cA PRIEST FOREVER?

: Greeley, Andrew


 
: Article

: Offers suggestion for the limitation ofÊthe terms ofÊservice on the vocationÊofÊpriests.
Implications of the transformation ofÊlife expectancy for the priesthood Relevance ofÊthe limited-term
vocationÊfor priests; Advantage ofÊthe limited-service on attracting young men to the priesthood.


  
: 




    

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 MAS Ultra - School Edition


   
By Andrew Greeley

When I was in the seminary in the early fifties (yes, Virginia, there was a time before 1960), the rector
kept us busy during the long, dark winters compiling a necrology ofÊ the deceased priests ofÊ the
Archdiocese ofÊChicago. One of the findings ofÊthis clumsy study was that the average age
 death ofÊ
priests in the archdiocese had been thirty-six years old. We found that hard to believe. We knew a few
priests who had died young in the days before antibiotics became routine, not very long before the period

 our "research." But the average priest lived at best twelve years after ordination? How could this be?

The answer, I would later surmise, was that priests (and nuns) were swept away in the smallpox and
typhoid epidemics
 the late nineteenth century, and perhaps by the so-called Spanish influenza. Later, I
would learn from demographic historians, that for most
 human history, marriages would last on
average about the same number
 years before one
 the partners died. Nowadays, many couples live to
celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, and some
 us priests live that long too. As my colleague Teresa
Sullivan remarked, "A marriage that lasts four times as long as it would have not so long ago requires
more than four times as many reconciliations."

As recently as the 1920s, 5 percent of women died in childbirth. Tuberculosis and pneumonia carried
away many
 the young. Malnutrition seriously affected children growing up in the years between the
wars, my generation. The biggest single change in the human condition, far more important than the
impact
 automobiles, TVs, jets, computers, and the Internet, is a much longer life span.

Clergy, not to say members
 the hierarchy, seem to have a hard time realizing that this new longevity
may constitute the most critical spiritual problem
 our time (along with obesity). If the church is doing
anything to help the married laity struggle through those four-times-as-many spiritual challenges to
reconciliation, it is not evident. Our theory--theological, spiritual, pastoral--has yet to catch up.

A lifetime
 celibacy can be daunting when it promises to stretch out for fifty years; much less so when it
may last only ten or five as it once did. I have often Wondered what the implications
 this pervasive
transformation
 life expectancy means for the 


. I've concluded that it may well imply a
change in expectations about how long a man may serve in the ministry. Thus, if a priest can cope with
large numbers
 teenagers after he is forty, he either is the subject
 a miracle
 grace or a little strange.
Or if the constant and often seemingly unreasonable demands
 those who pound on the rectory door or
hassle him on the phone deprive him
 his patience, sense
 humor and kindness, and make him a
churlish, unpleasant person, it may be that he ought not to try to interact with people as much. Or if a man
in his forties finds the celibate calling intolerably lonely and wants a wife and family
 his own, perhaps
his 
 
 was only a limited one for a certain number
 years and not for life.
Who could say that God does not give some men (and women) time-bound 
 
? Who besides a
bishop can claim to know the mind
 God?

I have been told that the notion
 a limited-term 
 
 is theologically unsound. One is a priest
forever. To which I reply that forever is much longer when it is sixty years than when it is fifteen. Still, it
is bootless to argue with theologians, especially when they wear purple or crimson. Let's admit, for the
sake
 the argument, that an ordained man is a priest forever. Does it follow that he must engage in the
active ministry forever?

In fact, it would appear that it does not. We now permit priests to leave the active ministry and remain (or
become again) good Catholics, albeit "reduced to the lay state"--as infelicitous a phrase as the canonists
have ever devised. The process is often cruel and humiliating. Instead
 thanking a man for the years he
has generously given and wishing him well in his new ventures, we force him to debase himself. It is hard
to see any Christian charity in this gratuitous punishment.

I've heard it argued that it shouldn't be easier for a priest to leave the active ministry than it is for
laypeople to end their marriages. I wonder who said so? Marriage is a commitment to another person;



is a commitment to a role in the church. Ah, says my purple-buttoned interrogator, But the



is a marriage to Jesus. Even a lowly sociologist knows well enough what bad theology that is.

