I guess I’ll take a crack at some of these
- Are we aware that not only must the bishops agree to implement the TLM in every parish, but religious superiors as well?
I can’t see the Bishop making such a decision without discussing it with the religious orders first.
In most dioceses the bishops consult. This does not guarantee that everyone will agree. Religious are free to decide if the request is reasonable for them. If they feel that they cannot honor the request, they may leave the diocese. Then the bishop has to find priests.
- Do we understand how catastrophic it can be for a parish for a religious order to suddenly abandon it?
No I don’t know how “catastrophic” it can be. I suppose the level of disruption would depend on a number of factors such as size, number of parishes ran by the order in a given diocese etc.
People become attached not only to the priests, but the spirituality of the order or congregation that runs the parish. For example, if you have had Carmelites running your parish for 50 years. You not only get attached to the priests, but to the Carmelite spirituality that they impart and that they share with the faithful. In such a parish, St. Teresa’s teachings become household words. People can tell the difference between a priest who is a religious and one who is not.
- Has anyone noticed that religious orders are getting many more vocations than dioceses are, with some exceptions?
Any Ideas as to why that is?
More men feel called to the religious life, not jus the priesthood. They are attracted to St. Francis, Dominic, Teresa of Avila, Benedict and so forth. They want the community life, the vows, the daily celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours in community, the missionary work or whatever is the special ministry of an order, such as teaching. The priesthood is a call within a call, second to their call to this way of life. Diocesan priests are secular men, just like you and I. They do not have these elements as part of their life. Their call is to be priests, not Brothers or to live in community or serve in a specific ministry or take vows, etc. They live independently of each other. Many men are looking for a way of life, besides the wanting to be priests. For example, many men have joined the Franciscans of the Reform, because they are attracted to its asceticism, closeness to St. Francis and its rigorous life of prayer and community.
- Does everyone know that some religious orders are now limiting the number of men that they will allow to become priests?
I wonder why that would be? However, I don’t see how that would effect the ability of ordained priests to say the EF, or for the Bishop to decide how and where to implement it.
Many religious orders were founded as brotherhoods, such as the four Franciscan orders and the Benedictines or the Marianists. They were to have only as many priests as they needed to take care of the sacramental needs of the community, not the laity.
For example, the Franciscans were to preach penance for the sake of the laity. The Benedictines were to live separately from the laity in cloisters. The Marianists were to run schools for the laity.
Over the centuries they ordained many of their brothers to help out the bishops who were short of diocesan priests. But now they have too many ordained Brothers, which is inconsistent with the intention of the founder. They are cutting back. They are still ordaining, but not in such large numbers.
Some orders are going back to doing their original ministry for which they did not need so many priests.
For example, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity have a male branch. They have some priests, but not many, because they don’t need priests to take care of the poor. They are attracting many young men who love Mother’s spirituality. The Capuchin-Franciscans are attracting many young men who want to follow Francis’ spirit of preaching and serving the poor, but are not interested in running parishes. Francis was a Lay Brother.
- Have we taken inventory of the number of parishes that make up a diocese and there would have to be at least one priest willing to celebrate a TLM for each parish and we many not have those numbers,
The Holy Father has not madated the EF, he has allowed it, plus he as told the bishops that the faithful have a right to it which they cannot deny.
He has said that the faithful have a right to it. But the bishops can decline to implement it, the don’t have enough priests to do so. Because the MP did not rule out the NO.
However the Bishop must also be aware of changing needs and the probable growing number of people wanting the EF and therefore encourage/require all the priests of the Diocese to become properly fitted to celebrate it.
He can require this of diocesan priests over whose formation he has jurisdiction. Bishops have no jurisdiction over the formation of religious. Generally, religious superiors decide how and where they will form their members.
The bishop reserves the right to say that any religious who comes to one of his parishes must train in the EF. Then it’s up to the religious superior to decide if he wants to assign religious to this diocese.
Usually, religious superiors try their hardest to balance between the traditions of their order and the needs of the church where they serve, but the traditions of their order always take priority. This is called a Pontifical Right.
Holy Rules, such as: Benedictines, Franciscans, Augustinians, Carmelites and Basilians, can only be changed by the Pope.
For example, Franciscans cannot change the Rule of St. Francis. Only the Pope can, because it was written by Francis and sealed by a pope without the (name removed by moderator)ut of the brotherhood.
JR
. And asking a pastor if he’d be willing to offer a TLM is pretty much what it’s there for. And of course it should be done with understanding and charity and respect - like I said earlier.