A Little Levity - "The Bishop"

Audio Interview with Bishop Burbidge

This an audio interview (posted on YouTube) with His Excellency Bishop Burbidge about vocations, the priesthood, etc. from Catholic Mountain.

How In The World Did I Miss This One????

Pope John Paul II talks about his own vocation to the priesthood.

New Clergy and Religious Numbers from the Vatican

Bishops
The number of bishops in the world increased by 57, to 4,841 on all continents. Increase in America (+31), and Asia, (+11) and Europe (+15) while in Africa and Oceania the situation remains the same as the previous year. Diocesan bishops are (3,650) (34 more than the previous year); Religious Bishops are 1,191 (increase of 23 ). The increase in diocesan bishops is registered on every continent: America (+18), Asia (+7), Europe (+11); with a slight decrease in Africa (- 1) and Oceania (- 1). The number of religious Bishops has increased slightly on every continent, especially America (+ 13) followed by Asia and Europe (+4); and Oceania (+ 1).

Priests and Permanent Deacons
The total number of priests in the world increased by 520, to 406,411. Increase registered in Africa (+1,111) and Asia (+1.831), but decreases on the other continents: America (-639); Europe (-1,699) and Oceania (-84). Diocesan priests increased by 929 , with an increase in Africa (+806), America (+370), Asia (+833) and a decrease in Europe (-1.002) and Oceania (-78) as in the previous year. Religious priests decreased by 409 to a total 136,649. Increases are registered as in the previous year in Asia (+998) and Africa (+305), where as a decrease is noted in America (-1009), Europe (-697) and Oceania (-6). Permanent deacons increased by 1,067 to 33,391, the highest increase is again this year in America (+655) and in Europe (+398), followed by Oceania (+15) and Africa (+6). A decrease is registered only in Asia (-7). Diocesan Permanent deacons 32,837, with increases on all continents (total increase 1,028 ). Religious permanent deacons total 554 , plus 39 compared with the previous year with increases in America (+6); Europe (+42); Oceania (+2) and a decrease in Africa (-1) and Asia (-10).

Men and Women Religious
The number of Brothers decreased by 322 to 54,708. Situation: increase in Africa (+157) and Asia (+138); and a decrease in America (-130); Europe (-368) and Oceania (- 119). An overall decrease in the number of women religious (­6,930) now 760,529 was registered by continent as follows: increase in Asia (+2,736) and Africa (+1,306) decrease in Europe (-6,903), America (­3,902) and Oceania (­167).

The Priests of Dachau

Book review for InsideCatholic.com
by Ronald J. Rychlak
10/08/07

Priestblock 25487: A Memoir Of Dachau
Jean Bernard, translated by Deborah Lucas Schneider
Zaccheus Press (2007)

Reviewed by Ronald J. Rychlak

During the Second World War, when the Nazis moved into a new area, local religious leaders could present a threat to their authority. It was not unusual for the Nazis to send priests and ministers to concentration camps. Ultimately, several thousand clergy (mainly Catholic priests) were crammed into a small section of Dachau known as the priest block. Fr. Jean Bernard of Luxembourg was one of those priests, and this fascinating book is his account of the horrific experiences he suffered in the hands of the Nazis.

Priests at Dachau were not marked for death by being shot or gassed as a group, but over two thousand of them died there from disease, starvation, and general brutality. One year, the Nazis "celebrated" Good Friday by torturing 60 priests. They tied the priests' hands behind their backs, put chains around their wrists, and hoisted them up by the chains. The weight of the priests' bodies twisted and pulled their joints apart. Several of the priests died, and many others were left permanently disabled. The Nazis, of course, threatened to repeat the event if their orders were not carried out.

Early in Fr. Bernard's imprisonment, priests were treated slightly better than other prisoners at Dachau. The Nazis did this in order to create resentment among the prisoners and to keep the priests isolated. Later, as the war went on, especially when Pope Pius XII or the German bishops were critical of Hitler or the Nazis, the treatment got much worse. "That's fine kettle of fish your Pope got us into," said one Protestant minister following one round of particular brutality. The worst week of treatment, meriting an entire chapter in the book, followed a Vatican Radio broadcast critical of the Nazi regime.

There was so little food that Fr. Bernard tells of risking the ultimate punishment in order to steal and eat a dandelion from the yard. The prisoners would secretly raid the compost pile, one time relishing discarded bones that had been chewed by the dogs of Nazi officers. Another time the Nazi guards, knowing what the priests intended, urinated on the pile. For some priests, this was not enough to overcome their hunger.

Fr. Bernard received a highly unusual reprieve when, in February 1942, he was given a nine day pass. His mother had died, and it seems that the Nazis thought there was an opportunity for some good publicity. It also seems likely that they did not expect Fr. Bernard to return to Dachau. He, however, recognized their agenda and despite the absolute misery that he knew awaited him, Fr. Bernard went back to the concentration camp. (This episode, just one chapter in the book, inspired the motion picture The Ninth Day.) Later, he declined the Nazis' offer to release him from Dachau if he would promise to leave the priesthood.

It was said that sores never healed in Dachau, but despite the unsanitary conditions and brutal treatment, priests were usually better off in the priest block than they were in the infirmary. There was an order that priests were to receive no medical treatment in the infirmary. They received so little food that Fr. Bernard once ate his bunkmate's ration before reporting that the man had died.

For all prisoners, the infirmary was more of a place to die than to receive treatment. When Fr. Bernard was first admitted, he learned that the beds had three bunks. "You have to go up to a top bunk," explained one attendant. "You can still climb pretty well. When you can't manage anymore, you'll get a middle bunk, and then one at the bottom." Most prisoners who left the infirmary were dead.

One message that comes through loud and clear is the absolute joy that the sacraments brought to these men who were in such dire conditions. Although they could be executed if caught, they secretly said Mass and used what little scraps of bread they could find to provide communion for priests and non-priests alike. Fr. Bernard wrote: "It is a sea of comfort that pours over the gathering. Comfort and hope and strength for new suffering joyfully accepted."

This is a wonderful book and an easy read. It provides insight into history, human nature, and faith. It also reminds us of an important part of the Holocaust that is too often forgotten.

Ronald J. Rychlak is MDLA Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is the author of Hitler, the War, and the Pope (Our Sunday Visitor 2000) and Righteous Gentiles: How Pius XII and the Catholic Church Saved Half a Million Jews from the Nazis (Spence Publishing, 2005).

Visual Evangelization

By Fr Stefan Tuszynski, OFMConv for Sunday Catholic Weekly (original in Polish)

The billboards are only a constant reminder, turning passer-byes’ attention to certain issues of religious life, they are to make people’s hearts and conscience sensitive. Once I heard a short story. After his death a known preacher went to paradise where he noticed that a taxi driver from his town occupied a better place than him. So he approached St Peter, grumbling, ‘I do not understand. That must have been some mistake. I dedicated my whole life to preaching.’ But St Peter replied, ‘We reward results. Do you remember the effects of your sermons?’ The preacher had to admit with reluctance that from time to time some of his believers had fallen asleep during his preaching. ‘That’s it’, St Peter answered, ‘But when people got into this man’s taxi they were not only moved but they also prayed intensively.’

This is a humorous story but to some extent it refers to the words of Lord Jesus when he sent his apostles to proclaim the Good News, ‘so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves’ (Matthew 10:16). Proclaiming the Gospel is not a task for those who have been called but to every disciple of Christ. I think that we should do what we read in the Letter to the Hebrews, ‘At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors’ (1:1), which means that we must constantly and in various ways proclaim the Gospel of our Master.

One of the ways is ‘Visual Evangelisation’ that the Foundation of St Francis and the Franciscan Publishing House ‘Bratni Zew’ have conducted since 1994. When people talk to me about the billboards of Visual Evangelisation they often ask me whether I mean advertising or religious marketing. Marketing and advertising are commercial terms, related to trade. We are not dealing with that. We resort to modern means of social communication to reach people who are ‘children of images’, their lives are formed by mass media, including television and street posters.