I am suggesting that the establishment
 the possibility
 a limited term
 service in the 

makes a virtue
 necessity (see my Priests: A Calling in Crisis, University
 Chicago Press). When a
man has served his term, we permit him, if he wishes, to go forth with our gratitude and blessing--and in
the case
 some, perhaps with a sigh
 relief. In an era
 greatly increased life expectancy, such a
modification
 policy is not only for the benefit
 the man departing the ministry but also for the people
he might otherwise be forced to serve. A miserably unhappy priest is not an asset for his people or a good
sacrament for the church. Why oh why do we want to force such a person to remain in the active ministry
under pain
 humiliation?

If we accept the notion
 a limited-term 
 
 we might keep open the possibility
 asking the man to
help out on certain occasions, or even permit him to return to ministry at some future date, in both cases
with honor and dignity. I have never been able to understand why this seems so absurd to church leaders.

Some priests contend that this is a compromise solution rather than a radical abolition
 compulsory
celibacy--a solution about which they sign petitions (cheap grace, it has always seemed to me) and for
which they vigorously campaign. None
 these enthusiasts shows any sign they are aware
 the
problems
 marriage and family life among the Protestant clergy. I will not take them seriously until they
have read Jackson Carroll's work on this subject for his Duke Divinity School research project.

More to the point, my research evidence shows that priests are, on average, the happiest men in the
country: happier about their lives and their work than doctors, lawyers, teachers, university professors,
and even married Protestant clergy. I suspect that we could attract many more young men to the



with the offer
 a limited (renewable) term
 service, and that most
 them would find the
life satisfying--if exhausting. In this era when volunteering has become so popular, what would be wrong
in inviting a young man to volunteer to be a priest for five years (or ten), renewable, so he could find out
if he liked the work--with no obligation to remain in the active ministry if he did not like it? If you don't
want to join the Peace Corps, then give the priest corps a try. We might not have to settle for the biretta-
and-cassock crowd we are now attracting who think they can find a sacred identity in the 

(which wasn't to be had even fifty years ago when I washed up in a parish).
I understand that there is not a chance in the world
 this happening. The hard-line anticelibacy ideology
and the equally hard-line priest-forever ideology won't permit it. In the present restorationist situation in
the church, many leaders are satisfied with the middle-aged 
 
 with a biretta on his head, an ample
cassock, and a conviction that he must teach the laity to obey him.

Yet for those few priests who still try to recruit young 
 
, would it not be helpful to say, "Try it!
You'll like it!"


 [
 Ê

 Ê

 By: Stahel, Thomas H., America, 00027049, 9/26/92, Vol.
167, Issue 8Ê

  Ê ÊÊ 

Ê

Ê
Ê
IN THE YEARS since Vatican II, no one who has had his or her eyes open in this country could
deny the magnitude of the changes in religious life, changes that run the gamut of seriousness
from altered garb to the predictable demise of certain aging congregations. Books of explanation
have appeared. Just with respect to the Jesuits, these run the gamut of seriousness from Father
Joseph Becker's documentary, The Re-Formed Jesuits, to ex-Jesuit Malachi Martin's fantasy, The
Jesuits. With respect to the larger and more unwieldy subject of U.S. religious life in general--
men and women, contemplative and active congregations--mere commonplaces abound.

But David Nygren, C.M., and Miriam Ukeritis, C.S.J.--he is a Vincentian and she a Sister of St.
Joseph of Carondelet, and both are professional psychologists at DePaul University--are two
religious who know what they are talking about. They have just reported on their comprehensive,
three-year study of issues common to the 121,000 men and women religious of this country. It is
entitled "The Future of Religious Orders in the United States" (FORUS) because, though based
on present perceptions of the history of the past 25 years, since Vatican II, it aims at learning
from these troubled times what the future could and ought to hold if religious life is to survive.
Sponsored and funded by the Lilly Foundation, the FORUS study--when looked at as a pie chart-
-has six pieces, or "research units," as they are more formally called:

