there was a guy who got busted while I was in seminary, and turned out he applied to like a dozen different dioceses. The big problem is there's no protocol for keeping tabs on that sort of thing, outside of maybe vocation directors talking to each other. Most competent vocation directors will just ghost guys who don't pass their smell t…
there was a guy who got busted while I was in seminary, and turned out he applied to like a dozen different dioceses. The big problem is there's no protocol for keeping tabs on that sort of thing, outside of maybe vocation directors talking to each other. Most competent vocation directors will just ghost guys who don't pass their smell test, and that was probably most of the places that this guy and other weirdos apply. All I can think of for a system would be for parishes of baptism to note whenever a baptismal certificate is requested for seminary application, but that's also pretty far along in the process. They ask if you've applied anywhere else early in the process, but there's nothing stopping one from just lying about that.
I understand that the Bishops of England and Wales are setting up a database to record all applications from all 22 dioceses in England and Wales. This should prevent a guy attempting multiple applications within those two small countries.
It is obviously not going to detect a guy who has made unsuccessful attempts in other countries. We would need some serious international cooperation for that. But a USA only database with Social Security Number as a key could be very useful, if not bombproof.
I know a good priest who suffered rejection before being allowed to go through seminary and be ordained. He did some stupid non-sexual things in his youth and grew out of them.
As Catholics we should be in favour of forgiveness. I am glad to hear that this priest has proved to be good after a rocky start as a youngster. As long as the bishop and all concerned in his formation were fully aware of his earlier problems and scrutinised him very carefully for any problems before he was ordained. And the bishop was not acting out of utter desperation at the lack of vocations.
A few years ago there was the sad case of the assistant priest in the parish next to mine. Our previous bishop had asked him to leave the seminary. A few years later our current bishop ordained him. Not long afterwards his misadventures were out on the Internet - drunkeness and making sexual advances to the parish Master of Ceremonies. He has been "care of Bishop's House" for a few years now.
Obviously there are loads of gaps in this tale which we peasants may never be told. His case is common knowledge in local parishes, so there is no way he can ever be assigned to another parish. And no one seems eager to laicise him.
In this case the problem was what one might call extreme verbal forcefulness with respect to being righteous. He is still totally faithful but I think he is a bit more tactful to their face about other people's failings than he used to be.
there was a guy who got busted while I was in seminary, and turned out he applied to like a dozen different dioceses. The big problem is there's no protocol for keeping tabs on that sort of thing, outside of maybe vocation directors talking to each other. Most competent vocation directors will just ghost guys who don't pass their smell test, and that was probably most of the places that this guy and other weirdos apply. All I can think of for a system would be for parishes of baptism to note whenever a baptismal certificate is requested for seminary application, but that's also pretty far along in the process. They ask if you've applied anywhere else early in the process, but there's nothing stopping one from just lying about that.
I understand that the Bishops of England and Wales are setting up a database to record all applications from all 22 dioceses in England and Wales. This should prevent a guy attempting multiple applications within those two small countries.
It is obviously not going to detect a guy who has made unsuccessful attempts in other countries. We would need some serious international cooperation for that. But a USA only database with Social Security Number as a key could be very useful, if not bombproof.
I know a good priest who suffered rejection before being allowed to go through seminary and be ordained. He did some stupid non-sexual things in his youth and grew out of them.
As Catholics we should be in favour of forgiveness. I am glad to hear that this priest has proved to be good after a rocky start as a youngster. As long as the bishop and all concerned in his formation were fully aware of his earlier problems and scrutinised him very carefully for any problems before he was ordained. And the bishop was not acting out of utter desperation at the lack of vocations.
A few years ago there was the sad case of the assistant priest in the parish next to mine. Our previous bishop had asked him to leave the seminary. A few years later our current bishop ordained him. Not long afterwards his misadventures were out on the Internet - drunkeness and making sexual advances to the parish Master of Ceremonies. He has been "care of Bishop's House" for a few years now.
Obviously there are loads of gaps in this tale which we peasants may never be told. His case is common knowledge in local parishes, so there is no way he can ever be assigned to another parish. And no one seems eager to laicise him.
In this case the problem was what one might call extreme verbal forcefulness with respect to being righteous. He is still totally faithful but I think he is a bit more tactful to their face about other people's failings than he used to be.