Declining Vocations to the Priesthood

  • Thread starter Thread starter paramedicgirl
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I think if more priests gave really good homilies, and really preached the faith, there would be more vocations. The example has to come from the priests. How wonderful it is to see a priest on fire for God, and passing that on to his parish!

And prayer. We need to pray for vocations. Some parishes pray at every Sunday Mass for vocations, but ours doesnā€™t. Hmmm. We have no vocations, either.
 
By liberal I infer you mean liberal politics. Correct me if I am wrong on that. I think that priests should be involved in the world, but I think it is best for them to stay out of politics. If it involves issues though that conflict with the faith, such as homosexuality, then they should say stuff (that does not conflict with the scriptures) on that. Recently God has called me back to the Catholic Church. It is going to be a while for me until I can join again because my father is a Methodist pastor. What is strange now is that God has called me to become a Catholic priest. I have not even officially joined the Catholic Church again (I just find that interesting). I just want to ask everyone to pray for me on that. God speed.
 
Vigis said:
By liberal I infer you mean liberal politics. Correct me if I am wrong on that. I think that priests should be involved in the world, but I think it is best for them to stay out of politics. If it involves issues though that conflict with the faith, such as homosexuality, then they should say stuff (that does not conflict with the scriptures) on that. Recently God has called me back to the Catholic Church. It is going to be a while for me until I can join again because my father is a Methodist pastor. What is strange now is that God has called me to become a Catholic priest. I have not even officially joined the Catholic Church again (I just find that interesting). I just want to ask everyone to pray for me on that. God speed.
Click to expand...
Actually, by liberal, I meant departing from tradition. Parishes where the priest is not prolife, supports ordination of women, condones homosexuality and barely makes time for confession, doesnā€™t hold adoration or First Fridays Holy Hours - you know, where Jesus is put on a back burner. Thatā€™s what I meant by liberal parishes. Vocations are down in liberal parishes, and I have heard they are flourishing where there are traditional priests and bishops.

To me, this means God is at work where the priests are holy, and is rewarding the Church by multiplying vocations where He is honoured.
 
Just to offer some encouragement - my diocese (Austin) apparently has about 30-40 seminarians at the moment, young men who are on fire for God! We have had at least three priests ordained in the last two years that I know of, and at least one more next year. We have been completely blessed to have two wonderful men who have led our vocations recruitment - the previous director of vocations is now pastor at St. Maryā€™s in College Station (which Iā€™ve been pleasantly surprised to find is somewhat known on the board) and our current director is our previous pastor. There is hope for vocations in our nation, and its in the hands of our youth! šŸ™‚

Father David always gives his ā€œvocations talkā€ at Mass in the first week or two of school. He stands at the front of the church, which is at this time standing room only in the back, and this is after the overflow Mass is filled. He points to his chair and says ā€œThis is my chair. Its always here for me, even if I show up right before Mass. Its a pretty nice chair, comfortable. You guys should think about that.ā€ Then he starts Mass. šŸ˜ƒ Please pray for the continuation of the wonderful youth that this college community is putting out! They inspire me every day with how much they love God. This community has changed my life, and it will change many more!
 
Sandtigress said:
Just to offer some encouragement - my diocese (Austin) apparently has about 30-40 seminarians at the moment, young men who are on fire for God! We have had at least three priests ordained in the last two years that I know of, and at least one more next year. We have been completely blessed to have two wonderful men who have led our vocations recruitment - the previous director of vocations is now pastor at St. Maryā€™s in College Station (which Iā€™ve been pleasantly surprised to find is somewhat known on the board) and our current director is our previous pastor. There is hope for vocations in our nation, and its in the hands of our youth! šŸ™‚

