Why so many foriegn priests?

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theguidedheart

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I’m not really sure where to put this, but its been a little interesting to me that there isn’t a parish in my area without an irish priest, or 2… or 3… or other foriegn priests (indian, asian, african), and I was curious why so many priests are ‘imported’?.. or are they not imported, are they natural American citizens and happen to be foreign?.. I’ve heard theories that it had to do with the shortage of American priests, does anyone know if this is accurate, or if I just happen to be in a very culturally diverse archdiocese?

Peace…
 
Yes, bishops with priest shortages have invited priests from other countries to their diocese. They contact bishops in countries with many priests and extend an offer. If the bishop of the priest’s home diocese allows them to transfer, they will come to the US.

Our priest is from Poland, and is here at the invitation of our bishop, to help aleviate the shortage.
 
Some of them may indeed be naturalized US citizens. Our Irish Pastor is just such a one. Others may be here studying (like our in-residence priest), still others ask Ike said may be here at the invitation of the Bishop. We should all be praying for an increase in vocations and those in a position to beome a priest or permenant deacon should seriously consider it.
 
theguidedheart said:
I’m not really sure where to put this, but its been a little interesting to me that there isn’t a parish in my area without an irish priest, or 2… or 3… or other foriegn priests (indian, asian, african), and I was curious why so many priests are ‘imported’?.. or are they not imported, are they natural American citizens and happen to be foreign?.. I’ve heard theories that it had to do with the shortage of American priests, does anyone know if this is accurate, or if I just happen to be in a very culturally diverse archdiocese?

Peace…
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What’s the matter, you Georgians just don’t like foreigners or something? 😛 (kidding, kidding)… Seriously though, there are a lot of different reasons. Some of the other posters have given reasons, and I agree that we really need to pray and push for more “homegrown” vocations! 👍
 
We just got our first foreign born priest. Father is from Venezuela as I recall to help out with the booming Hispanic population in Northern VA.
 
theguidedheart said:
I’m not really sure where to put this, but its been a little interesting to me that there isn’t a parish in my area without an irish priest, or 2… or 3… or other foriegn priests (indian, asian, african), and I was curious why so many priests are ‘imported’?.. or are they not imported, are they natural American citizens and happen to be foreign?.. I’ve heard theories that it had to do with the shortage of American priests, does anyone know if this is accurate, or if I just happen to be in a very culturally diverse archdiocese?

Peace…
Click to expand...
Shortage of US Priests. The US doesn’t have a lot of seminarians at the present time, except in a few conservative institutes and yes, I know that there are more seminarians in total number in normal seminaries than in the conservative ones, but the conservative seminaries are booming while the others aren’t.

Part of that is I feel the secularization of the US society, as well as the exaltation of non clerical life in general. I remember full well in the old Baltimore Catechism the drawing showing a wedding saying this is good and a drawing of a Priest and a Sister saying this is better. I mean lets get serious, why put up with the lonliness, the isolation, the deprivations and the stress of clerical life if the married life or even the single life is considered just as good and just as fulfilling in the eyes of God?

As to why there are more foreign priests, you have to get them from somewhere and in many countries the Priesthood is still seen as a higher calling and thus is more attractive to many young men.
 
Of the priests in Anchorage, about 1/3 are locals, and 1/6 are foreign; the rest came in from other places in the country.

Fr.X for example, had attended the seminary, and had doubts. He later, through continuing discernment, realized those doubts were not going to be an issue. He could not, however, even at his own expense, get the Archbishop to approve his return to priestly studies. Fr. Mike, now Bishop Mike of Juneau, heard of this, and gave him a second chance.

Many men have doubts like Fr. did… and many do not get a second chance.

Me, I’m a different case. My wife wouldn’t let me accept Eparch George’s call to the (Byzantine-Ruthenian) seminary. Pray for her conversion.
 
I would be happy if there were more. Foreign priests mostly come from countries where priests are orthodox. I can see that there can be problems though. For example, he might have an accent that is hard to understand during the mass, as I know has happened. But I they can have very good qualities that are more important.
 
where i go for reconciliation has a new priest and he is mexican. not sure if he is a natural born american since he sounds like he might have just got here… anyway, he was really nice during the reconciliation and had a smile on his face a mile long. i saw God at that time listening to my sins and it made me at ease to see that smile.
off topic: just wanted to share.
 
We need to pray for more homegrown vocations to the priesthood. At a meeting we had last night, we watched Fishers of Men and our Deacon gave a talk on vocations. I think that he made a very good point. In his opinion, we need to pray for vocations to marriage also. Marriage is down and cohabitation is up. Also, many parents are not introducing the idea of religious life to their kids. Parents need to plant the seed so kids are thinking about it growing up and will be able to recognize the call if they get it when they are older.
 
because the US, at least in many dioceses, is now mission territory (in some places like parts of Appalachia it has never ceased being mission territory). Foreign seminaries are turning out more priests, and US diocese with shortages or expereinceing growth are recruiting them. If you think it is a problem, encourage Catholics to stop contracepting, to accept and raise all the children God wants to send the, and there will be no more vocation shortage. In an area where seminaries are deficient or riddled with abuse, it is much better to have no new priests than a flock of bad ones badly formed with poorly discerned vocations.
 
mdgspencer said:
I would be happy if there were more. Foreign priests mostly come from countries where priests are orthodox. I can see that there can be problems though. For example, he might have an accent that is hard to understand during the mass, as I know has happened. But I they can have very good qualities that are more important.
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Very true!

