I hope that they are 27 men who fear the Lord, and who will be part of TRUE reform over the next decades of their ministry. The Lord did it with fewer.
I'm a religious priest serving in Bavaria. The Church in Germany has money and structure, but is lacking in spirit. Many parishes are not places where you can encounter a living, loving presence of the Lord Jesus. But I see many signs of hope. The Church is becoming smaller, but purified, more alive. I serve in youth ministry, and I always meet people who really want to keep Jesus in the center. People here need to encounter the JOY of JESUS!
If you know anyone who lives in Bavaria and is looking for a Catholic community centered around Jesus, tell them to contact the ApostelHaus in Alzgern (haha my shameless pitch).
I'd be happy with a parish there where I could encounter daily Eucharist. It seems they are in short supply many places, though maybe not so much Bavaria.
This seems to have been a trend in the West in general. I would be curious if that "hunch" is true. It seemed (again, just a hunch) that throughout the mid-2000s through the mid-2010s, diocesan ordinations were on the rise. Then, over the past ten years, they began to decline, and it seems now to be at an alarmingly low point. If my hunch is correct, why aren't bishops more concerned? I understand that the Church hinges upon the laity. But without a regular priestly presence to provide sacraments and pastoral care how long can our Catholic institutions (especially parishes) hope to have enough resources and people to maintain even a mediocre existence?
I wonder if religious communities have experienced the same drop off or if they are faring better?
Possibly the bishops aren't concerned, but I think it's more likely that they are taking cues from marketing experts. Gotta avoid negativity. Always look friendly and upbeat. Shore up appearances to make your product - er, Church - look like a fantastic place to be!
Of course, everyone knows advertising is superficial, and no one in their right mind would take all the requirements of being Catholic, in exchange for superficiality. People who are trying to sell you something will refrain from telling you things you can be expected to dislike, often even if they know that you already know them. People who want to help you make a good decision will be careful to tell you the things you can be expected to dislike. Someone who tells you what you don't like may not be trustworthy, but someone who carefully avoids telling you what you don't like definitely isn't.
It would be nice to get some general data on religious orders. I've heard of a lot of them shutting down and trying to handle older religious with no one to support them, and a few busting their seams.
Yeah, it does seem evangelization for some does not include the difficult things like sin, suffering, and sacrifice. As that shows why the Resurrection is so powerful. So much for “proclaiming Christ crucified.”
Yes, JLK, this seems to be the case for Bishops in England and Wales for many years. Ordinations to the diocesan priesthood have been grim since 2000 - 20 or 30 a year for 22 dioceses. And they look likely to drop lower.
Yet there is hardly a word from the Bishops to encourage good young men to step forward. It seems years since I heard the topic mentioned. Appeals and prayers for vocations were common back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Could their Graces be looking for an excuse to have married priests? Or is there some other obscure motive?
That is true. The Francis cynic in me has also led me to wonder if bishops shy away from getting too many vocations as this has led to Apostolic Visitations for some bishops and religious orders that are doing a little too well.
Only because they happen to be pesky trads who have the audacity to prefer our ancient culture and traditions and oppose the watering down of the same.
I am still baffled by this business of disaffiliating from the German church. Obviously it is meaningless outside Germany as no one in the UK or USA is going to ask for evidence of membership before giving you Communion. All the times that I have been to Mass in various parts of Germany...not once have I been asked for proof that I pay the Church Tax. I guess that the only time it could be enforced would be if you sought to get married in Church.
One wonders what the German Church would look like if the bishops weren't so political and actually supported traditional Catholics instead of ostracizing them. The welcome shown to the LGBTQ community compared to traditional Catholics can give one a case of whiplash.
Who would want to be a priest under the current German episcopate with its cringe attempts to appeal to the youth (kids like rap, right?), its overt (and wrong-headed) political activities, and its fealty to people like Irma Stetter-Karp?
The Bishop of St. Gallen in Switzerland just called for the ordination of women because of a "consecration crisis." I suppose if a bishop's goal is to ordain women more male seminarians is a problem. The fewer new priests the more acute the crisis, the faster we get to women's ordination.
I hope that they are 27 men who fear the Lord, and who will be part of TRUE reform over the next decades of their ministry. The Lord did it with fewer.
It would be absolutely fascinating to hear why these men became priests.
I mean, one would hope it’s because God called them, but in such a wayward place as the German Church, I’d hope to hear that these men have some zeal.
