Breaking the vicious circle of decline
Prayers before the Blessed Sacrament, a zealous vocation director who seeks out Hispanic vocations “in the fields,” priests who assist the vocation director in recruiting seminarians, and “a bishop that is open to the work of vocations”—
these may well be the most important ingredients of the successful vocation programs of the future.
An excellent article, not all of which I agree with- but what a great article!
There are also worldwide many vocation directors who are positive barriers to vocations. These guys have to go!
Bishops are there to trust their own judgements, representatives of Christ and the Church beyond their Diocese and country.
What is certainly better is not to stand in the way of vocations. Allowing candidates to proceed to discern their own vocations is much better than the elitism of selectivity (as practiced by the "Church" of England).
There is an excellent book called "Die Verwundung" (The Wounding) about the destruction of seminary life in the years after the Council when many good vocations were destroyed for ever.
I think it was St John Nepomuk who realised his vocation when he heard about a runaway priest- and the Church is not exactly short of examples in the last forty years of priests who ran away with for the most part ex-nuns. Infidelity is also an ugly word. We need many fewer Abelards and just one St Bernard.
these may well be the most important ingredients of the successful vocation programs of the future.
An excellent article, not all of which I agree with- but what a great article!
There are also worldwide many vocation directors who are positive barriers to vocations. These guys have to go!
Bishops are there to trust their own judgements, representatives of Christ and the Church beyond their Diocese and country.
What is certainly better is not to stand in the way of vocations. Allowing candidates to proceed to discern their own vocations is much better than the elitism of selectivity (as practiced by the "Church" of England).
There is an excellent book called "Die Verwundung" (The Wounding) about the destruction of seminary life in the years after the Council when many good vocations were destroyed for ever.
I think it was St John Nepomuk who realised his vocation when he heard about a runaway priest- and the Church is not exactly short of examples in the last forty years of priests who ran away with for the most part ex-nuns. Infidelity is also an ugly word. We need many fewer Abelards and just one St Bernard.
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