EWTN and Vocations

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Hi, I don’t want this to turn into something about a particular priest/nun, but I have always wondered why EWTN doesn’t attract men to the brotherhood/priesthood the way other orders do? The nuns seem “full” and many stay (a few leave) but the friars stagnate. Other orders, like the Domincan church I belong too, seem to be doing well considering the vocation shortage. (We have 3 priests at our church in CT) Fr. Groechel’s order has grown a lot with over 140 now since they left their previous order, 10-12 years ago. They have a hard and very poor lifestyle, but grow and grow in numbers and faith. I suppose there are a lot of factors, location, “feel” etc., but it always stuck out that they were struggling. Once Fr. Francis joked with Fr. Mark that they scare everyone off and that Brother Leo was the first in 2 years to be on the road to priesthood. (I hope he stays) The young man that used to read the letters on LOTR left to join another order although they joked they tried to have him stay with them.

If an order is loyal to the Pope and faithful, what do you think makes one thrive and one not?
 
debraran said:
Hi, I don’t want this to turn into something about a particular priest/nun, but I have always wondered why EWTN doesn’t attract men to the brotherhood/priesthood the way other orders do? The nuns seem “full” and many stay (a few leave) but the friars stagnate. Other orders, like the Domincan church I belong too, seem to be doing well considering the vocation shortage. (We have 3 priests at our church in CT) Fr. Groechel’s order has grown a lot with over 140 now since they left their previous order, 10-12 years ago. They have a hard and very poor lifestyle, but grow and grow in numbers and faith. I suppose there are a lot of factors, location, “feel” etc., but it always stuck out that they were struggling. Once Fr. Francis joked with Fr. Mark that they scare everyone off and that Brother Leo was the first in 2 years to be on the road to priesthood. (I hope he stays) The young man that used to read the letters on LOTR left to join another order although they joked they tried to have him stay with them.

If an order is loyal to the Pope and faithful, what do you think makes one thrive and one not?
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Do we have any good hard numbers about the membership?
 
I don’t know “hard numbers”, but I know what they said and what I can see on their site. I know I watched a show on vocations and they laughed they had “Brother Leo” but that was it the last few years. Fr. F said he didn’t know why, “they scared them off?” and it was a little uncomfortable for a few seconds but then they let Brother Leo talk. He said he was doing okay, but being alone had it’s good points and bad…“too much attention!” : ) They also were disheartened to have one of their staff pick a different order in NYC and Fr. Francis quickly glossed over that (it is a personal thing) and wished him well. They have a few stop by to check them out, but again, they joke, they must do something, because they don’t stay. Fr. Mark joked once it was their location, Alabama isn’t a big draw,but unsaid was why the nuns are busting at the seams.
I think not having the numbers can be a strain too, because the priests do more work. Sometimes visiters would think there were more, since the brothers dress the same.
 
This is Fr.Groechel’s order…he wrote a wonderful book on the forming of the order and said he couldnt keep up with the added brothers and sisters in the photos. A Drama of Reform was the title. Very inspiring.

franciscanfriars.com/welcome/index.htm

It was also exciting to know about 15 from my neck of the woods went into the Dominican formation last year, about 150 in the area. I think that was the biggest class since 1960’s Father Holt told us at mass. I always beleived the stricter orders will do better than the “wishy washy” ones. It made me tear up to see these men and women in different steps of formation.
That’s why I was always quizzical about the friars at EWTN…could be nothing, could be tensions that go beyond the norm, or maybe that medium isn’t as attractive to some.
 
debraran said:
If an order is loyal to the Pope and faithful, what do you think makes one thrive and one not?
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It seems that the EWTN Franciscans have had growth spurts and struggles over the time of their lifespan.

One of things which is unique about them is just how public their ministry is. I don’t know that everyone feels quite comfortable becoming a television celebrity, of sorts.

A lot, I think, has to do with community dynamics.

There may also be issues of overall space which they have available. If their order grew much larger, where would they go, what would they do? So, it could be argued that they are kind of “right sized” for their particular ministry.
 
I would agree except they really seemed to want more members. It would make the work load a bit easier.
 
We also have to remember that a call to the religious priesthood is a very special vocation, and the religious priests we see on EWTN lead an especially strict life.

For Groeschel’s order, for example, is a reform of the reform, meaning that the Capuchins were founded to more strictly interpret the ascetic views of Saint Francis, and the Renewal Friars are even more strict. Just the fact that they get up at 4.30 in the morning says something!

One of the hardest things about religious life is renouncing material posessions–a Diocesan priest can own some modest posessions of his own (some books, some vestments, a few CDs…) while Friars own nothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the renewal friars didn’t even own their glasses or their toothbrushes! The life of a friar is also physically demanding.

This is a hard teaching, and is magnified by the fact that the friars we see on EWTN are subject to intense scrutiny–they’re on TV, after all…
 
Pious Mat, that’s why I think it’s wonderful how much Father Groechel’s order has grown. I met him and a couple of his friars recently and you can just sense a warmth about them…well Fr. is a bit of a crumudgeon sometimes, but a sweet one. : )

I don’t know if the EWTN friars have to work on the TV show, but they serve the monastary, have masses daily, and the brothers usually meet the public. I know they were expanding their priory in case they had more postulants come. I get a newsletter from them which keeps you up on things…doubt they’ll mention the latest news though.
Then nuns also have a newsletter that is interesting and gives you a glimpse at some of the gorgeous statues, etc. they have inside.
 