This form of social transmission is a way of communication between people. Thus one must choose effective forms of contact with contemporary people and use such a language that they can understand. The history of the Church shows that the method is not something new since it is placed in the process of enculturation. I want to mention one statement of St Gregory the Great (Pope Gregory) who permitted the cult of images and want to mention the so-called Biblia pauperum – these are examples from the history, testifying to the fact that faith does not only come from hearing.

The task of Visual Evangelisation is to conduct a certain form of catechesis (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1159-1162), using modern language. We want to proclaim the Gospel not only to those who are believers but also to those who are outside the Church. Once should pay attention to some issues that bother contemporary man: problems of faith, ethics or social matters. A poster of Visual Evangelisation speaks to people in the way they can understand but it speaks in a constant way, too. The poster is hung for several weeks and people can see it many times, thanks to that it can make people sensitive to certain issues, for instance helping the poor, and one should remember that Christian almsgiving is connected with fast and prayer.

Sometimes journalists ask me whether we aim at reviving religious life. Or perhaps more vocations? I think that the best way to renew religious life as well as good and holy vocations is testimonies of faith, examples of holy life, which the history of the Church teaches us in the best way – the martyrs! We all know very well our contemporaries who give various testimonies, and can marketing efforts change that? To what extent? For how long? Vocations occur when there are holy Christians, priests, monks. Various marketing actions are useful. Christian life means human efforts – with God’s grace – to be better, to be holy. So we deal with some supernatural reality, and marketing efforts are good for nothing. It is worth referring to St Paul (it witnesses to the fact that our ancient ancestors experienced similar problems): ‘After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow’ (1 Corinthians 3:5-7). Since their beginning the Franciscans have had a recipe for holy life and vocations (St Francis left it in the Rule), ‘life of the Friars Minor is this, namely, to observe the Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ’.

Simple: one must live a life of the Gospel and then there will be vocations to the congregation and (generally) to holy Christian life. The billboards are only to constantly remind people of certain religious issues, to turn the attention of passer-byes, to make people’s hearts and conscience sensitive; they encourage making efforts to be better, and thus holy people; they encourage deepening faith and religious knowledge. And we do all these things using a simple language that contemporary people can understand.

Filled to overflowing

By Maria Wiering for The Catholic Spirit

They've increased their housing; they've increased their staff; they've increased the rigor.
And the men keep coming.

St. John Vianney Seminary's enrollment is at an all-time high, with 154 men from 28 dioceses, which currently gives it the largest college seminary enrollment in the United States. It has more than doubled in size in the last six years.

Seminarians at college seminaries are typically in their late teens and early 20s, studying for their bachelors degrees and gaining backgrounds in philosophy. This preceeds major seminary, which is where seminarians study theology and work toward ordination. Not all major seminarians have attended college seminary.

An attitude of adventure

"There is a strong heroic sense of calling among these young men," said Father William Baer, SJV's rector since 1998. "They have a love for the church and the Catholic faith that strikes them as a mission, a battle, an adventure."
 
It's no secret SJV life is challenging. The men attend a 6 a.m. holy hour daily; they fast from technology including phones and e-mail - on Fridays until the evening; they fast from the - Friday midday meal; they undergo room inspections and maintain a tightly ordered schedule. They're encouraged to embrace difficult studies with prayer, grow in fraternity with the other men, get in shape, and face their social fears.

And the men rise to the occasion, said Father Rolf Tollefson, a "formator" and spiritual director, who lives with seminarians on SJV's fifth floor. "The men don't want to live a life of mediocrity," he said.

Matt Kuettel, 19, a freshman seminarian from Maternity of Mary in St. Paul, said that seminary is an adjustment.

"They throw a lot at you at once, they expect a lot of you," he said. "A lot of times you're more busy than you think you should be. But, if I had to do this all over again, there's no doubt in my mind that I would.

"It's not that you're busy and you regret it, it's that they give you the skills and they give you the help to accomplish more," he added.

If seminary were easy, a healthy man would leave because he wasn't challenged, added Father John Klockeman, who also serves SJV.

"The initiatives and the heroism sound too strong for some, but that's exactly what young men and women want," he said. "They want a faith to die for. They want a faith for which to live. And they want a God that is real."
 
The local seminary's enrollment upturn mirrors national trends, which indicate an uptick in the number of Catholic seminarians in undergraduate college programs, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, based at Georgetown University.

Father Baer attributes the seminary's growth to an increase in students coming from other Midwestern dioceses. This year 35 of SJV's seminarians are from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This is the largest group of archdiocesan seminarians at SJV in at least 25 years, Father Baer said.

He credits the increased number of archdiocesan seminarians to Archbishop Harry Flynn's dedication and support, vocations director Father Tom Wilson's work, and parishes and families encouraging vocations.

"There is a renewed commitment to the Catholic faith by high school and college students," Father Baer said, attributing the phenomena to events like World Youth Day, more young people participating in eucharistic adoration and vocation directors and bishops actively promoting vocations.

A cut above

More dioceses are sending their college seminarians to SJV than ever before, Father Baer said.
Father Burke Masters, vocation director for the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., has 11 men at SJV. He said he is impressed with Father Baer's leadership and the personal attention he gives the men. "He's able to talk about each of our 11 guys in a way that they're not just numbers," Father Masters said.

Father Jerry Vincke, the vocations director of the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., described Father Baer as dynamic, faithful and courageous, listing his leadership as one of the greatest reasons his diocese sends their 21 college seminarians to SJV.

"The seminary is centered on Christ," Father Vincke said. "Our seminarians love it there." 
Their SJV graduates are well prepared to begin their theology studies in major seminary, and they are formed in the spiritual, academic, pastoral and human levels, both Father Masters and Father Vincke said.

"St. John Vianney is very well respected among the bishops," Father Masters added.
The seminary has outgrown its own building at the University of St. Thomas: 103 men live in the on-campus seminary dorms, 41 live in six rectories and houses in nearby neighborhoods and 10 men are currently studying in Rome.

Sacerdotal Tepidity and Ministerial Malaise: The Spiritual Cancer of Lukewarmness

The following was written by Fr. Trigilio for his personal blog "The Black Biretta"
I paste it hear without the paragraph breaks due to its length, it's long, but it would have been longer physically (breaks occur where there is no space after a period). It is well worth the read, especially for seminarians, deacon candidates, and clergy.

