1-May-07 - More Foreign-born Priests Ordained in the U.S. [via EWTN]

[Catholic_Press]

May. 1, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Newly ordained priests in the US are more likely to have advanced academic degrees than their counterparts of previous yea…

Full article…

 

[chicago]

We seem to have a genuine problem in developing a native priesthood. It is good that there are men from other countries willing to come to the United States and serve. However, in order for a family to sustain itself, it must reproduce. This means that a native population has to be able to provide priests from those who are born and raised there. And this has been a difficult go in recent times. Yes, there are more men entering seminary as adults after they have already become accomplished in the secular world. And this, also, has real value. Indeed, it has become the toni vocation and perhaps the preferred route of many dioceses and religious orders. Though, here too, there is no small amont of picking and choosing going on, or transplanted adults. But where are the boys from our home towns? We need sons who want to become priests if we wish to continue on as a people.

 

[bilop]

I think the main source of the vocation crisis in the West is the family crisis. Unstable families are unlikely to produce praticing Catholics, much less vocations. Also, small family size is an issue. I think parents with only one or two children are less likely to foster vocations, b/c they fear having no grandchildren.

 

[m134e5]

I think the main source of the vocation crisis in the West is the family crisis. Unstable families are unlikely to produce praticing Catholics, much less vocations. Also, small family size is an issue. I think parents with only one or two children are less likely to foster vocations, b/c they fear having no grandchildren.

I think it is even more simple than that. American culture is a very self-centered culture, and a very indulgent culture. We are fat and lazy. We teach future generations that the most important things in life are sex and money (two things priests and religious give up). Our culture sees speed as more important than quality. We are obscessed with work- many priests become pastors by the time they are 30 or so, and most of them don’t “move up” any further then that.

Many of the foreign born priests come from countries that aren’t known for their wealth- they may even be known for their poverty. There are quite a few priests from Africa, India, the Philippines, and Latin America- those areas of the world tend to have less in material possessions (and more in spirituality).

It takes someone who is willing to be countercultural, but at the same time is humble enough to be obediant to the Church to be a priest today. There are temptations in the world all over the place to stop men from becoming priests- and to keep families from encouraging the priesthood.