Father David always gives his ā€œvocations talkā€ at Mass in the first week or two of school. He stands at the front of the church, which is at this time standing room only in the back, and this is after the overflow Mass is filled. He points to his chair and says ā€œThis is my chair. Its always here for me, even if I show up right before Mass. Its a pretty nice chair, comfortable. You guys should think about that.ā€ Then he starts Mass. šŸ˜ƒ Please pray for the continuation of the wonderful youth that this college community is putting out! They inspire me every day with how much they love God. This community has changed my life, and it will change many more!
Click to expand...
I think that is beautiful. šŸ™‚ In the archdiocese of Vancouver, we are undoubtedly blessed with many vocations, since our Seminaries are quite full, even with students from Washington! Although we use the Novus Ordo most of the time, and only have one tiny little parish that does the Tridentine Mass, it is better than nothing. We are very blessed indeed!
 
Anyone know where the FSSP keeps a list of thier churches, so to speak?

On the website it said something along the lines of ā€œafter graduation, the new priest will be assigned to a FSSP parishā€, but it did not list where those were located.
 
As another example for encouragement. In my diocese (Wichita, KS) it was just published that we have 37 seminariesā€¦a record for us! Also, my parish, built in the 1940ā€™s, never had a single religious or priestly vocation come from it. Then about 3 years ago we started a perpetual adoration chapel. Since then we have had 3 men enter the seminary (1 did discern that wasnā€™t his calling) and 2 women say ā€œYesā€ to the religious life (myself being one of them.) God can never be outdone in generosity. All the little sacrifices of time that people make to keep company with Jesus 24/7 is being rewarded in vocations!
 
My parish is a parish of about 900 families. It has an altarboy cadre that is exclusivley male and made of of boys from 5 to 20. There are usually about 15 altar servers at any given Sunday Mass. The younger boys carry swing torches in procession, the middle boys ring the Sanctus Bells and hold the patents at Communion time, and the older boys turn the Sacremtary pages for the celebrant, and place and remove the pall over the chalice as necessary.

We recieve the Eucharist kneeling, intincted and from an Ordinary Minister (priest or deacon).

In that, we currently have 6 men studying for the priesthood, 3 men at various stages in study towards the Diaconate and 3 women who are in postulant or noviatate programs in religious orders ( including one lady who was a PhD Clinical Psycologist who sold everything and is taking vows in Mother Theresaā€™s order)

In the past 7 years, 4 men from the parish have been Ordained into the priesthood. (and, as I mentioned before, 6 more men in the Seminary)

So how is that for a vocations program?
 
Brendan said:
My parish is a parish of about 900 families. It has an altarboy cadre that is exclusivley male and made of of boys from 5 to 20. There are usually about 15 altar servers at any given Sunday Mass. The younger boys carry swing torches in procession, the middle boys ring the Sanctus Bells and hold the patents at Communion time, and the older boys turn the Sacremtary pages for the celebrant, and place and remove the pall over the chalice as necessary.

We recieve the Eucharist kneeling, intincted and from an Ordinary Minister (priest or deacon).

In that, we currently have 6 men studying for the priesthood, 3 men at various stages in study towards the Diaconate and 3 women who are in postulant or noviatate programs in religious orders ( including one lady who was a PhD Clinical Psycologist who sold everything and is taking vows in Mother Theresaā€™s order)

In the past 7 years, 4 men from the parish have been Ordained into the priesthood. (and, as I mentioned before, 6 more men in the Seminary)

So how is that for a vocations program?
Click to expand...
Wow!! šŸ‘
 
Are we teaching young people to pray? If not, it will be harder to discern Godā€™s call. ā€”KCT
 
Not to be a wet blanket, but are we sure the statistics say what we think they do?

Iā€™m encouraged that dicocese that offer authentic catholic instruction are seeing surges in vocations, but are all those candidates FROM that diocese, or did they cherry pick where they wanted to serve? If the latter, I would argue that the diocese doesnā€™t get the actual CREDIT for creating the atmosphere where the vocation was nurtured.

Personally, I donā€™t see why there canā€™t be separate groups of alter servers. Girls could participate in the procession, help with the gifts, hold candles flanking the gospel readins and other duties not specifically priestly. Boys duties would more closely resemble that of apprentice to the priest in such things as incense, holy water sprinkling, holding the book of prayers (canā€™t remember the name) and bringing the empty chalice to and from the altar.