1) A national survey based on a 335-item questionnaire mailed to 9,999 religious sisters, brothers
and priests, from which the researchers got 6,359 usable replies. 2) Leadership studies based on:
regional workshops attended by 192 leaders of religious congregations; perceptions of leaders in
the national survey, and a separate leadership competency assessment done in collabortion with
another psychologist. 3) "Visioning groups," made up from a total of 48 women and 44 men
identified by their religious congregations as future-oriented yet rooted in the order's charism. 4)
"Caring people"-a study of the characteristics of 34 men from 13 communities and 23 women
from 12 communities who were picked by their fellow religious as unusually thoughtful,
understanding and caring. 5) Standardized interviews with 23 individuals regarded as national
figures or scholars in the field of religious life. 6) A theological monograph by Elizabeth A.
Johnson, C.S.J., and a historical postscript by John W. Padberg, S.J., both covering the period
since Vatican II [these two commissioned pieces scheduled for completion in 1993].

In an executive summary of their study provided earlier this month, Sister Ukeritis and Father
Nygren conclude that there are eight key fields upon which the values (or disvalues) at play in
religious life will push congregations either toward new life or toward further decline:

1.Ê Individualism v. Vocation: "Many sisters, brothers and religious priests have migrated to
the periphery of their congregation." The researchers think that, for a congregation to
regain its health, the valuable ministerial contributions of these loners will have to fit
once again within religious discernment and obedience.
2.Ê Flaccid leadership v. Excellent leadership: Inhibiting the exercise of leadership nowadays
is the fact that authority is widely contested. On the other hand, effective leadership
knows how to get the congregation to respond to absolute human need, as did the
congregations at the time of their founding, without compromising its role.
3.Ê Mere work v. Corporate identity: The researchers take note of our "deconstructionist"
age, which has seen the demise of many institutional apostolates that, apart from any
judgments on their validity, gave religious a corporate identity. "The orders that appear to
be rebounding... are several monasteries, both male and female, that have carefully
reinstated monastic practices and a sense of clarity regarding their life and work."
4.Ê Deconstruction v. Authority: "Authority in religious life, as in the church itself, is
perhaps the most pressing question for members of religious orders to resolve.... The
abuses of authority in the past make individuals reluctant to endorse authority in any
way."
 5.Ê Parochial assimilation v. Charism: "The increasingly widespread insertion of members of
religious orders into diocesan and parochial positions, to the point where such
commitments take precedence over involvements in the lives of their congregations, is a
growing phenomenon in the United States." On the other hand, the vital communities
seem to be those that have resisted such assimilation.
6.Ê Materialism v. Gospel: "The costs of belonging to a religious congregation have
diminished as the former rigor of vowed life has diminished." But the members of
congregations know that in order to remain distinctive, this kind of assimilation, too,
must be reversed.
7.Ê Racism v. Multiculturalism: Religious congregations in this country do not reflect the
changes in U.S. population that have brought, for instance, a great influx of Hispanics
into the Catholic Church here. Younger religious are aware of this unconscious racism,
whereas older members believe they are open to minorities.
8.Ê Affiliative decline v. Role clarity: "The most compelling result of the FORUS study
indicates that a significant percentage of religious no longer understand their role and
function in the church." Opposed to this desirable clarity of role is what the researchers
call "affiliative decline," the kind of commitment that has more to do with a sense of
belonging than a sense of mission. The researchers believe congregations will decline if
members have no stronger reason to remain than mere bonding.

Informative as their exposition of the value fields is, the researchers have uncovered other
interesting facts that a casual observer of religious life might just have guessed at. The national
survey of religious indicates that, after the experiments of the last several years with individual
work, there may be more receptivity now to corporate apostolates. The survey also reveals that,
with respect to the three vows, women report chastity as most meaningful and least difficult
while men report chastity as most difficult and least meaningful. The leadership studies show
that the most striking weakness among current leaders of religious congregations is their inability
to formulate strategies for the group mission.

But the most striking discrepancy the researchers found--that is, between the ideal and the real
portrait of U.S. religious--showed up in the national survey, the visioning groups and the
interviews: There is but moderate commitment to work among the poor. In a phone conversation,
Sister Ukeritis said she thought this discrepancy might be due to the distance between the
enunciated goal of religious life when many members entered (achieving "a state of perfection")
and the church's later pronouncements about a "preferential option for the poor." The
discrepancy may also reflect weariness with this latter-day rhetoric as measured alongside the
perceived realities of church and religious life.

