Clerical Crisis of Identity

[Conciliar]

Your right, too many Priests are emasculated by their fear of being real men, as that would offend some people. So they end up being cowardly, non-judgemental, non-confrontive, people pleasers.

The nuns end up shedding their habits, looking like butch lesbians and trying to act like Priests.

So where is the Priest role model today? Is there one?

Scylla

Sure. They’re out there, albeit a little harder to find than we’d like.

The first man who comes to mind for me is Cardinal Pell. He’s a man’s man, a fearles defender of Truth, and a Prince of the Church. Not a bad example.

 

[Philothea53]

Your right, too many Priests are emasculated by their fear of being real men, as that would offend some people. So they end up being cowardly, non-judgemental, non-confrontive, people pleasers.

The nuns end up shedding their habits, looking like butch lesbians and trying to act like Priests.

So where is the Priest role model today? Is there one?

Scylla

We just got a new Rector. The last one left on 6 months sabbatical because we have a very strong Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council who ignored him and over-rode his decisions. When he returns he will not return as a Rector but a Parish Priest somewhere in the Diocese.

As a Parish we had gone through some crises and Father felt the need to allow us to heal, but his soft-spoken gentleness was seen as weakness and it was taken advantage of.

I was part of a ‘Leadership’ group that was invited through the course of a year to attend various meetings of the Councils and I was in tears after a couple of them as I watched Father’s words totally ignored. He was allowed to speak only minimally and the conversation went on as if he had never said a thing. We lost the purchase of a (defunct) Baptist church building across the street from us because Father wasn’t listened to. He wanted to offer a high amount, the Council low-balled it - we now have an Anglican community across the street.

I am a woman but I have to say I believe part of the problem is that both of these Councils were presided over by women presidents.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

We just got a new Rector. The last one left on 6 months sabbatical because we have a very strong Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council who ignored him and over-rode his decisions. When he returns he will not return as a Rector but a Parish Priest somewhere in the Diocese.

As a Parish we had gone through some crises and Father felt the need to allow us to heal, but his soft-spoken gentleness was seen as weakness and it was taken advantage of.

I was part of a ‘Leadership’ group that was invited through the course of a year to attend various meetings of the Councils and I was in tears after a couple of them as I watched Father’s words totally ignored. He was allowed to speak only minimally and the conversation went on as if he had never said a thing. We lost the purchase of a (defunct) Baptist church building across the street from us because Father wasn’t listened to. He wanted to offer a high amount, the Council low-balled it - we now have an Anglican community across the street.

I am a woman but I have to say I believe part of the problem is that both of these Councils were presided over by women presidents.

I think parish councils have WAY over stepped their boundaries in many parishes. It reminds me of the “councils” at Protestant churches who hire and fire pastors at will (so it sometimes seems)
I am sure your Pastor was wonderful, I just wish that priests would get a much louder voice to deal with these groups and “councils”.

 

[Aramis]

Some otherwise fairly conservative bishops have prohibited the deacons and the minor (instituted) ministers (lectors and acolytes) from wearing distinctive garments outside of their liturgical ministries.

My father, a RC deacon, was forbidden to wear cassock outside of functioning in his ministry, and is not permitted the clerical shirt at all. (And these days, his preference for bright plaid shirts is raising a few eyebrows…)

I’m a firm believer in the wear of distinctive clerical garb.

Of course, my dad would not be encouraged, possibly not even permitted, to wear a clerical shirt in his day job, by his employer… he’s a civil service environmental engineer!

 

[paramedicgirl]

Amen, Sister!

I have a cross in my car that says, “I am Catholic. In case of emergency, call a Priest.” Wow, praying I’m not involved in an emergency

A better place for that card would be right over top of your driver’s license, so it’s the first thing seen when the police look for your DL, which is always at the top of their list of things to do at an MVA. If your car was involved in a crash, the cross could easily be tossed out, smashed or hidden under debris, so that your message is never found.

 

[paramedicgirl]

One problem feeds the other, I believe. What I mean is this - one of the ways in which God calls young men to the priesthood is through the example of their parish priest. The more priests shy away from their authentic identity, the less likely they are to attract vocations. Can it be proven? I don’t know, but my intuition tells me that Father “Consensus Builder / Delegator / Govern by Committee / Offend No One” doesn’t stir the desire to answer a calling to the priesthood like Father “Teacher / Leader / Sanctifier” does. Far fewer would look at the former and say, “I want to be like him,” and the ones that do, perpetuate the crisis.

This is true. St Alphonsus de Liquori calls priests the Light of the World, and says that priests should shine refulgent among the people by the splendour of their virtues, thus giving glory to God who has conferred on them so singular and sublime an honour.

God has chosen certain men to become priests that they may be luminaries for the world, and they must always give good example. Priests have been given a rule of life different from what the people follow and it is from this that we learn to live a life of virtue. Priests are placed in the world to wash away the stains of the sin of others.Because of this, says St. Gregory, they must be holy and appear holy.

 

[NMJenny]

I’m pressed for time today and haven’t had time to read all of the pages of this thread, so if someone else has already posted this, I apologize.

To understand a lot of the “indentity crisis” among priests and bishops today, read GoodBye, Good Men by Michael S. Rose…

 

[Philothea53]

A better place for that card would be right over top of your driver’s license, so it’s the first thing seen when the police look for your DL, which is always at the top of their list of things to do at an MVA. If your car was involved in a crash, the cross could easily be tossed out, smashed or hidden under debris, so that your message is never found.

I had never thought of that. What I have right now is an actual cross with a magnet. I will have to print up a mailing label or something to stick on my DL