that the most persuasive proof of any authentic call of God lies in the conversion, it always calls forth. Conversion is the corner stone of every calling, and it is the life?s task and eternal destiny of each of us.

The bottom line is; manager the simplicity of your own life, faith, stress, duties, free time, your prayer life and on going education. If you do this and share the load you may not burn out.

Reviews

"Intimate portrait: Written by a young priest a few years into his ministry, Simple Priesthood is an honest, critical look at what life is like in the first few years of parish life. Author Fr. Sean Connolly discusses what his transition from seminary to parish ministry was like, how he deals with the myriad things calling for his attention, and how he deals with the other priests with whom he lives. He splits the parts of his journal into separate subsections and explores each individually: Reality Bites; Vocation; Relationship; Prayer and Praise; Demands and Expectations; Institutions and Structures; Celibacy and Sexuality; Caricatures; Simplicity. Fresh and clearly written, the book offers his deep and humorous insights into ministry, parishioners, and life in the rectory from the associate's point of view. Priests and seminarians will nod their heads and lay people will get an interesting insight into the calling. In the second part of the book, three priests and a deacon who is ready to be ordained discuss different aspects of priestly life: Conversion - The Call within a Calling; Assessing the Task Ahead; Taking Up the Challenge; Ministering to the Ministers." --Crux of the News, July 8, 2002

"This is a very readable book about the life and thoughts of a young priest in parish life in England. The author uses many practical episodes from his early priesthood to give a very realistic picture of both the adventures and the humdrum elements of a priest's life. Father Connolly has studied the documents of the church and works them into his reflections. This book would be excellent reading for someone who wants to taste the life of the priesthood and reflect on whether it appeals to them. Vocation directors and seminary libraries will find a place for this book. Even though it is written in a British context, the universality of the parish priest shines through." --Timothy Gollob in Ministry & Liturgy, August 2001

"Contemporary reflections on vocation: The framework for a new book written by priests engaged in parish work in England -- a collection of "practical and theological reflections grounded in pastoral experience" of confreres. Title: Simple Priesthood by Fr. Sean Connolly; with Foreword by Fr. David Sanders, O.P. Part One is made up of 9 chapters by Fr. Connolly, examining his experience, reflections, and challenges as a young priest. Part Two offers 4 chapters, one each by 3 priests and a transitional deacon to be ordained in the Spring of 2001. Chapters include 'Conversion, Call with a Calling... Taking Up the Challenge... Ministering to the Ministers.' Fr. Connolly writes of equally practical subject matter, and does so with conviction and clear conversational language. Some topics: 'Vocation... Demands and Expectations... Caricatures... Celibacy and Sexuality.' Consistent thread in the writings of all 5 -- the reality of faith and vocations lived out, day by day." --Crux of the News, April 16, 2001

FAITH IN THE DIVINE INITIATIVE - THE HUMAN RESPONSE

VATICAN CITY, 31 MAR 2009 (VIS) - Made public today was the Message of Benedict XVI for the 46th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is due to be celebrated on 3 May, the fourth Sunday of Easter, and which has as its theme this year: "Faith in the divine initiative - the human response". The Message has been published in Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Polish.

Extracts from the text are given below:

"The exhortation of Jesus to His disciples: 'Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest' has a constant resonance in the Church. Pray! The urgent call of the Lord stresses that prayer for vocations should be continuous and trusting".

"The vocation to the priesthood and to the consecrated life constitutes a special gift of God which becomes part of the great plan of love and salvation that God has for every man and woman and for the whole of humanity".

"In the universal call to holiness, of particular relevance is God's initiative of choosing some to follow His Son Jesus Christ more closely, and to be His privileged ministers and witnesses. ... Responding to the Lord's call and docile to the movement of the Holy Spirit, over the centuries, countless ranks of priests and consecrated persons placed themselves totally at the service of the Gospel in the Church. Let us give thanks to God, because even today He continues to call together workers into His vineyard.

"While it is undoubtedly true that a worrisome shortage of priests is evident in some regions of the world, and that the Church encounters difficulties and obstacles along the way, we are sustained by the unshakeable certitude that the One Who firmly guides her in the pathways of time towards the definitive fulfilment of the Kingdom is He, the Lord, Who freely chooses persons of every culture and of every age and invites them to follow Him according to the mysterious plans of His merciful love.

"Our first duty, therefore, is to keep alive in families and in parishes, in movements and in apostolic associations, in religious communities and in all the sectors of diocesan life this appeal to the divine initiative with unceasing prayer".

"What is asked of those who are called ... is careful listening and prudent discernment, a generous and willing adherence to the divine plan, and a serious study of the reality that is proper to the priestly and religious vocations, so as to be able to respond responsibly and with conviction".