This FORUS study is the first of its kind--an honest and empirical attempt at "consulting the
faithful," in this case members of religious congregations, about the life they actually lead. It
provides a refreshing contrast, therefore, to ethereal statements from on high as to what religious
ought to be. Only one piece of the study, called "visioning groups," seems occasionally to reflect
views that may be politically correct and only dubiously enduring. But precisely in that part of
the study the researchers and subjects depended on categories formulated by the Leadership
Conference for Women Religious and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men.
TO THE larger question of whether the study must reflect biases that existed among its
compilers in the first place ("You can't ask the question unless you already anticipate the
answer"), Sister Ukeritis responds as follows: 1) The only bias the researchers had, on
undertaking the study, was that religious life ought to survive. 2) They consulted as broadly as
they possibly could. 3) Their work is not yet over. 4) Only religious like themselves, they felt,
could report adequately and profoundly on the reality and meaning of modern religious life.

Their biographical sketches show David Nygren (42) joined the Vincentians because he was
attracted by their service of the poor and Miriam Ukeritis (46) became a Sister of St. Joseph
because of that congregation's ideals of unity and reconciliation. Not surprisingly, these values
are manifest in their seminal study. The U.S. church will have much reason to be grateful both to
these researchers and to the Lilly Foundation.



  
  

*



The following article offers practical solutions to finding God's will concerning a vocation in
one's life.


      

The quest for discovering God's call for your life should be paramount. Nothing is more
important. There can be no doubt that a person's earthly fulfillment and ultimate happiness
greatly depend on properly discerning God's will, especially in terms of the particular vocation a
man or woman may choose.

 !"
 

Deciding upon one's specific state in life is not the same as merely choosing a career or picking a
profession. While they may be closely connected, discerning your God-given vocation will
greatly influence your response to the Christian call to holiness and it could even affect your
eternal salvation.

Without a doubt, all that Almighty God requires of us is the faithful observance of His
Commandments. And strictly speaking, it is possible for a believer to be saved under every
circumstance and in every situation, since sufficient grace to keep God's Commandments will
never be denied a person. Yet a Christian who turns a deaf ear to the specific call of the Lord
may expose himself or herself to eternal ruin-or to say the least, runs the risk of never reaching
the heights of spiritual perfection, unless he or she embraces the grace of one's particular calling
in life.

 "


It is important to remember that discovering one's vocation is a supernatural work, and is

impossible without the help of Divine grace. This being the case, it is absolutely necessary to
seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, to
enlighten our minds and to touch our souls. With regard to our own personal activity on the
matter, we must be careful to fully cooperate with the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

To do so, it may be most beneficial to discern your call in life by employing time-tested and
proven steps of vocational discernment. St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises
originally proposed this simple three-step method. It has been adapted and updated to meet the
needs of young people today.


#
  



A young person about to embark upon a career faces endless choices and challenges. The many
opportunities for education or training can at times cloud one's ability to determine what
particular vocation or state in life God is calling you to follow. Is it to be married and raise a
family? Perhaps the Lord wishes you to be a priest or religious? Does God want you to be a
missionary or possibly to serve Him as a cloistered nun or monk? Is He inviting you to be a
leaven in society as a member of a secular institute or perhaps as part of a society of apostolic
life? Does being a hermit or consecrated virgin for the Lord attract you?
Whatever the call, rest assured that if you are truly open to God's will in your life, the Almighty
will manifest His desire in regards to your particular vocation. Either your calling will be made
known in some altogether unusual manner, or else with extraordinary clarity as expressed in
some ordinary ways of His Providence.

 $% & 


For whatever reason, perhaps known only to God, should He not make known your call in either
of these ways, you can draw upon your intellect and heart. These gifts from God will assist you
to determine properly the path in life to follow. In this way you can know with certainty how
best to serve the Lord and lead many others, including yourself, into a deeper, more intimate
relationship with God. This is your Divine destiny.

St. Ignatius was given special spiritual gifts to share with others, including the ability to shed
light on discerning one's vocation. In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius identifies three specific
situations, which he calls "times" or circumstances favoring a good choice. His doctrine is as
follows:

  

# 

"The first time," says St. Ignatius, "is when God our Lord so moves and draws the will that
without doubting, or even being able to doubt, the pious soul follows that which is shown it."