One of the most immanent yet diabolically latent threats to the priesthood is not the recent clergy sex scandals nor the alleged vocation crisis. The real, critical and urgent danger to many priests, whether young, old or middle-aged, is business. The current paradigm many parishes and dioceses use is a corporate business model in which the priest (or deacon; pastor or parochial vicar) defines his identity in what he does and not in what he is. Doing things, i.e., performing tasks, becomes the primary directive after ordination and it is the measure by which priests are evaluated by their superiors, their peers, their parishioners and even by themselves.It is self-evidently true that a vocation to ordained ministry involves, entails and surrounds itself with service to the Church and to the People of God. Just as Our Divine Lord came not to be served, but to serve, deacons, priests and bishops are poignantly reminded at their ordination that they are called into a lifetime of self-sacrificing service. Nevertheless, there is a corresponding truth to this commitment to minister that in recent times has been overlooked, ignored or even opposed. The minister must minister unto himself as well as to his people. An effective and successful priest ministers to the spiritual needs of his people but he also takes care of his own spirituality, too.Every cleric knows the importance and the obligation of prayer. The problem is when prayer becomes another ‘task’ to be performed. The canonical duty of praying the Liturgy of the Hours is morally binding on all in Holy Orders. All too often, though, the temptation arises to see and to do the Breviary as another job that needs to be done: celebrate Mass, hear confessions, visit and anoint the sick, teach RCIA and/or CCD, prepare a couple for marriage, prepare the Sunday homily, attend the Parish Council meeting (and the Finance Committee, and the Parents and Teachers Association and the Council of Catholic Women, etc.), and of course, get ready for the next parish fundraising event. Most parish priests have the same routine day after day, i.e., they balance catechesis with sacred liturgy with administrative duties. Important work, by all means. Doing priestly things is very important but so is being priestly. Why do some priests burn out and leave active ministry after ten, twenty or more years? Why is priestly morale low in many dioceses? Why do some clergy seek artificial relief in escaping into sex, alcohol, gambling, etc.? The reason for many is that they never took good care of their own spiritual health.Unless one is an workaholic, most priests faithfully take their weekly day off and their annual vacation. Many, though, cheat themselves and do not take the full day off (24 hours) and will only go away for half a day or skip a few weeks entirely. Some almost never take time to relax and unwind and their parish office staff often suffer for it. Irritable pastors are usually ones who rarely get away and without healthy leisure and regular relaxation, anyone can become a cranky bear who growls at everyone over anything.The other phenomenon is the dearth of spirituality among the priesthood in general. Yes, most of us pray the Office each day, celebrate Mass reverently and attend to the myriad and plethora of needs of our parishioners while simultaneously trying to keep up with diocesan policies, regulations and other bureaucratic requirements that seem to multiply geometrically. But how many of us take and make time for quality prayer? The American Bishops issued an excellent document in 2001 entitled The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests which was based on the mandates of the Second Vatican Council (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 1965) which called for ongoing post-ordination formation of the clergy. Pope John Paul the Great reiterated this in his Pastores Dabo Vobis and spelled out precisely by the Congregation of the Clergy in The Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests (1994).Ongoing spiritual, theological, pastoral and human formation of the clergy is no option. It pertains and applies to the clergy since it enables the clergy to become better clergy and thus better minister to the People of God. Without ongoing formation, clergy become mere functionaries who perform tasks and who ‘do their job’ and know well what they do while slowly forgetting who they are. A priest is an alter-Christus who acts in Persona Christi. He can only act in the Person of Christ by virtue of his sacred ordination that ontologically changes him.The corporate business model is no better than a mediaeval feudal model. The Church is more than a corporation and even in her role as institution, she always remains the Bride of Christ. Part of the horror of the clergy sex scandal was the way in which some bishops handled (or rather mishandled) the situation. Administrators can transfer personnel but a spiritual father must confront wayward children, both the victim and culprit. Justice tempered by mercy and motivated by charity would have spared many a nightmare whereas bureaucrats who seek merely to avoid legal liability are not serving the common good. When bishops and priests acts like the Church is truly a family of faith by acting like family themselves, the people respond tremendously. When clergy act like coporate officials and make decisions based on fiscal rather than pastoral needs; when pastors are treated and act more like lower middle management instead of local leaders of the faith community; then trouble is not far behind.The priest himself, however, can be his greatest ally or his worse enemy. No matter how orthodox and pastoral the local bishop may be, the priest himself must minister to himself before he can effectively minister to his people. Bishops and Dioceses are beginning to recognize the necessity of ongoing formation of the clergy but the priest himself must also see and pursue it. If a priest is ‘too busy’ with parish work to make sure he himself gets quality time for daily private prayer, for regular confession, for monthly spiritual direction, and for an annual workshop, then his priorities are askew. A husband and father who functions as head of the family needs to take care of himself in order to best provide for his loved ones. That means that dear old dad must take care of his own physical and spiritual health and not just attend to financial matters by working longer hours and getting more pay. Likewise, a spiritually healthy pastor is more effective pastor.This is why JP2 wrote Pastores Dabo Vobis in 1992. The priest is not an employee of the diocese nor is he branch manager or local sales representative. He is the loving spouse of his bride, the Church. His parishioners are not customers or clients, rather, they are his beloved family. Corporate business models do not fulfill the spiritual reality of authentic ecclesiology. Fiscal solvency may look good on paper, but a good pastor is doing a good job when souls are being saved. Many pastors easily fall into the temptation of evaluating themselves on the basis of how many parishioners did they gain or lose; did the weekly collection go up or down; is the parochial school enrollment increasing or decreasing; is the parish in the red or in the black; are parishioners happy or dissatisfied? All these can eclipse the real mission of a pastor, to preach and teach the unadulterated truth as authentically taught by the Magisterium and to reverently and properly celebrate the sacred sacraments so as to fully dispense the divine graces needed by the People of God. Eight to twelve years of seminary formation are designed around the latter while the former often become the primary directive of many pastors.Despite the efforts of local bishops and dioceses as well as national and regional priestly associations to foster ongoing formation and sacerdotal fraternity, too many priests of all ages get caught up in the administratrive treadmill or they fool themselves into thinking that doing priestly things is more important than being a priest. Being a priest involves sacrifice. Sometimes it means the sacrifice of failure insofar as a plan, a project, a program, etc., despite the good intentions, just flops. No one attends. No support. Since we live a secular society which divinizes success, no wonder then it spills over into spirituality. Even priests seek to be successful but it cannot be as the world defines success. A successful priest is not the one who gets the best assignment, or is the bishop’s confidant. He may not be the one who is on any diocesan committee, board or council. He may not have been named a Monsignor or Papal Knight. He may get an occasional letter of complaint from some irate parishioner who is ignorant of canon law and tried to get a non-practicing divorced and invalidly married Catholic to be godparent to their newborn child. The truly successful priest will from time to time make some enemies if he preaches and teaches the truth and nothing but the truth. He will not be the favorite of the Chancery nor the most popular of parishioners. He will, however, be kind and compassionate and yet will also defend the teachings and the honor of Holy Mother Church.Wordly success in the ministerial life is illusionary. Being pastor of the most enviable parish in the diocese or having great influence and connections with diocesan officials is not the real measure. Balancing the checkbook, lowering the debt, increasing enrollment are not bad things in and of themselves, for they show good stewardship for sure, yet, they should not become the priority of pastoral concern. Saving souls for Christ is what we will be judged on when we die, not the fiscal solvency or the number of buildings we erected during our tenure.There is a new phenomenon where many good, solid, orthodox priests are still getting lost. They are not preaching heresy nor teaching dissident theology. They celebrate reverent Masses and follow the rubrics. They follow the rules of canon law and diocesan policy. They attend to the spiritual needs of their parishioners any day and any time. The problem lies in that many of them feel abandoned. Since the clergy sex scandals, people are more suspicious and some are just downright more rude and certainly less polite. Parishioners who rarely come to Mass and who barely support the church with their time or treasure often are obnoxious and beligerent in their demands especially when they cannot be fulfilled. It can be disheartening and disenchanting when unfounded rumors and gossip fly through the parish merely because a mediocre or lapsed Catholic has a grudge against the pastor when he upholds the disciplines or teachings of the Church. “No good deed goes unpunished” is often a colloquialism felt by many a parish priest when day in and day out the struggle is made to do the best you can do for others only to have them show disdain and contempt for your every effort. That could be tolerated if a two front war were not in play.Frequently, priests must battle with foes inside the parish and outside. One or two squeaky wheels will get a response from downtown which is to be expected, of course. What is not anticipated, however, is the unconditional acceptance of their side of the story. Often, the priest, especially if he is the pastor, is considered guilty until proven innocent. While any and all credible allegations of abuse must be investigated, petty complaints which do not involve faith or morals, are sometimes treated as if the priest were a criminal before he even hears what he is accused of doing. Real instances of liturgical abuse go unfettered, real examples of heterodox teaching being proliferated and real occurences of immoral behavior among the clergy and yet who is called on the carpet by diocesan officials? Not those guilty of serious offenses, rather, the poor pastor or priest who stepped on the toes of an influential person of the parish or diocese.When an apparent double-standard exists within the diocese, a good priest can easily get discouraged. He can tolerate the persecution of those who hate the Church and vehemently seek her ruin and demise. He can even bare wrongs patiently and remain obedient and respectful as long as there is no sign of duplicity or treachery. Yet, when it sems that being a loyal son of the Church gets you in hot water even with some officials in the Church, it can be very disconcerting to say the least. Only a solid, well grounded and bedrock spirituality will help these priests.This is why all priests must aggressively take charge of their own spiritual health. The Bishop and Diocese can and ought to help by making it more convenient to get to regular confession and monthly direction just as they do for annual retreat. Days or even mornings or afternoons of reflection or recollection are most beneficial but they require proper planning.A priest friend of mine sponsors a monthly afternoon of recollection for priests and deacons. Each month, a visiting priest (from the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei) comes for two to three hours. He gives a spiritual meditation/conference based on Scripture, Papal or Conciliar document. There is time and opportunity to go to confession. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration. The rosary and evening prayer are prayed before Benediction. Then there is some time alloted for fraternity, be it a small snack or perhaps a few guys going out to supper. Just an informal gathering once a month. Sadly, in a densely populated area where many orthodox and devout priests are less than an hour to forty five minutes away by car, many parish priests do not attend. Their reason? I am too busy. I have parish commitments. When your tooth aches, do you not make time to get to the dentist even though you still have plenty to do in the parish? If Father is sick in bed, he cannot do his parochial duties. Hence, priests need to tend to their physical health and well being. Likewise, our spiritual health is even more important.Too many priests have fooled themselves into thinking that doing priestly things compensates for being a priest by taking care of my own spiritual needs. Canon Law mandates an annual retreat. Dioceses have mandatory workshops. What is wrong with making time for a monthly day or even just a morning or afternoon of recollection? A few hours with brother priests and deacons spent in prayer, study and fraternity will revive and revitalize our apostolate. The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy has continued its more than thirty year history of sponsoring an annual convocation where well known and reputable speakers, both ordained and laity alike, have given excellent talks on timely topics suitable for the typical parish priest. This organization has over six hundred members from across the USA and Canada. Less than fifty attend the annual conference. Whether East Coast or West Coast, whether Saint Louis or Chicago, the venue and the speaker roster, even the cost do not become the primary reason more do not attend. Bottom line is that most guys are too busy.What is frightening is that many believe that. Catholic Clergy, be they deacons, priests or bishops NEED to take care of their spiritual needs. Daily prayer we usually do faithfully as we were trained to do so in the seminary. Many priests have not gone to spiritual direction, however, since they left the seminary. Many priests only rely on the annual penance service during Holy Week (usually on the same day of the diocesan Chrism Mass) to get to confession themselves. We hear confessions of our parishioners week after week. We, too, need to avail ourselves of the graces of this awesome sacrament. Since we are in the confessional hearing other people’s confessions, it is logistically difficult for parish priests to get to confession, no doubt about it.This is why it is most urgent and helpful were the local diocese to take ongoing spiritual, theological, pastoral and human formation of the clergy as serious as possible. Next to vocations, it should be of utmost importance. Diocesan workshops are indeed helpful but so, too, are the many offered year round by priestly associations, organizations, etc. Ironically, even dioceses that do not have mandatory workshops still budget funds so that any and every priest can theoretically attend a conference somewhere sometime during the calendar year in addition to his annual reatreat. Though the money and time are guaranteed, too many clergy say they are ‘too busy’ to get away. Here is where the Bishop and diocese can help. Not only in providing the financial means to go, but to ensure coverage so the pastor can get away. One week annual retreat and one week annual workshop (conference or convocation) can be achieved if the Chancery Office made the promise to find adequate sacramental coverage.Monthly spiritual direction after seminary is rare but it can and ought to be done. While in seminary, the spiritual directors are in house and it is easy to accomplish. Post ordination, the seminary and the director are often far away and not conveniently located. Those who can drive to a nearby seminary may find a spiritual director available but the majority of priests are not so lucky. Again, the local bishop and diocese can help by recruiting several reputable spiritual directors and providing for their transportation, and at least make the opportunity available for monthly direction. Imagine, flying in five or six spiritual directors once a month and staggering it over a few days each month. While not everyone will or can participate, at least some will and some is better than none. Knowing that a spiritual director is available once a month or at least every two months is encouraging to a priest who lives too far to get to his old seminary.Days, mornings or afternoons of recollection can be done easily. What it takes, though, is perserverance. Perhaps, if the Bishop initiated a few or advertized several in diocesan mailings, more fellows would attend. Two or three hours a month is nothing to ask in comparison to the nearly 700 hours a month that are spent on other things we priests do. We find time for the dentist, to get our auto’s oil changed, to get to the barber, to grab a bite to eat, etc. We need to make time for our spiritual life and get to confession reguarly (once a month), monthly or bi-monthly spiritual direction and annual retreat and annual workshop or conference.If priests knew and saw the bishop doing these same things, he would get the notion that they are important essentials to spirital life. Private prayer, rosary, Liturgy of the Hours and annual retreat are already being done by many priests. The few who do not, do so at their own risk. What is needed besides wonderful documents from Pope and the Bishops, is an all out campaign at the national and local level to reawaken the clergy as to the importance of all these spiritual exercises. Optimally, if several diocesan priests could live in community as a Clerical Association of the Faithful, they could hopefully provide the occasional sacramental coverage so their brother priests in the diocese could take time away for retreat, spiritual direction and workshops. This same community could also be the focus point where any and all priests are welcome to spend some time in fraternal prayer, meals, study, or just relaxation.When many priests are now in one man assignments, it is imperative for parish priests to have some avenue of fraternity which is obviously in-built with those in religious life who live in common. Most priests live, work and eat alone as priests even though they have very busy and hectic schedules. Here is where priestly fraternity is even more beneficial. If every diocese had what the Directory recommends (a house of clerics) where any priest could crash for an afternoon or evening, spend a day or overnight, share a meal with brother priests, watch a game on television, pray one one of the Hours together, engage in a stimulating theological discussion, etc., it would not have to be elaborate, fancy or luxurious. Just a friendly place where brother clergy can be brothers to one another. It is too important to just hope and pray that individuals will take care of all the details themselves. We need the support and encouragement of the episcopal conference, the local bishop, and the diocesan presbyterate itself. National associations like the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, the Fraternity of Priests, and projects sponsored by the Prelature of Opus Dei and others can provide some viable avenues. If too many of us become too busy doing things and do not spend quality time being priests and being priests to and for one another, we will see more guys burn out, get discouraged and see morale decline over time.While no one seeks public approval, what priest does not internally want at least the implied support of his bishop? When politics determines who becomes a Monsignor or who is made a Papal Knight, those outside the loop get no enouragement. There does not have to be an award dinner, either, where someone gets ‘pastor of the year’ award, yet some vehicle of affirmation would help morale if it were completely sincere and authentic. Once I suggested to my previous bishop that he take a young and an old priest along with him every time he went on his ad limina to Rome. No Chancery personnel, but just a parish priest, be he a pastor, parochial vicar or retired priest. Spending a few days with the boss in the Eternal City is more than an employee recognition opportunity. The bond between bishop and priest is special and when a priest experiences the acknowledgement that his bishop appreciates his work, it will help him in the weeks, months and years to come when he may feel alone or get a angry letter or phone call from a dissatisfied parishioner. If the bishop regularly spent one meal a month with a different priest, just man to man, priest to priest, would not the morale be strong? All too often the parish priest only hears from his superiors when someone has written or phoned a complaint. Obviously, serious concerns and issues need to examined for the common good of Mother Church. At the same time, if a phone call or e-mail from His Excellency comes to the priest occasionally expressing personal approval and support, the esprit de corps of the presbyterate will be high. Even the annual Bishops’ meetings in November, if the local bishop brought along a different priest (not just to carry his luggage) each and every time, not only to see how things work at the national level but to just spend time with spiritual leader of the diocese, I think better relations would exist throughout the diocese. If only cronies and syncophants are part of the inner sanctum and if only the politically astute get promotions, then a different attitude permeates the diocese.Priests are called to serve and to love their people. He can do so only if he himself is taking care of his own spiritual needs. Prayer, study, priestly fraternity, support and encouragement from his peers and his superiors, will all help. Ongoing formation of the clergy entails exposure and discussion on recent Vatican documents and statements, attending workshops and conferences, and having access to keen minds faithful to the Magisterium. It also entails solid spirituality grounded in daily private prayer, regular confession, monthly direction and annual retreat. Having places and opportunities to spend some time just being and enjoying being priests with brother priests might prevent some of the sad incidents where a few brethren have gone astray. Perhaps some would have avoided dangerous and ill advised behavior had there been a better alternative accessible. If we priests do not take care our ourselves and of our brethren in Holy Orders, we will not be at our best to serve the faithful we pledged and committed ourselves to for the rest of our lives the day we were ordained. The People of God deserve nothing less than the best we have to offer, not just in the work we do but also in the person and the priest we are.