"In the Eucharist, that perfect gift which brings to fulfilment the plan of love for the redemption of the world, Jesus offers Himself freely for the salvation of mankind. ... It is priests who are called to perpetuate this salvific mystery from century to century. ... In the celebration of the Eucharist it is Christ Himself Who acts in those whom He chooses as His ministers; He supports them so that their response develops in a dimension of trust and gratitude that removes all fear, even when they experience more acutely their own weakness, or indeed when the experience of misunderstanding or even of persecution is most bitter".

"To believe in the Lord and to accept His gift, therefore, leads us to entrust ourselves to Him with thankful hearts, adhering to His plan of salvation. When this does happen, the one who is 'called' voluntarily leaves everything and submits himself to the teaching of the divine Master; hence a fruitful dialogue between God and man begins, a mysterious encounter between the love of the Lord Who calls and the freedom of man who responds in love".

"This intertwining of love between the divine initiative and the human response is present also, in a wonderful way, in the vocation to the consecrated life. ... Attracted by Him, from the very first centuries of Christianity, many men and women have left families, possessions, material riches and all that is humanly desirable in order to follow Christ generously and live the Gospel without compromise, which had become for them a school of deeply rooted holiness".

"The response of men and women to the divine call, whenever they are aware that it is God Who takes the initiative and brings His plan of salvation to fulfilment, ... expresses itself in a ready adherence to the Lord's invitation. ... Without in any sense renouncing personal responsibility, the free human response to God thus becomes 'co-responsibility', responsibility in and with Christ, through the action of His Holy Spirit; it becomes communion with the One Who makes it possible for us to bear much fruit.

"An emblematic human response, full of trust in God's initiative, is the generous and unmitigated 'Amen' of the Virgin of Nazareth, uttered with humble and decisive adherence to the plan of the Most High. ... I want to entrust to her all those who are aware of God's call to set out on the road of the ministerial priesthood or consecrated life.

"Dear friends, do not become discouraged in the face of difficulties and doubts; trust in God and follow Jesus faithfully and you will be witnesses of the joy that flows from intimate union with Him".

MESS/WORLD DAY VOCATIONS/...VIS 090331 (890)

(Photo courtesy of Sun Media Corp.)

OTTAWA - When Fr. Gerard Lafrenière was nine or 10 years old he told his mother he wanted to be a priest.

He maintained that dream even after he married Gisèle Viau at the age of 30, became the father of an  adopted son, Georges, and embarked on a career in the insurance business.

On March 26, Lafrenière’s dream was finally realized when, at the age of 80, he was to be ordained in St. Joseph’s parish in Orleans, where he has served as a permanent deacon for 30 years.

“I had this on my mind my whole life,” he said. “(God) came and got me by the neck and said, ‘It’s your time.’ ”

He received the call from God, but the push came from his wife. She died in 2007 but, while terminally ill, she said to him several times: “Why don’t you become a priest?”

He replied it didn’t make sense because he was well past a priests’ normal retirement age of 75. But a year after his wife’s death, priests he knew began pressuring him to contact the archbishop. “No way! I’m too old,” he told them.

He continued to serve  as a permanent deacon in his parish, assisting at Mass, doing marriages and baptisms, first Holy Communion preparation and visiting the sick. Then one day the associate pastor of the parish was moved, leaving rector Msgr. Peter Schonenbach alone.

Schonenbach told Lafrenière it would be a great help if he would join the priesthood. So Lafrenière sent a letter to Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J. He didn’t expect to receive a reply.

Prendergast admitted he was surprised, but said “you have to take each case as it comes.”

“The people of God can always use another priest,” he said.

But Lafrenière had to put his training on hold when he experienced some health problems while at the junior seminary in Ottawa. He was told he was too hard on himself in his studies. Now he is like a man reborn.

One of the archbishop’s staff thought Lafrenière was a monsignor when he came to visit. “He looks like that,” he said. “He’s got a great sense of himself; he’s a very happy person.”

After consultations with clergy and permanent deacons, Prendergast decided to go ahead.

“Anyone who knew him, all unconditionally said ‘yes,’” he said. “Other people who didn’t know him said it doesn’t make sense to ordain someone who is 80.”

Prendergast noted that many thought Pope Benedict XVI, who was nearly 80 when elected Pope, was too old and frail for the job. “He seems to be thriving,” he said. “The Lord is full of surprises.

“Why are we putting up barriers, artificial ones?” he asked. “Some of the older priests working with him said he was already in effect functioning like a priest. His knowledge of canon law was excellent, and his files for marriage preparation were meticulous.”

Prendergast thinks Lafrenière’s insurance experience makes him detail oriented.

St. Joseph’s reserved 50 places for Lafrenière’s relatives from his side and his deceased wife’s families.

“I’m so happy for him,” said his son Georges, now 45. “I have no words to express all that happiness.”