Pious Mat, that’s why I think it’s wonderful how much Father Groechel’s order has grown. I met him and a couple of his friars recently and you can just sense a warmth about them…well Fr. is a bit of a crumudgeon sometimes, but a sweet one. : )

I don’t know if the EWTN friars have to work on the TV show, but they serve the monastary, have masses daily, and the brothers usually meet the public. I know they were expanding their priory in case they had more postulants come. I get a newsletter from them which keeps you up on things…doubt they’ll mention the latest news though.
Then nuns also have a newsletter that is interesting and gives you a glimpse at some of the gorgeous statues, etc. they have inside along with their schedule. I know I couldn’t be comtemplative, too claustophobic for me, but I think it’s a blessing to have so many called to it. We need their prayers!.
 
Pious_Mat said:
One of the hardest things about religious life is renouncing material posessions–a Diocesan priest can own some modest posessions of his own (some books, some vestments, a few CDs…) l…
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Diocesan priests can own whatever they can afford. Most own their own cars. I know diocesan priests who own their own homes and even time shares or vacation homes. I know a priest who owns rental buildings. They usually buy their own personal computers, stereo equipment, televisions etc. I know several who own boats. The buy their own clothing, pay for their own vacations and meals outside of the rectory if they choose to eat out. I would say those things go far beyond some modest posessions. Granted there are probably many diocesan priests who live very modestly, but in my area most live almost as well as their parishioners. It all depends how well they manage their money, if they have an outside source of income, and how well their stock portfolio is doing.
 
I agree, it really depends on the parish and how much money they have AND how the priest wants to live. I knew one that liked his own home, had his parents later in life I think or bought his own. Had a nice car, but never new. Some priests (like ours) came from a rich parish with expensive food and fancy rectory to leaking roofs and barely enough to pay the bills. He chose it though which I thought was very nice of him, he gave up a lot of material things, we gained a lot in devotion and holiness.
 
Just a random thought outloud (or written out!)

I am wondering if it isn’t possibly the case that the EWTN Franciscan women aren’t larger than the men because they were in fact founded by a woman?

Does anyone have more info or a website on the actual numbers, or the actual charism of the male members?
 
I’ll try to get numbers, but they never want to brag about small ones…it might have been in an old newsletter. I tend to leave them at church now though to share.
The women (nuns) are HUGE compared to the men. You should see them all crowded in a photo. On their web site, you can put the cursor over each nun and it will you their name.
You can see most of the friars either on the show or doing mass, although some of the ones doing mass are visiting priests. They do have a lot more brothers though.
 
The nuns at EWTN are contemplative nuns. They may do a video shoot of them praying a rosary or something now and then, and Mother Angelica had her programs for years- but they are a cloistered, contemplative order of nuns.

The friars are apostolic. Their apostolate is EWTN. They may be closely affiliated with each other because of their foundress and the network she started, and they share a common Franciscan spirituality- but the two orders are very different in nature.

I’m not sure if it’s this way everywhere, but I suspect so…the women’s orders are spreading like wildfire. The men’s orders just haven’t caught on yet- I’m sure they will eventually. It must be very difficult to join an order- for the right reasons- knowing there is a good possibility your life is going to more public than the average person- or the average friar. That alone is enough to deter me from looking into that order, as I am an extremely private person.
 
I can see that cutting both ways, the “extrovert” and the “introvert”. If I had a calling, I would definitely be unhappy in either order, I would need both things. I think some convents in New York are like that, Fr.Groechel’s sisters for one, they have a lot of quiet time, but minister to the poor too. He is the only one that is on TV which is nice, the rest can stay in the background.
I got the newsletter for the Friars today…didn’t see the last seminarian they had mentioned, I think he took the name Leo or something like that, but they seemed to have another. They also seem older in their order but maybe that’s better, they have more in common.
 
i think the CFR’s have a lot of vocations because as Fr. Groschel has said of our generation, “they are looking for ‘authenticity’,” and the CFR’s have it.

the strongest factors i think are
-daily Rosary.
-daily Adoration.
-daily Mass.
-daily liturgy of the hours.
-importance of the Magisterium and following Church teachings.
-older brothers/priests = wisdom/guidance
-middle aged brothers/priests = wisdom/guidance, more in common.
-young postulants/novices = lots in common, fun.
-working with the poor
-living like the poor.
-living life in the spirit of St. Francis.
-lots of apostolates (different jobs for each friary throughout New York)
-they like music, concerts, and young adult events.
-good mix of active/contemplative life.

any questions? yes. they rock!
 
I agree 100%!

When my fifteen year old met Fr.Groechel after seeing him on TV for a year or so, she said to me, “if I ever have a vocation to be a nun, I know it will in one like his order, sparse living and serving the poor, that makes the most sense to me”. To each his own, but it made me proud she would even contemplate it in our secular world.
I think EWTN is great (although their recent actions had me complaining) but their friars mainly do mass, serve the convent which is needed or cater to the public that visits daily. The only problem with that, is that many of them are like tourists visiting and look at everything with that eye…including the friars.
For whatever reason, maybe the atmosphere of NYC, you don’t feel that as much with Fr. Groechel’s order and his talks and activities around the Bronx and other parts of NYC, etc.Also I see such joy in his friars and nuns, not the fake smiles of some, but real joy. Maybe that’s not a daily, ongoing occurance, but you do sense a real holiness. I pray all the time that is repeated in every state and town and we can really wear our faith instead of just preaching it.
 
debraran said:
Also I see such joy in his friars and nuns, not the fake smiles of some, but real joy. Maybe that’s not a daily, ongoing occurance, but you do sense a real holiness. I pray all the time that is repeated in every state and town and we can really wear our faith instead of just preaching it.
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actually it is a daily, ongoing occurrence 😃

ya that’s the only thing i don’t like about them - they aren’t in California! yet…
 
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