New seminarians 'prayerful and eager to learn,' says rector

From Catholic News Service - http://www.catholicnews.com/

SEWARD, Neb. (CNS) – The 23 newcomers attending St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward this fall are "full of questions, obviously prayerful and eager to learn," said Father John Folda, seminary rector.

"They're going to be a great group of seminarians, I have no doubt," he added.
Among them are 19 young men who are in priestly formation for the Diocese of Lincoln. The other four new men are studying for the priesthood for either the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., or the Diocese of Madison, Wis. One student studying for Lincoln is from the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Father Folda said it is the largest group to enter St. Gregory the Great all at once, but everything has gone smoothly in terms of course scheduling, housing, books and all the other particulars. The first-year class of seminarians is one of the largest in any diocese in the United States.

"God smiled upon us," he said with a laugh. "He knew he was going to give us a lot of men this year."

"We're very blessed by God," agreed Father Robert Matya, diocesan vocations director.

The first-year seminarians moved in Aug. 24, had a weekend of orientation and started classes Aug. 27. Since then, they have been getting to know each other and the seminary faculty, studying and learning to adapt to a schedule that can be quite a bit different from what they were used to as students or workers.

"It's very routine, very organized," said Benjamin Tuma of North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln. "The days are long, and we wake up early for morning prayer."

Corey Harrison of St. Leo Parish in Palmyra agreed that the biggest challenge to the seminary lifestyle is "adjusting to wake up at 5:30 a.m. instead of sleeping until 8," but he said it's worth the trade-off.

"Spending time with a lot of guys who are just as excited about my faith as I am ... I wouldn't take it back for anything," he stated.

Father Folda said that the seminarians "really do grow into a brotherly relationship." The smaller size of the seminary makes that easier than in a situation where there are hundreds of men, he said.

Father Matya noted that each man was called to discern a vocation to the priesthood in a different way.

"Their stories are all different," he told the Southern Nebraska Register, Lincoln's diocesan newspaper. He said they come from "praying families first and foremost" and many have been involved in organizations such as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS.
Hastings native Alex Driscoll cited his nine years as a counselor at a Catholic camp as the experience that helped him discern his calling.

"It was time out of my schedule, becoming closer to God than I had ever felt, being surrounded by priests and sisters and kids all there for the same reason -- to get closer to God," he recalled. "Every year, I got a feeling that this is what I should do."

Caleb LaRue, a graduate of Millard West High School in Omaha, said he began thinking about the priesthood as early as eighth grade, but "I always envisioned seminarians and priests as guys who spend 19 hours a day in prayer and I didn't think I was holy enough to consider it."
While working at the Newman Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, however, he discovered that priests were "just regular guys God called to serve."

Mark Heffley "grew up all over" and was a premed student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who had the idea that he could be both a doctor and a priest. However, during his second year at the university, his desire to study medicine "fell away," and he elected to transfer to St. Gregory the Great Seminary.

"I just loved it here so much, I decided to study for this diocese," he added.
The men spend their days in prayer, worship, studies, recreation and more prayer. The formation process helps each man fully understand his vocational calling.

Some may not complete their seminary training, but "they'll grow deeper in their spiritual lives and in their relationship with Christ by entering this period of discernment," explained Father Matya. "That's helpful for anyone."

Both Fathers Folda and Matya encouraged everyone to pray diligently for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

"There are lots of young men and women who are trying to discern what God wants them to do in their lives and that's not always easy to figure out," said Father Matya.

Article on Foreign Born Priests

"Church short on U.S.-born ministers"
By Erin McKeon The Facts. Com ( A Texas News website???)

Published October 7, 2007In Catholic churches nationwide, immigrants are being counted on to take on a job fewer Americans have been willing to do.

The church is experiencing a shortage of American-born men entering the priesthood and is relying on its global reach to fill the gap. That means Mass in some cases is more likely to be said by a native of Asia or Africa than the United States.

“Absolute-ly there is a shortage,” said Father Gerald Goodrum of St. Ambrose Church in Houston, who was raised in Sweeny. “In general, the U.S. vocations are on the rise, we’re seeing a small incremental shift upward and we are so grateful that the church is so large and universal and has resources to draw upon from other countries.”

Goodrum said Americans “are pulled in so many directions and there are so many opportunities in America.” He believes the shortage of American-born priests also could be attributed to the busy lifestyle.

Goodrum said he realized his vocation to become a priest in high school, and his mother and grandmother nurtured his calling.

“In the African culture and in the Asian culture, parents would consider it an honor for their child to become a priest or a sister, like a blessing from God,” said Sister Pauleen Troncale of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Office of Vocations.

Troncale added, however, that the dilemma has as much to do with the increasing number of people joining Catholic churches in the region, as opposed to a lesser number of American-born priests to lead them. “I like to emphasize not so much the shortage,” Troncale said. “This is a growing diocese, it’s growing and dynamic, and we need more ministers of the Lord simply to meet the growing population.”

The diocese does not recruit from other countries, she said. For anyone to become a seminarian, they must already live in the United States, regardless of their country of origin.

In the Catholic Church, there are diocesan priests and religious order priests. Diocesan priests are assigned to a particular diocese and always will serve within that geographic area. Religious order priests, however, go as missionaries to other countries and work in churches there as guests of the Archdiocese.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington, a quarter of seminarians in theologates, 761 in all, in 2006-07 are from countries other than the United States. This number has increased from last year’s 23 percent.

The center also reported 83 foreign countries are represented by the seminarians, with 63 percent of them preparing to be ordained for a diocese in the United States. Seminarians from religious orders make up 29 percent of the foreign-born seminarians.

The most current research by the center reveals about 7,000 international priests have worked in the United States since 1985, with an estimated 5,500 now on the job. They have arrived from Vietnam, Mexico, the Philippines, Nigeria, Poland, India and other nations throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

“Without them it would be impossible to manage, especially with the number of Catholics there are,” Goodrum said.

The Priesthood and Civilization

Scene from the life of St. Benedict

From: Catholic Mountain

by Michael Terheyden

Even if we ignore the all-important spiritual blessings that we have received through the priesthood, we still owe a tremendous debt to the priesthood for its contribution to civilization. J. Pohle reminds us of this in an article titled "Priesthood" and published in The Catholic Encyclopedia. He states, "...the Catholic priesthood [and religious have] spread to all nations and brought into full bloom religion, morality, science, art, and industry." The following is a summary of part four of Mr. Pohle's article.

Although Charlemagne is credited with uniting the German hordes into one nation after the fall of Rome, it was Catholic missionaries and martyrs who paved the way for Charlemagne's success. They converted many of the Germanic peoples and helped raise them out of a state of savagery, considered barbaric even for those times. In later times, the Benedictines, Cistercians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits, and others spread across Europe and around the world raising the level of morality and civilization.