He said his father will make an excellent priest because “he has the years of listening,” he said. “When people are talking, he’s all ears, he has the ears of the heart, that’s how I would describe my father,” he said.

Lafrenière said he has felt God’s presence his whole life.  “He made me make a great detour in my life,” he said.  “I let Him conduct my life. Otherwise, if you are sort of backing off, you won’t go very far.”

Priests in Barcelona circa 1900 in Cassock, Greca & Saturno

On March 16 this year whilst declaring a "year of the priest" that will begin on June 19 in a bid to encourage "spiritual perfection" among clerics, HH Pope Benedict XVI stressed that priests should be "present, identifiable and recognisable for their faith, their personal virtues and their attire". It has become something of a yard-stick in recent years between some clerics (and their acolytes) to measure the "traditionalism" or even "orthodoxy" of Priests by what they wear... Certainly in Anglican circles to be identified as "Anglo-Catholic" there is a certain expectancy that one would majoritively wear a Cassock. For "traditionalist" [Roman] Catholics, Priests of the SSPX and other similar congregations would hardly be expected to turn up to any public or even private event without wearing a Cassock.

As a "traditionalist" [Old] Catholic Priest, I wear my Cassock on a fairly regular basis... saying Mass, taking Funerals and other "occasional" services but I wonder then, in light of the Pope's exhortation, whether I should wear it more often?

It used to be a running joke amongst colleagues that "Father Jerome" would be easily identifiable by his Cassock! It is also sadly true that my appreciation of wearing a Cassock, most especially during Clergy meetings and retreats, has also been the subject of derision amongst other colleagues; I have been accused in the past of "parading around" and even of "clubbing" in it! The simple truth of the matter is, that I have sometimes remained in my Cassock after a service, perhaps a Funeral or Nuptial Blessing, to attend the Reception afterwards and sometimes these have been located on Licensed Premises... I certainly have never been "clubbing" in a Cassock! But on those occasions where I have remained in my Cassock to attend a Reception I have received nothing but either complimentary comments or conversations with people genuinely interested to know more about my vocation or about my ministry. Say what you may about a Cassock - but it certainly gets people talking and makes one a focus of their attention!

I remarked once in a homily how sad it was that I as a Western Catholic cleric should feel and sometimes be made to feel "uncomfortable" walking in public in a Cassock. Nowadays with the cultural diversity of our metropolitan societies, people think nothing, turn even a blind eye to seeing Buddhist Monks in their red and saffron robes, Sikhs in their turbans or muslims in their Shalwar Kameez, Hijab or even Burqa... but see a Catholic Priest walking down the street in "proper attire" and people stare - even in Brighton!

There are some, even traditionalist Catholics, who are uncomfortable or who might resist the notion of a Roman Catholic Priest wearing a Cassock in a street in the UK. This partly is a hangover from Penal Times and there is (apparently) still a Statute forbidding Roman Catholic Clergy from wearing their habit or Cassock outside of their ecclesiastical premises/buildings (try as I may, I cannot seem to track this Statute down, but believe it exists). Such people hold this opinion even in defiance of the fact that such a Statute would no longer be enforceable and yet might even hold to it with a certain recusant snobbery that "no real Catholic" would do such a thing... Perhaps this is why the Cassock is forbidden in the English College in Rome (even to visiting Priests). Rumour has it that even if serving at Papal Masses, English College students must carry their Cassocks and Roman Collars in bags than wear them to and from the Vatican. This despite admonitions by the Vicar of Rome that all seminarians past Candidacy should wear clerical attire in the Eternal City and even the regret expressed by John Paul II after visiting the English College at the lack of Cassocks and of kneeling during Mass!

One interesting example of the kind of "recusant hangover" I refer to above comes from a most unlikely quarter than one would expect for Cassock-wearing reticence. It was the custom of the Brompton Oratory priests when they took Holy Communion to the sick to wear their habit plus surplice and stole but that always (even in summer) to wear an ankle length "Greca" or overcoat over the top. The sign to any Catholics they passed in the street that they were carrying the Blessed Sacrament was that they would keep their right hand inside the coat across their chest "Napoleon" style. Then one would know not to speak to them but to genuflect as they passed! Apparently, even now, the Cong. Orat's prefer not to go out in public in their particular Cassocks and style of clerical collar but wear a simple black suit or dark clothes. This is in stark contrast to their brethren in Rome and the North American continent however.

There is also too, I am told, a "phobia" of being recognised not as a Catholic Priest but as an Anglican cleric... As I mentioned above, it is expected of Anglo-Catholic clergy to wear their Cassocks more often than a "clergyman" (code for black suit and clerical collar) and certainly an Anglo-Catholic cleric would not wear a grey (or other colour) clerical shirt as his "low church" colleagues might (although these days one often meets Roman Catholic clergy in similar attire).  It always seems slightly upsurd to me that a Roman Catholic priest should not want to wear what is historically his by right to wear... for fear of being mistaken for someone who feels the necessity to wear what they perhaps are not entitled to?!