Why not BOTH encourage vocations through exposure of boys to close observation of priestly ministry AND send the message to girls that they too have a valuable voice and must play a role in the life of the church?
 
manualman,

If you read my post above, you will see that all the seminarians from our parish are also from our diocese as well šŸ™‚

What you would propose would be to give to girls what the younger boys ( 5-7 years old) are currently doing in our parish.

What would you have those boys do, the incensing??

I would rather see them up on the altar, watching the older boys hold the patens, ring the bells and assist the celebrant with various activities. I would rather have them there looking up to the older boys as wanting to be like them.

And then, years later, being one of the older boys looking at Father and wanting to be like him, too. And if you read my post above, you will see that it works. Each year, we get one or two of the senior altar boys enter into the seminary.

There are plenty of other ways girls can serve, like in the childrenā€™s choir, or bringing up the Offetory gifts; only boys can wish to be a priest.
 
Brendan said:
manualman,

If you read my post above, you will see that all the seminarians from our parish are also from our diocese as well šŸ™‚

What you would propose would be to give to girls what the younger boys ( 5-7 years old) are currently doing in our parish.

What would you have those boys do, the incensing??

I would rather see them up on the altar, watching the older boys hold the patens, ring the bells and assist the celebrant with various activities. I would rather have them there looking up to the older boys as wanting to be like them.

And then, years later, being one of the older boys looking at Father and wanting to be like him, too. And if you read my post above, you will see that it works. Each year, we get one or two of the senior altar boys enter into the seminary.

There are plenty of other ways girls can serve, like in the childrenā€™s choir, or bringing up the Offetory gifts; only boys can wish to be a priest.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you are at a wonderful parish, Brendan. šŸ™‚
 
mystified said:
I wonder if encouraging Altar BOYs might helpā€¦there is zero chance that the 200-pound altargirl in jeans and tennis shoes in our parish will ever be a priest!
.
Click to expand...
I fail to see any good that comes out of discussing this girlā€™s weight in this context, and can only see it being derogatory. (Please, correct me if I am wrong, and you had some honorable reason for stating your sentence so.) There are also 200 pound altar boys in jeans that exist too, so it would have been more poignent to discuss reverence in dress fixed by a dress code, instead of weight which could be due to a preexisting health condition, for all you may know. I work in healthcare and some of my clients include overweight/obese kids/young adults, and they have enough physical problems, let alone trying to deal with the comments and stares they get from people. People so often think that the person they are talking about canā€™t see/hear what they are saying but they can. It really hurts them, and I donā€™t think the public is aware of the stress and pain they go through due to their obesity. Its just something that the general public need to be aware of, and much more sensitive of.

The tone of your sentence seems to say that there is no point in encouraging alter girls, and that boys are where all the churchā€™s focus should be on increasing the publicā€™s faith to draw potentials to be priests. While one potential idea may be to go back to alter boys only, the world will lose out if girls are ignored and boys given the majority of attention. Look at the influence Mother Theresa has had on this world, and more obviously Mary! I simply canā€™t belive that no man has not moved by one/both of these two women to serve God as a priest.

The solution is encouraging both BOYS and GIRLS (emphasis added because you added emphasis to your post), in some way so that they reach their maximum potential. Do not overlook the importance nuns have to encourage young boys to become priests.

Your post has disturbed me, and I hope you will be more open to fully encouraging the potential of every child to go into the faith, no matter what gender, and no matter their appearance.
 
I think a big aspect of it is exposure to priest.

My parish often had the priest come to youth group, and they would even sponsor movie nights, where numerous kids would come and basically hang out with the priests.

My highschool has about 300 kids in it, and in four years it sent 7 kids to the seminary. Not all are continuing to the priesthood, but they tried, and gave it a chance. They were open.

A lone Raven
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top