Thursday, July 26, 2007

The New Face of the Priesthood

It wasn't until after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council that the laity was allowed to have a more active role in ministry.

Though the Council continued to reserve the term "ministry" for clergy and reiterated the traditional teaching that ordained priests "are so configured to Christ the Priest that they can act in the person of Christ the head... in the authority by which Christ Himself builds up, sanctifies, and rules his body" (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, 2), it also exhorted the priest to form communities made up of both men and women employed to for the good of the Church and of mankind. This chipped away the priestly chaste system and placed the priest as a brother among brothers called to "friendly and fraternal dealings with other men" (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, 17).

The age old authoritarian model gave way to a newer, more participatory model. Lumen Gentium emphasises on the whole people of God and stressed on the equality of all Catholics regardless of vocation, dignity and commitment. This led to the framework for the new understanding of the Priesthood. Because of one common baptism, the Church reconized the common priesthood of the faithful.

As it was mentioned earlier, even though the term "ministry" was reserved to clergy, the Church saw that it was important to grant the laity an active part in the mission of the Church. Pope Paul VI's reforms revived the ancient ministries of lector and acolyte as a permanent ministry of the laity.

The New Order of Mass or Novus Ordo also left a deep effect on the image of ministry. The priest was given a new position, the vernacular was introduced, new 'ministers' cramped the sanctuary, etc... The Catholic's view of his/her priest would no longer be the same...

Previously the priest with his back to the people acted as a visible mediator between an awesome God and a prostrate people. Now facing the people from behind a "table", he invites them to prayer.

The authority of the priest has been diminished and replaced with the image of a leader encouraging the people to dialogue with God. The use of the vernacular emphasized this; the priest was no longer set apart to dialogue with God. And with other 'ministers' crowding the sanctuary, the priest no longer has a unique and exclusive minsitry.

Let us take a moment to recall the number of ministries there are in our parishes. Today, we have couples ministries, advocacy ministries, liturgical ministries, ministries to the sick and dying, etc... In his book, 'The Future of Ministry', Rev. Fr. John Coleman, S.J., writes, "Both ordained and inordained share ministry. The laity, far from being a residual catergory, now provide the generic term for, ministy, for which the ordained are a mere subspecies". I believe that the days when ordination meant the achievement of instant status are over: People no longer respect the collar without scrutinizing the wearer first. Everyone, ordained or not will be judged on his/her capabilities, performance, and experience.

Could the explosion of ministies be due to the simple fact that there aren't enough priests to do the job? I do not think so. Remember that some 40 odd years ago, the Bishops at the Second Vatican Council were feeling somewhat smug; they could boast of the Church's institutional vigor, the expanding parochal school systems, the increasing number of converts, overcrowded seminaries, et cetera...

The New Jersey Catholic News, Summer, reveals a grim picture for the Church today: Mass attendance has plummeted 66% in France, 54% in Holland, 50% in Italy and 40% in the USA, infant baptisms are down 50%, adult conversions 75%, while divorce rates among Catholics, along with birth control, have reached shocking proportions and Seminaries are being emptied; seminary enrolment in France declined by 83% from 1963 to 1973, inter alia (e.g. In third world mission countries, more than 50% of parishes do not have a resident priest).

So, is the increasing rate of ministries co-related to the priesthood? Frankly, I do not know. Whatever it is, it appears that the Church can no longer sustain the traditional model of the priesthood. There are forces trying to break the Church away from the clerical chaste mentality, and moving to favour of the laity taking up roles once reserved for the ordained and celibate, (male) Catholic priest.

In the September 2004 edition of the Catholic Digest, Peter Feuerherd revealed that a studies of American priests indicate that the newly ordained cling to tradition, while their elders- most of nwhom cut their ecclesial teeth in the aftermath of Vatican II- seek out innovation. This gap is visible in the presence or absence of the cassock. Associate Pastor Fr. Patrick Riegger who represents the younger generation of priests says that "there is a need for clerical symbolism". I have a proclivity to agree with Fr. Riegger (and other priests who share the same belief) on this point. In the post-concilar Church, the ministeral priesthood tends to be dissolved together with the common priesthood of the faithful. This can be harmful to both the laity and the clergy. Clergy may get caught up in things secular while the laity may desire to practice certain fucntions reserved strictly to the Ministerial Priesthood (I've seen it!).

One may say that the Cassok ain't a big deal but according to Dean Hoge, a professor of sociology at the Catholic University of America, says that "it (wearing the cassock) reflects deeper issues about how different generations of priests view their vocation".

Two different visions of the priesthood now clearly stand out. Clergy ordained during and in the immediate aftermath of the Council tend to interprete their role as Servant-leader; bringing forth lay people to do much of the parish work. While newly ordained priests are more likely to focus on their unique Sacramental role as Alter Christus.

In an age of indifference, Catholics (especially Clergy) have to be be distinct or different. Though the former model may fit well into our culture, it lacks clear distinctions like the foregoing of financial comforts, married life, sacrifices. N.B. Dean Hoge claims that those who embrace the cultic model are more likely to leave the priesthood.

So we've seen how the face priesthood has changed in the Church. We've also seen how the newer generation of priests rather revert to the 'old-face'. Even prominent author, Michael Rose, has taken up the cause of younger priests who embrace the theology of Pope John Paul II (and possibly Benedict XVI), saying that they are the hope of a Church beset by a breakdown in morality and loose approach to doctrine. What would the face of the priesthood be a decade or two down the road? What would you like to see?

Let us pray that all priests and future priests may always and everywhere think, act, and speak with the Church- the glorious spouse of Jesus Christ. That they may embrace their vocation and what come may for the sake of the salvation of souls. As Canon s1725 puts it, "Salus animarum suprema est lex" The salvation of souls is the highest law.

Amen.

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# posted by Vidimusdominum : Thursday, July 26, 2007
Comments:
I am not sure if you knew this, but I awarded you with the Blogger Refelection Award...

http://mysterium-fidei.blogspot.com/2007/08/blogger-reflection-award.html
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : Thursday, August 02, 2007 6:17:00 AM
 
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