Duluth Diocese
I love Fr. Blake , and I may have misread his post, but I wonder if he might be mistaken?
We just don't seem to have that problem in Minnesota...
The Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis is blessed with many good candidates for the priesthood as well as many good priests - younger guys and the young at heart.
We also have St. John Vianney College Seminary and St. Paul School of Divinity - filled with young men attracted to Diocesan priesthood.
Location, location, location. The Diocese of Monterey does not have a shortage of seminarians.
ReplyDeleteAnd you have a priest at the Cathedral who is pretty attractive! ;)
DeleteFr. Schmitz - he who has given in to the cult of personality. I am not impressed.
ReplyDeleteNot at all. This is what Fr. S has to say about his vocation:
Delete"MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A PRIEST IS EVERYTHING CONNECTED TO THE SACRAMENTS.
I love offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I love preaching. I love hearing confessions. There is nothing that I know of that can compare with getting to be a part of someone’s Great Story, the story that God is calling His children to live."
He's a wonderful priest.
Yes he is! He is uplifting and he inspires. When I listen to what he has to say, I am moved to want to grow in my faith. He is joy filled too. <3
DeleteThat's what all the "celebrity" priests say. He is one of them. Self centered, pretty, and looking for every opportunity to promote himself. He will fall like the rest.
DeleteOur large-but-not-massive parish has five seminarians and our liturgy would probably make Fr. Blake run in horror. (That's not a judgement on our liturgy--it suits me just fine, though I would drop the Haugen and Hass if it were up to me.)
ReplyDeleteI don't get the "they changed the liturgy and look how the pews and seminaries emptied"-crisis-think. Isn't a broad cultural shift the much more likely culprit? England is almost entirely secularized. Going to seminary here is pretty counter-cultural. Imagine what the reaction there must be. I wonder if "I'm going to seminary to become a celibate Catholic priest" gets roughly the same reaction in England that "I'm going to India to live in an ashram" gets in Mississippi.
You are right about 'crisis think' - you steep yourself in negative-critical thinking that everyone is the enemy and you send people running the other way.
DeleteSt Paul has 8 for ordination this year. 11 for next year.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find an appropriate photo for them! Also - I was looking for the Deacon from my parish who will be ordained. He's a Companion too - excellent homilist.
DeleteCheck 10000 vocations, which has individual photos. Group photos may be on seminaryblog.
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DeleteMy spiritual director is in that picture.
ReplyDeleteAnd my pastor!
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ReplyDeleteI'd say Australia is more comparable in culture to England than America. We're struggling here. Pumping numbers up by bringing in men from India, Nigeria and Vietnam. Some great candidates among them to be sure, but it's not a long term solution. As Blake suggests, "like attracts like" and even though they're young, an excess of foreigners in seminaries discourages the locals. Pray for vocations.
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