Almighty God, does at times, speak thus directly to a soul, or else sends an angel or a saint to
convey His will in explicit terms. Such was the case of St. Paul when he was struck to the ground
on his way to Damascus (cf. Acts 9:1-18); or Matthew and the other Apostles when He called
them. Many of the saints throughout the history had similar experiences.

At other times God's grace is so strong that a man is drawn toward the priesthood or a woman to
the consecrated life almost irresistibly. In these particular circumstances, he or she sees things in
such a light that it is impossible to entertain any doubt that he or she should embrace this
particular state of life. Such cases are rare, and may be classified with miraculous vocations and
extraordinary graces.

 
 
  


God typically does not speak in the manner as described above. But He does make His will
known either by certain lights and attractions of ordinary actual grace, or through the inspiration
of His holy angels whose primary mission is to lead and guide us to our eternal destiny.


 

And so, "the second time," St. Ignatius says "is when a soul receives much light and knowledge
by means of the interior consolation it experiences, as well as through the discernment of spirits."
It is not rare to find a young person who for a long time-months and even years-has felt drawn
the priesthood or consecrated life. They have felt a certain inclination or strong urge to give
themselves entirely to God. Some are even overjoyed at the thought, and yearn for the day when
they may enter the seminary or begin religious formation. Others, on the contrary, feel a great
repugnance at the idea of giving up all things to follow the Divine call that has been ringing in
their ears for a long time. Some even try to ignore any or all thoughts of a priestly or religious
vocation as though they were temptations, yet they fail to do so.

How are we to account for this light, inclination, or attraction-whatever it may be called-which is
almost unnatural, haunting a person for years? It is to be attributed entirely to grace or to the
watchful angels, according to the teaching of many noted spiritual writers.

  

Such movements of the soul cannot be explained in any other way except that they are the
attractions of grace. Surely such thoughts, attractions or inclinations do not come:

áÊ From the devil-for devoting oneself to the service of God means working against the rule
of Satan;
áÊ Nor from human passions-which are properly integrated for a higher purpose in the
priesthood or consecrated life;
áÊ Nor yet from the world-for most people fail to appreciate or understand these sublime
vocations.

An objection could be made that it originates by suggestion from some priest or religious but the
mere suggestion of a vocation cannot, of itself, explain the persistence of the thought or
inclination. God's grace sustains such persistence, even if the birth of one's vocation may have
first emerged from the encouragement of another.

Even St. Thomas Aquinas acknowledges that while the suggestion to enter the vowed life or
priesthood may have originated from a source other than the Lord, he teaches "the resolution to
enter is always from God, no matter who may have inspired it."

According to St. Ignatius, a person whose vocation is made manifest by attraction should remain
steadfast in his or her initial inclination. For in moments of fervor and consolation, the person
feels drawn to God. Yet as soon as he or she lapses into lukewarmness or falls into sin, all pious
sentiments take to flight.

How are these opposite states to be explained? In the first case, it is a good angel who speaks to
the fervent soul and draws it according to the will of God. In the second instance, it is the evil
spirit who is leading the tepid soul into the broad and easy path.


 #


There is one other sign of a vocation, which, though less manifest, is nevertheless considered
morally certain. A young person feels a struggle, as it were, going on within, while he or she
looks on as a mere spectator. Regardless of his or her soul's state of fervor, the young person
feels drawn now toward the world, now toward the priesthood or consecrated life. Here may be
seen the action of good angels and evil spirits, as they struggle for mastery. Wisdom and
prudence will naturally demand that everything be weighed and considered very seriously before
coming to any definitive vocational decision.

This, then, is what St. Ignatius calls the "second time." Those who experience these signs of the
first or second "time" may have what is called a "special vocation." It would seem that Almighty
God is so desirous of them in His service, that He pursues them with His grace. He is ever at
hand with light and strength, repeating the invitation, "Come follow Me!"