I have known three visiting priests (two at my own parish) from Africa, and they have all been among the bests priests I have ever come accross. Even if they are difficult to understand…it’s definately worth it:thumbsup: .
 
My parish is blessed to have quite a lot of seminarians (and others still discerning) right now, but it required galvanizing community support for those vocations. When I worked directly with our teens I would hear how some young man or woman would mention a possible religious vocation and get a verbal beating from the parents. We had kids who were told that they had better go to college and get a high-paying job. These messages sometimes came from what on the surface seemed gung ho, orthodox parents. Our boost in religious vocations came after we began Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration to promote religious vocations from our parish in 2005.

I believe that until American Catholics get back to really supporting religious vocations from their own families that we will need to import priests. My parish just hosted a priest from Nigeria for a year and another one has arrived from Africa this summer to replace him for a year. I don’t think that it would hurt to have long visits from foreign priests even absent any shortage just to remind us that the church is universal and mostly located outside of the USA.
 
chris_molter said:
What’s the matter, you Georgians just don’t like foreigners or something? 😛 (kidding, kidding)… Seriously though, there are a lot of different reasons. Some of the other posters have given reasons, and I agree that we really need to pray and push for more “homegrown” vocations! 👍
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Hey, I’m not georgia-born! :)… I love the foreign priests, infact I love all of the priests, I really admire what it is they are doing for the world and our parish communities, but it has always peaked my curiosity about the great influx of foreign priests… there was one point where nearly the entire parish was made up of foreign priests… so it just got me thinking. 🙂

Peace
 
palmas85 said:
Shortage of US Priests. The US doesn’t have a lot of seminarians at the present time, except in a few conservative institutes and yes, I know that there are more seminarians in total number in normal seminaries than in the conservative ones, but the conservative seminaries are booming while the others aren’t.

Part of that is I feel the secularization of the US society, as well as the exaltation of non clerical life in general. I remember full well in the old Baltimore Catechism the drawing showing a wedding saying this is good and a drawing of a Priest and a Sister saying this is better. I mean lets get serious, why put up with the lonliness, the isolation, the deprivations and the stress of clerical life if the married life or even the single life is considered just as good and just as fulfilling in the eyes of God?

As to why there are more foreign priests, you have to get them from somewhere and in many countries the Priesthood is still seen as a higher calling and thus is more attractive to many young men.
Click to expand...
Yeah, great insights… and quite sad that the priesthood is not considered so attracctive here anymore - I am a convert, so I can only know what the last 5 years have felt like, but when I look back to earlier times in Catholic history, it just feels like there was such a respect for the priesthood… I mean, I would be so proud if my son went into the priesthood! I like the idea of Eucharistic adoration mentioned earlier on behalf of bringing new priests to our parishes…

Peace
 
xmydreamsfadex said:
where i go for reconciliation has a new priest and he is mexican. not sure if he is a natural born american since he sounds like he might have just got here… anyway, he was really nice during the reconciliation and had a smile on his face a mile long. i saw God at that time listening to my sins and it made me at ease to see that smile.
off topic: just wanted to share.
Click to expand...
Wow '07, congratulations and welcome!
 
Nechasin said:
We need to pray for more homegrown vocations to the priesthood. At a meeting we had last night, we watched Fishers of Men and our Deacon gave a talk on vocations. I think that he made a very good point. In his opinion, we need to pray for vocations to marriage also. Marriage is down and cohabitation is up. Also, many parents are not introducing the idea of religious life to their kids. Parents need to plant the seed so kids are thinking about it growing up and will be able to recognize the call if they get it when they are older.
Click to expand...
All great points, the cohabitation one is especially something I have never considered, but defintely makes sense… I hate to see what that will mean for the years to come as this trend grows… a previous comment mentioned the fact that parents wouldn’t accept one guy’s willingness to become a preist in order to get a high-paying job reminds me of my own life - when I told my dad I wanted to be an illustrator for a living, it was hardly acceptable, I can only imagine the problems cased by telling parents who are hardly Catholic that you want to be a priest - sadly many Americans don’t see value in anything that doesn’t ‘pay’… the priesthood being a life of sacrifice and constant giving goes in the face of everything the society is spewing at us… sad.

Peace
 
Our priest from Poland just left us for a new assignment. I believe he has to serve in two parishes in order to become “incardinated,” or a diocesan priest. He is a wonderful man - the most reverent priest I have ever seen. He just left, and we already miss him! However, we are getting a new priest, also from Poland, so I’m hoping for more of the same.
 
a lot of irish priests came to new zealand , but now we have them from all over the world , which is great. I was told by an elderly irish priest that alot of the irish priests left the priesthood once their mothers had died. very sad.
 
The Holy Spirit is very alive and well in foreign countries and calling these good men to vocations.

The calls here in the US are clouded by our secular society, eroding of good morals, and general anti-christ like attitude rippling around the country. God Bless all the good men in the US who hear the call and have the courage to answer despite all the “noise”.
 
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