Sunday, November 19, 2006

Vote: What kind of priests do you want?

Commonwealth has written an editorial about "Tomorrow’s Priests." It is based on a set of sociological studies about recently ordained priests.

One study contrasts two types of seminarians. The first (Commonwealth's good guys?) are described as: "A 'servant-leader' model ... emphasizes the collaborative elements of clerical leadership within the community. But the popularity of that model, ascendant in the 1960s, has waned.'"

The second type of seminarian (Commonwealth's bad guys?): "Recently ordained priests adhere to a 'cultic' model of the priesthood that stresses the essential difference between clergy and laity; the priest ... is seen as 'a man set apart whose job is providing the sacraments, teaching the Catholic Church’s doctrine, and being a model of faith and devotion.'”

I plan a thorough critique of the sociological studies underlying Commonwealth's editorial. Father John Trigilio, who appears on ETWN and is president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, has given his own
reply.

What type of priest do you think the church needs?

No comments: