Tuesday, November 9, 2010

5 U.K. Anglican Priests to be fastratcked into the Catholic Priesthood

That's nice. Now if the Church would just figure out what to do with the rest of the Protestant Clergy who would like to come back to the Catholic Faith, we might see a veritable tidal wave of converts. Unfortunately, as I posted earlier, the steam seems to be letting out for the time being, and the number of converts from the clergy are not what they were. Certainly there are no new bright stars on the horizon ready to keep the torch burning.

In addition, it's worth noting that so many of the 'clergy' converts were already those with other incomes, or involved in ministries (such as professors or counselors) that could easily transfer into a Catholic milieu. The full time Protestant pastoral minister can find himself in a lurch, with nowhere but the secular world to go to for sustenance. And in today's job market, I would be a dollar to a donut that many who might otherwise take the plunge into the Tiber are holding off, possibly indefinitely. This also could be leading to a slow down.

I'm not saying make them priests. But be creative, put these fellows, often with years or decades of experience in Pastoral care, counseling, administration, finance, to work in the parishes or diocese. If not, then don't clang the cymbals too loudly about the great New Evangelism. As James would say, it takes more than a pat on the back and a 'go in peace, be warmed and well fed.' It takes putting muscle where the mouth is.

1 comment:

  1. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems like this, and the last post, are a little personal to you. Are you sure about the stats, or is it possible that your own interest in the subject might be blurring things?

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