  
  


"The third time is an hour when the soul is calm," writes St. Ignatius. "Then, first of all
considering why man has been created, which is to praise God our Lord and to save his soul, and
moved by the desire of sustaining this end, one chooses as a means thereunto a state or kind of
life sanctioned by the Church, in order to do better work in the service of our Lord and for the
salvation of one's soul. I call that time an hour of calm when the soul is not under the influence
of either good or evil spirits, and makes use of its natural powers freely and quietly."

"
!
#


The "election" or choice, according to the third "time," is made as follows:

1. "I must first of all," continues St. Ignatius, "place before my eyes the end for which I have
been created, which is to praise God our Lord and to save my soul. I must, moreover, be in a
state of perfect indifference, and be without any unreasonable desires, so that I am neither
inclined toward, nor desirous of choosing one state of life more than another, keeping a perfect
balance and ever ready to choose that state which will seem most proper to procure the glory of
God and the salvation of my soul."

2. Then, St. Ignatius suggests: "I shall ask of God our Lord to deign to move my will, and to
Himself suggest to my soul whatever I should do in regard to the choice which I am engaged in
making, for His greater praise and glory."

3. Next, ask with all sincerity to know what state of life you should embrace, with the view of
more surely attaining the end for which you have been created-the glory of God and the salvation
of your soul.

4. To do this in a really practical manner, take a sheet of paper and write the heading, "Life in the
World." Then divide the page in two columns and write down on one side the advantages to be
gained by living in this state; on the other, all the disadvantages, which may come to mind.

Do the same in regards to the priesthood and/or consecrated life. Jot down all your reasons-
spiritual and temporal-and anything else there may be worth noting, always keeping the same
end in view-your eternal salvation and the glory that you must procure for the Divine Master.
5. When this is done, draw the conclusion. Weigh each side with its reasons very attentively,
considering and comparing each vocation accordingly. Once you have done this, you will be able
to see just which one is best for you. Before coming to a final decision, be careful not to be led
away by natural inclinations or by passion; let cold reason be your sole guide.



! 


St. Ignatius himself suggests a means to avoid being deceived by passion or one's own
inclinations. It is the following three-fold consideration:

(a) Imagine that a young person in precisely the same position as yourself came to you, to seek
your guidance before choosing a particular calling. Having studied the matter, you would
certainly say to that person: "Everything is quite clear. Because of such and such reason, you
must choose such and such a vocation." This being the case, do the same yourself, as you would
advise a stranger to do under similar circumstances. To do otherwise would be unreasonable.

(b) Having decided upon your vocation, ask yourself, "How would I feel about this on my
deathbed? Should I be pleased, or should I suffer remorse of conscience?" If I see that the latter
would be the case, there is something wrong somewhere. Review your reasons once again.

(c) Finally, picture yourself at your own judgment. Will all the work that you have been doing
just now in coming to your decision, show forth as that of a conscientious person? Or, will you
realize on the contrary that you have been trying to cheat yourself by marshalling up silly
reasons, dictated by human nature and passion? If such should really be the case, start over
again, and this time, go about it more earnestly.

Finally, a few important points must be insisted upon. Before starting to write anything, pray
earnestly to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment, beg for the grace to know God's will and the
strength to do whatever the Almighty desires of you.

Recall Jesus' words: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his
own soul?" Since you must always keep eternity in mind, ask yourself these two questions:

áÊ Where must I go to save it more surely?

áÊ Where shall I do better work for the greater honor and glory of God?

Is not this, however, asking a little too much? No. It is only reasonable that you should employ
the very best means to save your soul and to assist others to do the same. Ask yourself frankly
then, "In which vocation would I most securely work out my salvation?" Will it be in the world
as a layperson, as a secular priest, or in the consecrated life? Go about your work seriously then,
in the presence of God. Weigh all your reasons carefully and then decide.

The next thing to do is humbly to submit everything-reasons and conclusions-to your spiritual
director, make haste to offer our Lord the choice you have just made, begging Him to receive
and confirm it, if it be in conformity with His greater service and glory.
If you are really convinced, and feel within yourself while praying, that your offering is pleasing
to Almighty God, resolve immediately to remain faithful to it, and to carry out your decision at
the earliest possible moment. Embrace this special grace after learning to discern!

***This resource was excerpted and adapted from the booklet, Choosing Your Career by Rev.
J.I. D'Orsonnens, S.J. It was originally published by The Paulist Press (1951).