They raised the level of morality and civilization by serving the people's needs and promoting human dignity. For instance, the maxim, "Education for all," was first uttered by Pope Innocent III. During the Middle Ages, universities and elementary schools were run by priests and religious. The first medical facility in Europe, the School of Salerno, was founded by the Benedictines. They not only practiced medicine, they educated skilled physicians for all Europe. Furthermore, it has been said that St. Vincent de Paul achieved more for the sick and the poor than many cities and states combined. More recently, Cardinal Lavigerie played an important role in the abolition of slavery, and Catholic congregations, such as the Trinitarians and the Mercedarians, devoted themselves to the liberation of slaves in pagan and Muslim lands.

The priesthood also played an important role in science, the humanities, and scholarship. The idea of scientific progress is of Catholic origin. The scientist and philosopher Roger Bacon was a Franciscan friar. The Heliocentric theory of the solar system is attributed to the Catholic cleric Copernicus. The first geographical chart of the world is attributed to Fra Mauro of Venice. Early humanism was strongly supported by Popes Nicholas V and Leo X. The humanist scholar and writer Erasmus was a priest. Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Calderon, all priests, are some of Spain's greatest writers. The foundation of historical criticism was laid by Cardinal Baronius, the monks of St. Maur, and the Bollandists. And a Jesuit is the father of comparative philology.

Social service and higher learning are not the only secular contributions of the priesthood. An advanced civilization cannot exist without a sound economic base and infrastructure to support it. Catholic bishops and priests, such as Duns Scotus, Nicholas Oresme, Bishop of Lisieux, St. Antoninus of Florence, and Gabriel Biel, laid the foundation for national economies. Benedictine, Cistercian, and Trappist monks cleared the forests and cultivated the land, rendering vast areas free from fever. They also engineered and built drainage and irrigation systems and roads and bridges.

While Mr. Pohle's examples are numerous and wide-ranging, they are far from complete. For instance, he says little or nothing about the priesthood's impact on art, architecture, music and law. Nevertheless, he reminds us that the priesthood is made up of humble men of faith, many of whom God endowed with the intellect, skill, and courage to help build the greatest civilization in history.

Moreover, today's priesthood is the same priesthood that helped build Western civilization and raise the level of others because Christ is its head. When we see a large procession of priests dressed in their vestments, we see an army, a powerful, worldwide army that has lasted for almost two thousand years. And we can be certain of two things: the Catholic priesthood will survive these difficult times, and the future progress of civilization will depend on these gifted, humble men of faith.

Source: J. Pohle, "Priesthood", The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol XII, online ed., New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911

Catholic Chaplains

Chaplain Paul Madej greets Pope Benedict XVI with AMS Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien standing next to the Holy Father.The three were in Rome 26October06 for the 5th Annual International Congress of Military Ordinariates.

One of the things made clear during the Vocations Directors Conference was the need for Cathololic Chaplains for our military men and women. Truthfully it is a critical need. However, on the upside the military chaplains there at the conference explained how many vocations may come out of the military ranks - quite a few potentially. But it's a challenge for priests to leave their home Diocese, which may be in dire need of priests as well, to serve as a chaplain in the military. Even then discernment would be involved for this call within a call. In any case we need to pray for more military chaplains and for the men and women they serve. For more information about military chaplaincy visit the website of the Military Archdiocese.

On the subject of military chaplains I had to relay part of a post Fr. Schnippel posted over at his blog Called by Name. The story comes from an Air Force Chaplain that Fr. Scnnippel met at the vocations conference:

During the social hour at the end of the day Tuesday, he was telling some stories of his experience in the military as a priest. I share one story he related here:

While he was in Chaplain Training School, which is sort of a basic training for the chaplains, he related that a Marine General (or a 'Higher Up,' I don't remember the ranks) came towards the end of the program to give them a pep talk and an introduction into life in the military. One of the Protestant Chaplains raised his hand to ask a question during the open forum portion: "Sir, what is your advice as to what we should do during open combat?"

The General, in a moment of political incorretness, asked the 25 or so new chaplains if there were any priests among them, four (including my storyteller) raised their hands. (One man raised his hand and said: "I'm an Episcopalian priest." He responded back: "No, I meant a Real Priest!"

The General looked at the gathered crowd and told them: "If you are in a combat situation, you stay the Hell out of these four men's way! They have something to do, they have something to offer which you do not have. Let them do their job!"

Thank a Priest Today

Just in case you haven't done it in a while, or have never done it, tell the priests you know "thank you." A simple thank you for their unconditional yes will probably do, but I'm sure we can all extend a special sense of gratitude for particular aspects of their priestly ministry.

Personally I try to regularly thank Priests after they offer the Sacrifice of the Mass, and always thank them after hearing my confession. Think about it, had they not said yes to God's call, how different would your life be?

May God continue to bless all our Priests abundantly for their heroic lives of virtue and sacrifice!

Latest Vocations eLetter from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR

Check out the latest vocations eLetter from Fr. Luke.

Then watch this incredible new trailer for "The Human Experience" from Grassroots Films...



Capuchin Hood tip to Fr. Luke for the link to this video in his letter!

Tales of Old

Hat tip to Per Christum

"She asked him one question, 'What is your religion?'"

"You don't understand Mr. Bonniville, my Catholic faith is the greatest thing I have and I am not going to do anything in the world to weaken it."

Great video of an interview with Fr. William Bonniwell, O.P. - wonderful stories about some of the good things before Vatican II, which is only to say that as a post VII Catholic I only seem to hear the stories of how bad things were before the Second Vatican Council. Now obviously not everything was right before the Council, but then again the same can be said of things in the Church today - go figure it's still full of people.

Hope you enjoy the video as much as I did. A big thanks to the Friars at the Dominican House of Studies for putting it on YouTube.

Great Vocations Ads?

All over Baltimore the US Marine Corps has purchased billboards with a very simple message: We don't accept applications, only commitments.

In an age where young people are crippled by their inability to commit to anything, let alone a vocation, this seems like a great message.

I've said it before, the Marines have one of the best "vocations" programs going. From their webiste to their posters to their billboards, they understand how to communicate a message to young men. Heck, a call to the priesthood involves sacrifice, but joining the Marine Corps has the potential for one to make the ultimate sacrifice, yet the Marines don't seem to be having trouble getting young men to sign up. Obviously the comparison is not perfect, but it's something to think about.

Check out the television commercial version of the billboard all over Baltimore...

Franciscans of Primitive Observance

One of the benefits of a vocatins conference is the ability to talk to so many people doing this work from around the country, especially people who are optimistic and excited about vocations work. Since this is our first year at the NCDVD we are spending a lot of time meeting people for the first time, while for others it is a time to get caught up. Actually it has been good for Fr. Shlesinger who has seen many of his classmates from the North American College in Rome. However, it seems that I actually know quite a few people here, and have had a chance to catch up with some people myself.

That was the case in the picture above. I had forgotten that the Franciscans of the Primitive Observence send their seminarians to Mount Saint Mary's, but was very happy to see them and find out that one friar in particular, Deacon Andrew, FPO was at the Mount. I met Br. Andrew several years ago at the March for Life and had some correspondence by mail with him. It was great to see him again, and to be able to congratulate him on his ordination to the Diaconate.

The FPO's if you've never heard of them, are a group that splintered off of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and are - well, they are really old school. They are probably about as close to living St. Francis' original rule as you might find. Just take a look at Br. Andrew's habit. It was pretty hot yesterday, and that habit it made of heavy wool. It's thick and unhemmed, and looks a whole lot like what I would imagine their seraphic father's habit to look like.
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More posts on the FPO's

Day Two at the NCDVD

Well day two is drawing to a close, and it has been a long one. Up early, we travelled from Baltimore to Emmitsburg, Maryland for Morning Prayer at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary. The drive was beautiful, as was the seminary and chapel. After morning prayer we were treated to a talk by Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR. For the most part Fr. Groeschel spoke abouth the errors that psychology has interjected into our faith, especially into our seminaries. I'll post my notes from his talk later, but the long and short of it was that striving to live a virtuous life was the answer, and that as vocations directors we should seek out men of virtue. The talk was very good, at times very funny, and as we've come to expect from Fr. Groeschel, brutally honest.

