Latin American Vocations Boom?

[ASimpleSinner]

From ncrcafe.org/node/1406

In the forthcoming volume Conversion of a Continent (Rutgers University Press), Dominican Fr. Edward Cleary, a longtime observer of the region, argues that that Latin America today is actually in the grip of a major religious revival, with the surge in Pentecostalism representing its leading edge. Catholicism, Cleary says, is also becoming more dynamic, generating higher levels of commitment among those who remain. Cleary believes that this Catholic awakening had its roots in lay movements that go back to the 1930s and 40s, but it’s been jump-started by healthy competitive pressure. In effect, Cleary argues, recent Latin American experience confirms what believers in the United States have long understood – an open religious marketplace, unfettered by an established church, is healthy for churches all the way around.

As one bit of evidence, Clearly cites vocations to the priesthood. In Honduras, the national seminary had an enrollment of 170 in 2007, an all-time high for a country where the total number of priests is slightly more than 400. Twenty years ago, there were fewer than 40 candidates. Bolivia saw the most remarkable increase; in 1972, the entire country had 49 seminarians, while in 2001 the number was 714, representing growth of 1,357 percent. Overall, seminarians in Latin America have increased 440 percent in the last two decades, according to Cleary.

If this is accurate, I have LONG said that this was coming.

 

[Franze]

The spaniard missioneries are dying and dissapearing, I think and hope that this trend confirms, but I have my doubts.

 

[manualman]

Cheer up Franze, the Latinos might come on over and return the favor.

 

[EsclavoDeCristo]

I lived in Latin America for roughly 1 1/2 years mainly in Bolivia, Peru and Honduras. From my limited time there I did see many religious vocations. However, they definitely need our prayers too. Just as we have many divisions within the Church here in the USA (ie. promoters of things contrary to the teachings of the Church) so do they.

I saw several radical American groups/orders pushing their liberation theology; probably carry overs from the late 60s/early 70s. This was especially true in Bolivia and Peru. I sensed that many young men had a longing for God but couldnt find that truely orthodox group so ended up joining a lukewarm group that promoted “justice and liberation” as opposed to the Truth, with capital T. Many of these would join an order, receive a free college education, stay with the group for a while and then say “see ya” before taking final vows. The good news is that this is Holy Spirits way of separating the wheat from the chaft. The religious orders that stubbornly continue to promote their agenda in contrast to that of the Church, are dying out. Praise be to God!

On the other hand, I saw incredible things in Honduras. There I worked with a lay group called the Missioners of Christ in conjunction with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. All the ministry in Honduras was geared toward spiritual renewal, edification and education. The responses to God’s call that young people had was AMAZING.

Overall, I DO think that God will renew His Church through the poor of the underdeveloped countries. Once those people here the complete unedited Truth they will become ignited with God’s Holy Spirit. I have seen it already. They have the faith of children and to move mountains. I’ve seen illnesses cured mysteriously and God provide time after time for these “least of His children”.

~“The harvest is plenty and the laborers are few. Tell the master to send out laborers to the harvest!”~

 

[Padrecito]

At one point, we were recruiting half a dozen men each year from Mexico for our American diocese. Fine men, very devout. But a stop was put to that by some people in the American bureaucracy (I’m trying to be polite).

So we managed to get a few from Nicaragua. Fine men. Also stopped.

Now we expect to recruit heavily in Colombia. Some say that Colombia is the new Ireland. We have recruited there in the past, but those were men either in seminary or just beginning, and the retention rate hasn’t been great. Now we’re recruiting from experienced, already ordained men. I’m the first beneficiary of one of these as my vicar - 10 years ordained, very solid. They’re lining up to come here, mainly because of the increasing violence in Colombia, but we are putting them through very stringent post-Scandal tests and checks.

If American dioceses went to Mexico and Nicaragua, they would find some very fine men. But even when I was in El Paso, the bureaucracy there refused to even consider Mexicans. Funny thing was that I (an outsider) helped arrange the first meeting ever between the bishop of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso. And they lived less than 5 miles from each other.

I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

• Padrecito