H
HagiaSophia
Guest
I found this article interesting from a man who has spent 40 years in the service of the church, and though he personally would like to see “mixed” clergy status, I was taken by the following couple of paragraphs in his article. It has been my personal experience from family members, friends and general observance that he has a good point here about making “celibacy” work. Order priests living in community have spiritual, social and psychological resources that priests living alone in a rectory without “off time” with no at-home resources do not. Many of them have expressed the major part their community life has played in helping them keep “on track”, focused, and faithful to their ministries.
Let me now touch lightly upon a related issue. More and more I am personally convinced that, for celibacy to flourish to the full within the diocesan clergy, we should look more often towards the possibility of priests living together in small communities of two or three.
Most Religious to whom you speak will tell you that for them the way of fruitful celibacy was only possible within a community context. Many, probably most of my brethren, will not be slow to tell me that their own strong preference is for living independently. I respect that viewpoint totally: priests, like everyone, can only fruitfully be drawn, not driven, to see the possibilities within another way.
My own generation, though, and this indeed was the norm until comparatively recently, grew up into priesthood by learning our gospel trade alongside other priests. Horror stories notwithstanding, many of us would gladly acknowledge the benefits we gained from such mutual support and companionship within presbytery life. The argument that the good priest will find his community within a supportive parish and among his personal friends is worthy of respect, but it is not one that finally convinces me. There are, I gladly recognise, many fine priests who live contentedly by themselves and who yet are excellent community builders. But there is another model, which, for some at least, might serve their own personal needs as well as the pastoral needs of the people. Within our diocese I have seen enough good examples recently of the possibilities created when priests share the challenge of priesthood from under the same roof to encourage me towards further modest experiment in times to come. …"
thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-01050
It brought to mind Fr. Corapi’s talk the other evening when he reminded us that when services are over, we all go home to each other. Priests just go home. And he added, “love your priests, for your priests love you.”
"…After 40 years as a priest, the Bishop of Middlesbrough hopes for a mixed, celibate and non-celibate clergy. Access to Mass, rather than marital status, mattersLet me now touch lightly upon a related issue. More and more I am personally convinced that, for celibacy to flourish to the full within the diocesan clergy, we should look more often towards the possibility of priests living together in small communities of two or three.
Most Religious to whom you speak will tell you that for them the way of fruitful celibacy was only possible within a community context. Many, probably most of my brethren, will not be slow to tell me that their own strong preference is for living independently. I respect that viewpoint totally: priests, like everyone, can only fruitfully be drawn, not driven, to see the possibilities within another way.
My own generation, though, and this indeed was the norm until comparatively recently, grew up into priesthood by learning our gospel trade alongside other priests. Horror stories notwithstanding, many of us would gladly acknowledge the benefits we gained from such mutual support and companionship within presbytery life. The argument that the good priest will find his community within a supportive parish and among his personal friends is worthy of respect, but it is not one that finally convinces me. There are, I gladly recognise, many fine priests who live contentedly by themselves and who yet are excellent community builders. But there is another model, which, for some at least, might serve their own personal needs as well as the pastoral needs of the people. Within our diocese I have seen enough good examples recently of the possibilities created when priests share the challenge of priesthood from under the same roof to encourage me towards further modest experiment in times to come. …"
thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-01050