After the talk there was a holy hour in the chapel followed by Mass with Fr. Groeschel as homilist. After Mass I was able to get the picture above with Fr. Kyle Schnippel, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and moderator of the Called By Name blog, Fr. Groeschel, and me. What a blessing! I should add here that it has been a blessing to meet Fr. Schnippel after months of comments and posts back and forth on each others blogs. Unfortunately due to the schedule and going in different directions we haven't really had a chance to talk, but I hope to tomorrow. What I can say is that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is blessed to have Fr. Schnippel as their Director of Vocations.

Fr. Shlesinger and I had an opportunity to visit the National Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes behind the seminary. It was really beautiful, and I can only say it should be a pilgrimage site for those in the mid-atlantic states.

From the Seminary we headed up the street to the Minor Basilica for the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Truthfully I had know idea how impressive this Basilica was. This a pciture of the Sanctuary.

From the basilica we headed to Gettysburg. I'll spare you my interest in Civil War history. In short it was incredible to see the battlefield. It was strange to drive around a place were so many men gave their lives. Think about the fact that in three days 51,000 Americans were killed, wounded, captured or went missing! When I get back to Raleigh I'm going to watch Gettysburg again - it will certainly be different watching it now.

Tonight we went to an Orieles game at what has to be one of the nicest ballparks in the country. The game wasn't terrific, but then again when the weather is perfect, there's a full moon in the sky, you're at a baseball game, can it realy be bad?

More tomorrow.

Update from the Vocations Directors Conference

I will try my best over the next couple of days to post updates from the conference. Fr. Shlesinger and I arrived last night, after a stop in DC to pray at the Basilica and to visit with two of our seminarians at Theological College, Deacon Mike Spurr and Juan Pablo Barrientos.

The conference started the best way possible with a Holy Hour. Below is a picture, not from a church, but from a room in the hotel that looks more like a church that some churches I've been in. It was beautiful, and a beautiful reminder of why we are here - Jesus Christ.

After the Holy Hour we said morning prayer together before moving up to a larger conference room. The key note speaker of the day was Cardinal McCarrick, who, as always, was an engaging speaker. The first part of his talk was to those involved in vocations work. Specifically addressing the priests he gave three key points - 1. Love your priesthood (love the priesthood), stressing that to love it you need to understand it as service. 2. Love your brother priests, highligting the fact that if your brother priests don't respect you they won't help you, and vocations directors can not do this alone - they must have the help of their brother priests. 3) Always rejoice - real joy, tinged with a healthy fear of the Lord, and pray without ceasing. Cardinal McCarrick also stressed the need to thank all those who help in the work of promoting and supporting vocations.

Then the better part of His Emminence's talk had to do with a list of things every Bishop should do:

1. Mandate prayers for vocations in the prayers of the faithful. He highlighted the fact that it is important how they are worded. He clarified this by saying that we are blessed with many vocations to the permanent diaconate, and acknowledged that there was a great need to pray for holy vocations to matrimony, but that there is a critical need for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Cardinal McCarrick stressed that he wasn't saying not to pray for vocations to the diaconate, lay consecrated life, or holy matrimony, but that they should be seperate intentions in order to not dilute the emphasis.

2. Every Bishop should write a prayer for vocations and publish it throughout the Diocese.

3. The Bishop should ALWAYS promote vocations where ever he goes.

4. The Bishop needs to go where the vocations are - high schools, COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES, young adult ministries, etc. He mentioned Theology on Tap specifically and told an amusing story about going to one where the bar was so crowded the waitresses couldn't get to people, therefore couldn't sell beer, and the bar manager was mad because they didn't make any money.

5. The Bishop needs to "buttonhole" people (or at least I think that's what His Eminence said). Cardinal McCarrick spoke to need of personally inviting people - individually tell men they should become a priest. He said that many seminarians have come up to him saying that he once told them they should become priests, which of course he could not remember doing, but in the end it was an affirmation of the fact that we have to invite people.

Cardinal McCarrick went on to give quite a few more great ideas, but since it's been a long day already, those may have to wait for another post. Tomorrow we travel to Mt. St. Mary's in Emmitsburg and hear a keynote address by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, followed by Mass with Fr. Groeschel. Hopefully I'll get some pictures, and tell you what he had to say.

I should add that lunch today started with the Angelus - from what I understand all of this is a very positive change from years past. Also, the lunch was sponsered by the Army Chaplains who rightly made a plea for the critical need for chaplains. Again, maybe I'll post more on this later. For now it's time to hit the rack.

National Diocesan Vocations Directors Conference

We're off to the conference today. I'll try to post about the conference as I can.

We'll also be stopping to see our seminarians in DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

Two Very Good Vocations Posts

The Anchoress has two very good posts about the vocations crisis that many religious communities are NOT having.

A Flourishing of Novices, part I

A Flourishing of Novices, part II

Diocese of Raleigh Discernment Group Starts a New Year

Today marked the beginning of the new year for the Diocese of Raleigh Discernment Group, and the first meeting under the guidance of our new Director of Vocations Fr. Ned Shlesinger. What a blessing it was to have 12 men at the meeting as well as newly ordained Fr. Tony DeCandia.

We began the day with the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar in the Cathedral at 9:00AM. After Mass, we moved two doors down to the new Office of Vocations for coffee and pastries. We began the meeting with morning prayer followed by introductions. Fr. Shlesinger then led us into a really good discussion about discernment.

The great blessing of the morning was the surprise visit of our local successor to the Apostles, Bishop Burbidge! Seriously, how great is it that our Bishop takes the time to stop by, join the discussion, and lead us in daytime prayer? It is my sincere daily prayer of thanksgiving for the gift that he is to the Diocese of Raleigh. Having been the rector at St. Charles Borromeo, His Excellency was able to communicate some wonderful advice about the discernment process!

Please join me in praying for all those discerning God's call to a life of holiness through a vocation to the priesthood and religious life.

More Pictures from September 14th

These are some of the other pictures I was able to take during the Mass last Friday night. Enjoy.

POOR CLARES: A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO WORK OF CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, SEP 15, 2007 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in audience the Poor Clares from the convent of the Immaculate Conception at Albano, which is located within the territory of the pontifical villas at Castelgandolfo.

Addressing the nuns, Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude "for your daily support through prayer, and for your intense spiritual participation in the mission of the Pastor of the Universal Church. In the silence of the cloister and in the total and exclusive giving of self to Christ in accordance with the Franciscan charism, you provide a valuable service to the Church."

"The Pope expects you to be burning torches of love, your hands joined in a vigil of incessant prayer, completely detached from the world in order to sustain the ministry of he whom Jesus has called to guide His Church."

"Not always," said the Pope, "is public opinion aware of the silent dedication of people who, like you, seek to put the Gospel into effect 'sine glossa' with simplicity and joy. Nonetheless, you may be sure that the contribution you make to the apostolic and missionary activity of the Church in the world is truly extraordinary, and God will continue to bless you with the gift of many vocations, as He has up to now."

"May St. Francis, St. Clare and the many male and female saints of your order help you to 'persevere faithfully unto the end' in your vocations," the Pope concluded. "May the Virgin of Sorrows grant you the gift of following her divine crucified Son and of embracing with serenity the difficulties and trials of daily life."

The Reverence and Beauty of Order and Discipline

I was speaking with a couple of Priest friends on Friday, September 14th, before the Mass in the Extraordinary Form, about the questions that will almost certainly come from some Catholics (and non-Catholics) about the need for all the formality, order, and discipline of the Priests in celebrating the Mass in the Forma Extraordinaria, and it reminded me of the soldiers that guard the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers in Arlington, VA. It reminded me of them because even as a child I remember it being a profound experience watching those soldiers march with such precision. I marvelled at their dedication and discipline. I remember the silence. I thougt it was fascinating that everything they did had a purpose, down to the number of steps they took. I especially thought it was amazing that they had been there every minute of every day since the first tomb was laid, and will continue on "forever".