I'm a religious priest serving in Bavaria. The Church in Germany has money and structure, but is lacking in spirit. Many parishes are not places where you can encounter a living, loving presence of the Lord Jesus. But I see many signs of hope. The Church is becoming smaller, but purified, more alive. I serve in youth ministry, and I always meet people who really want to keep Jesus in the center. People here need to encounter the JOY of JESUS!
If you know anyone who lives in Bavaria and is looking for a Catholic community centered around Jesus, tell them to contact the ApostelHaus in Alzgern (haha my shameless pitch).
God be with you and your community!
I'd be happy with a parish there where I could encounter daily Eucharist. It seems they are in short supply many places, though maybe not so much Bavaria.
The synodal way continues apace!
This seems to have been a trend in the West in general. I would be curious if that "hunch" is true. It seemed (again, just a hunch) that throughout the mid-2000s through the mid-2010s, diocesan ordinations were on the rise. Then, over the past ten years, they began to decline, and it seems now to be at an alarmingly low point. If my hunch is correct, why aren't bishops more concerned? I understand that the Church hinges upon the laity. But without a regular priestly presence to provide sacraments and pastoral care how long can our Catholic institutions (especially parishes) hope to have enough resources and people to maintain even a mediocre existence?
I wonder if religious communities have experienced the same drop off or if they are faring better?
Possibly the bishops aren't concerned, but I think it's more likely that they are taking cues from marketing experts. Gotta avoid negativity. Always look friendly and upbeat. Shore up appearances to make your product - er, Church - look like a fantastic place to be!
Of course, everyone knows advertising is superficial, and no one in their right mind would take all the requirements of being Catholic, in exchange for superficiality. People who are trying to sell you something will refrain from telling you things you can be expected to dislike, often even if they know that you already know them. People who want to help you make a good decision will be careful to tell you the things you can be expected to dislike. Someone who tells you what you don't like may not be trustworthy, but someone who carefully avoids telling you what you don't like definitely isn't.
It would be nice to get some general data on religious orders. I've heard of a lot of them shutting down and trying to handle older religious with no one to support them, and a few busting their seams.
Yeah, it does seem evangelization for some does not include the difficult things like sin, suffering, and sacrifice. As that shows why the Resurrection is so powerful. So much for “proclaiming Christ crucified.”
Yes, JLK, this seems to be the case for Bishops in England and Wales for many years. Ordinations to the diocesan priesthood have been grim since 2000 - 20 or 30 a year for 22 dioceses. And they look likely to drop lower.
Yet there is hardly a word from the Bishops to encourage good young men to step forward. It seems years since I heard the topic mentioned. Appeals and prayers for vocations were common back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Could their Graces be looking for an excuse to have married priests? Or is there some other obscure motive?
That is true. The Francis cynic in me has also led me to wonder if bishops shy away from getting too many vocations as this has led to Apostolic Visitations for some bishops and religious orders that are doing a little too well.
Only because they happen to be pesky trads who have the audacity to prefer our ancient culture and traditions and oppose the watering down of the same.
" If my hunch is correct, why aren't bishops more concerned?"
Because they continue to live comfortably off of the proceeds of the church tax.
I am still baffled by this business of disaffiliating from the German church. Obviously it is meaningless outside Germany as no one in the UK or USA is going to ask for evidence of membership before giving you Communion. All the times that I have been to Mass in various parts of Germany...not once have I been asked for proof that I pay the Church Tax. I guess that the only time it could be enforced would be if you sought to get married in Church.
Last time I was in Germany, I was in a fairly major metro area and couldn't even find a Mass nearby.
One wonders what the German Church would look like if the bishops weren't so political and actually supported traditional Catholics instead of ostracizing them. The welcome shown to the LGBTQ community compared to traditional Catholics can give one a case of whiplash.
Who would want to be a priest under the current German episcopate with its cringe attempts to appeal to the youth (kids like rap, right?), its overt (and wrong-headed) political activities, and its fealty to people like Irma Stetter-Karp?
Ordinations have declined since 1962 yet it all of the fault of Pope Francis. Sure.
The Bishop of St. Gallen in Switzerland just called for the ordination of women because of a "consecration crisis." I suppose if a bishop's goal is to ordain women more male seminarians is a problem. The fewer new priests the more acute the crisis, the faster we get to women's ordination.