Regarding the "Statute" of course, if such a law were still in force it would probably be  unenforceable as the Human Rights Act 1998 provides that "So far as it is possible to do so, primary legislation and subordinate legislation must be read and given effect in a way which is compatible with the Convention rights" (s 3(1)); one of the Convention's rights is the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion which includes a person's right "to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance" (Article 9.1).  I doubt therefore that any (stripe of) Catholic Priest has anything to fear these days by wearing his proper clerical attire in public on the streets of the UK!

There are of course, some people who claim that it is "off putting" to people for Priests and others in consecrated life to wear their habit or Cassock.  Such thinking to my mind has always seemd totally absurd.  How is a person to know who is a Priest or Nun or Monk if they are not wearing their "uniform"?  Why should the interior life (particularly of Religious) of their vocation be cluttered up by the unnecessary burden of having to decide "what to wear"... what is "off-putting" and what is "normal" or even "approachable"?  Anyway - how are people supposed to recognise them in the first place?!  If a Priest is in "civy's" how is anyone to know he's a Priest and therefore approachable (unless he doesn't want to be approached of course)?  All of this of course bears deeply and significantly on pastoral vocation and the necessity of Sacred Ministers to be seen to be available to serve and in what capacity they are able to serve.  This is really the crux of what Benedict XVI and others are driving at...

So, "to wear or not to wear" more often my Cassock?!  I think realistically the answer has to be in the affirmative and thinking about it, at least it will be a bit of PR and reactionary propoganda to that being peddled by the Secularist and Atheistic campaigners prevalent at the moment!  It may also, I have no doubt, provoke people to think about their spiritual state.  It was said by someone that the reason why people are put-off by seeing a clerical collar was that it reminded them of their guilt!  Think about it, you see a priest and what is the first thing you think of...?  At least then I might be able to remind them of the need, or even speak to them about the need, for salvation and the forgiveness offered us by God in Christ Jesus and bring some back to the fold or bring other new souls to faith in Our Lord.

By Fr John Hardman SJ

SACRAMENT OF ORDERS: The sacrament that, by the imposition of a bishop's hands, confers on a man the grace and spiritual power to sanctify others. There are three forms of this sacrament, also called sacramental orders, namely diaconate, priesthood and episcopate. They are not, however, three sacraments, but only one sacrament that is separately administered with three successively higher sacramental effects. It is certain that every baptized male can be validly ordained, although it would be highly illicit to ordain him before the age of reason. It is likewise certain that every baptized male can be validly ordained a priest without previously being ordained a deacon. However, the more probable teaching is that a baptized male cannot be validly consecrated a bishop unless he has previously been ordained a priest.

PRIESTHOOD. Sacrament of the New Law, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper, which confers on a man the power of consecrating and offering the body and blood of Christ, and of remitting and retaining sins. There are two grades or levels of the priesthood, the presbyterate and the episcopate. Normally priesthood refers to the presbyterate and is the second rank of orders, above the diaconate. Only a bishop can ordain priests, who must first have been ordained deacons. In the ordination of priests, the "matter" of the sacrament is the imposition of the bishop's hands upon the individual candidates, which is done in silence before the consecration prayer, of which the following words pertain to the nature of the order and therefore are required for the validity of the act: "We ask you, all powerful Father, give these servants of yours the dignity of the presbyterate. Renew the Spirit of holiness within them. By your divine gift may they attain the second order of the hierarchy and exemplify right conduct in their lives."

PRIEST. An authorized mediator who offers a true sacrifice in acknowledgment of God's supreme dominion over human beings and in expiation for their sins. A priest's mediation is the reverse of that of a prophet, who communicates from God to the people. A priest mediates from the people to God.

Christ, who is God and man, is the first, last and greatest priest of the New Law. He is the eternal high priest who offered himself once and for all on the Cross, a victim of infinite value, and he continually renews that sacrifice on the altar through the ministry of the Church.

Within the Church are men who are specially ordained as priests to consecrate and offer the body and blood of Christ in the Mass. The Apostles were the first ordained priests, when on Holy Thursday night Christ told them to do in his memory what he had just done at the Last Supper. All priests and bishops trace their ordination to the Apostles. Their second essential priestly power, to forgive sins, was conferred by Christ on Easter Sunday, when he told the Apostles, "For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained" (John 20-22, 23).

All the Christian faithful, however, also share in the priesthood by their baptismal character. They are enabled to offer themselves in sacrifice with Christ through the Eucharistic liturgy. They offer the Mass in the sense that they internally unite themselves with the outward offering made by the ordained priest alone.