But isn't it silly that they do it? Isn't it unecessary? Why do they have to walk like that, and move like that? Couldn't they just casually walk back and forth? Better yet, couldn't they just sit in a chair? Why the need for all that formality.

What I also remember was people standing there for a long time in silence - in reverence. I remember barely hearing their quite footsteps. It was beautiful.

When I hear the soldier in the video below I can't help but think about the Priests celebrating the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (the Tridentine Mass). When asked "Do you ever ask yourself why are we doing all this?", he answered "not really, we're going to give them the best that we have, and that's what we're doing". How much more should we give the best that we have for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?


Changing of the guard video...


What happens when some dope tries to walk out past the rails - guard yells "it is requested that all visitors remain behind the chains and rails" (hmmmm)...


Sentinel's Creed...

Discernment Meditation

Sr. Mary Gabriel, SV, Vocations Director for the Sisters of Life, sent me her discernment meditation for this month (below) as well as the above picture of their 12 new postulants including our son's Godmother, Stephanie (too bad they're not attracting any young women to their order - and the ones they did attract look so sad - it's a shame).

On the last World Day of Consecrated Life Pope Benedict XVI reminded those who follow Jesus in living the evangelical counsels that, "in choosing Christ we let ourselves by ‘conquered’ by Him without reserve…"

The word ‘conquer’ means "to take possession by force." We don’t tend to think of Jesus as ‘conquering’ because He comes as a Lamb and not as a wolf. We don’t tend to think of the Holy Spirit of Jesus as ‘possessing’ us because Jesus does not enslave us but sets us free. The force Jesus uses to conquer is the force of His love. Jesus desires that we allow His love to conquer and take possession of each of us - the whole of our person - that we might know and participate in His salvation; that we might be sons and daughters of the Most High God, able to love and forgive and live as He does.

The Scriptural passage we use in reference to vocations and to our charism is "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." But this isn’t the whole of the passage. As a whole, Jn 10:10 reads, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." When we allow Jesus to come into our hearts to give us abundant life, He must "break into" the personal and intimate dimensions of our lives. While a thief does such "only to steal and kill and destroy" Jesus does so to give us life and to give it to us abundantly. Jesus conquers with His Love. Nevertheless, with Jesus there is an experience of a "taking" from us, which can be uncomfortable, especially in the beginning when we only know the harshness of the world’s taking and do not yet know the peace and joy that come from "losing our lives" for the sake of Jesus. As the Lord leads us closer to Him, it isn’t unusual to experience moments of trepidation that demand new depths of trust in Him. But, as Pope Benedict reminded us at World Youth Day in Cologne: "If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great… Be completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection …"

Since the Garden of Eden it’s been difficult to totally place ourselves in the hands of another, and of the Other. But our current culture teaches us, even subconsciously, to guard our ‘lives’ - read: our wants and will - with vengeance. We daily see and hear messages about the human person that smell of violation, through pornography or cruelty or both. The images and words that spur us to ‘take’ simultaneously nail down the fear that we will be ‘taken’. It’s a recipe for a cycle of unfulfilled unhappiness. This fear is wrapped around the contraceptive industry, the abortion industry, the euthanasia industry. Aspects of life designed to invite us into beautiful mutual vulnerability have become, for some, moments of rejection of the other for the sake of self. But the fear that propels such actions isn’t just felt by those entrenched in the culture of death. "The truth is we are all very much captive to powers that anonymously manipulate us!" So says Pope Benedict in his latest book, Jesus of Nazareth. The violation of our sacred dignity begins in the historical context in which we find ourselves. It’s as if a tea bag of violation has been plopped into the hot waters of our culture and there it steeps, and we all drink of it in varying degrees. Interestingly, the thesaurus gives as an antonym to "violation" the word "consecration."

And those who are consecrated, beginning with all the baptized and more radically with religious (so all of us), are to so allow Jesus and His Spirit to conquer us, to possess us, that we become contagious, living antonyms to the violation of the human person so present in our world. Letting the Lord conquer us means giving ourselves totally to Jesus, day in and day out, even and especially when fidelity to His love demands what is difficult for us. Such a consecrated life, a conquered life, has a powerful effect on the world. For the first thing Jesus takes away from us is sin: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…" (Eucharistic Prayer). He takes away our sins, "so vanquishing them as to rob them of any substance or reality…" (Pope Benedict XVI). And in place of our sins, He gives us Himself, His Holy Spirit. As His Spirit frees us, strengthens us, lifts us up, so His Spirit in us offers a whiff of fresh air to those otherwise choking in the smog of sin. The more deeply we live our consecration, whether baptismal or religious, the more powerful a purifier we become - the more our very presence (actually Jesus’ presence in us) can draw others and help others to experience restoration and renewal (new life) where sin and darkness have violated their dignity and sown death.

We pray and trust our consecrated religious lives as Sisters of Life has just such effect! And now we have a new city and country in which to let the Holy Spirit conquer through us! At the end of August, three of our Sisters, Sr. Antoniana Maria, Sr. Monica Faustina and Sr. Mary Clare, became pioneers in our community when they were missioned to our first International foundation in Toronto, Canada. As they departed from our hub here in New York, I was reminded of the millions of courageous and generous religious throughout the history of the Church (even until the middle of last century), who, when following a call from the Lord, left all that was familiar to them knowing that they would never see their friends and family again on earth. Many of these brave lovers of Christ went to meet their martyrdom. How so many of these, now in Heaven, must be cheering our Sisters on as they follow what is deepest in all of our hearts: to be missionaries of the Lord of Life and Love to the ends of the earth, giving everything to Jesus and not counting the cost! May each of us allow Jesus’ love to so conquer us that we joyfully offer our lives, in whatever way He calls us, for His glory, our joy and for the salvation of souls!

In the midst of the announcement and preparation for this new mission, our community was blessed with the awesome gifts of still other members diving to deeper depths in their own response to Christ’s love. Only in the context of His love do we have the courage and joy to live radically for Him. In June, four new novices (Sr. Joan Marie, Sr. Maris Stella, Sr. Brigid Ancilla Marie and Sr. Mary Aquinas) were invested in the habit of the Sisters of Life. The more we allow the Holy Spirit, the Love of God, to quench our thirst, the more our thirst for Him increases until nothing can satisfy but Him alone. In the beginning of August, four of our Sisters professed perpetual vows (Sr. Rita Marie, Sr. Veronica Mary, Sr. Bridget of Jesus and Sr. Mary Gabriel) and two professed first vows (Sr. Bernadette Maria Pieta and Sr. Maria Emmanuel). And, just two weeks ago, 12 young women entered our community as postulants: Beth Burwell, Laura Dierschke, Therese Dorobek, Mary Germann, Sandra McIver, Maria Pereyra, Stephanie Ray, Kelly Schulz, Leslee Simms, Jennifer Swan, Jen Takach and Rachel Yates. How blessed we are by the love Jesus has poured into their hearts! May they become saints for Him, fountains of new life in the world. Please pray for them as they live their fiat. Following the Lord, loving the Lord, is awesome, but it is demanding. Jesus takes away our sins, but He also desires to take away whatever might keep us from loving Him alone and above all else. Do not be afraid to let Him into every corner of your being, to follow Him in your thoughts, words, actions and with your life. For, while a thief comes "only to steal and kill and destroy" Jesus comes "to give life and to give it abundantly." And what a Life He gives! May His Name be praised.

"… whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Phil. 3: 7-11)

Please let us know if you would like to attend our next Come & See Retreat: Nov 8-11, 2007 at Villa Maria Guadalupe!