Foreign priests fill void in area pulpits

The Washington Times ^ | January 25, 2004 | Judith Person

[Land of the Irish]

Catholic churches throughout the area are relying on priests from other countries to fill the vacancies created by a large number of men leaving the priesthood.

The Archdiocese of Washington currently has 19 priests on loan from 10 countries, among them Brazil, China and France. The Diocese of Arlington has 13 priests on loan from 10 countries, including Cuba, Ireland and Nigeria.

[Land of the Irish]

China does not allow the Pope to appoint bishops, allowing only its own appointed bishops to lead Catholics.

state-approved Chinese Catholic church pledges allegiance to China's Communist government and does not recognize the Vatican's authority

CWNews

[Land of the Irish]

Ping

[RobbyS]

The guy ignores history. Priests have been immigrating from Ireland for a century because the living was better than it was in Ireland. Ditto priests from other countries.

[Land of the Irish]

The guy ignores history. Priests have been immigrating from Ireland for a century because the living was better than it was in Ireland. Ditto priests from other countries.

Priests from other countries come to the United States because the standard of living is higher here than in other parts of the world, said Dean Hoge, sociology professor at Catholic University. He said the prospect for a priest in Kenya or Nigeria being assigned to a parish in the United States is desirable.

You apparently didn't read the article.

[Land of the Irish]

The guy ignores history.

P.S. The "guy" is a gal.

[RobbyS]

Yjese days "guy" is gender-neutral. They don't like "gal."

[RobbyS]

Irish priests have always been drawn to America for the same reasons that Nigerians one have: the life is better.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Our diocese has and will have a priest shortage for the next three to four years until current seminarians graduate.

We have three or four priests from Sri Lanka. One is at the local parish. I like him. He is devout and sincere.

[Maximilian]

Interesting article. Some items that jumped out at me:

The Archdiocese of Washington currently has 19 priests on loan from 10 countries, among them Brazil, China and France. The Diocese of Arlington has 13 priests on loan from 10 countries, including Cuba, Ireland and Nigeria.

China and Cuba? We know about the huge problems with the communist-controlled Church in China. And wouldn't Cuba also need all the priests they can get?

Nationwide, there are twice as many priests dying or retiring as there are young men entering the seminary, according to Mary Gauther, spokeswoman for Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), which studies the Catholic Church.

Uh oh, what happened to the "leveling off" that we were promised? Looks like the "Springtime decay function" is going to continue in operation for some time to come.

Last year, the Washington Archdiocese, which includes parishes in the District and in Montgomery, Prince George's, Calvert, St. Mary's and Charles counties in Maryland, reported it had 202 active priests serving in parishes, while five were ordained. Arlington had 129 priests and four ordained. Richmond had 116 priests, but had no new priests ordained, according to statistics compiled by CARA.

What happened to Arlington as the great hope of "conservative" Catholics? This diocese was supposed to be a model for the rest of the US church. It's not so surprising to see zero ordinations in Richmond, and 5 in DC is actually a surprise on the upside, but I don't see how Arlington is going to set a standard to imitate with 4 ordinations.

And a good deal of "poaching" goes on between dioceses as well as between countries. Conservatives are attracted to dioceses with better reputations, which makes their numbers look better, but which doesn't mean that they are developing their own home-grown vocations. Arlington, for example, usually gets vocations from Christendom College, where the bishop recently forbade the students to kneel any longer for communion.

[ArrogantBustard]

1) Arlington is tiny compared to Richmond and Washington, both of which are seriously understrength. However, the four new priests in Arlington should be six or eight.

2) Loverde is not Keating. And he doesn't want anyone to forget it. Unfortunately.

[livius]

I guess there are all kinds. We had a Filipino priest in a little town here in North Florida who was recently arrested for having embezzled $400,000 from the parish. I don't know how he did it, since it's a small parish. It was discovered in an audit, and he had been doing it for a few years. He sent the money back to his mistress and children in the Philippines and also bought himself a house in the Phillipines for his retirement.

He's currently in jail. At least the Bishop here did the right thing, and didn't throw away even more of the diocese's money on his bail.

[BlackElk]

Where to begin?

The problem in Arlington is the bishop there who apparently has a live-in Franciscan companion and punishes priests who blow the whistle on the scandalous doings that broke out after Bishop Keating's death. This appointment was prior to the recent wave of actually Catholic appointments elsewhere. If Christendom tudents are entering a seminary under the current Arlington bishop, they ought to know better.

As to numbers dying and numbers being ordained, what did you expect ater a generation of Jadot AmChurch bishops? My diocese (relatively small but quite orthodox Rockford) ordained 11 this year alone and has 48 seminarians. Another class of 11 will be ordained in a year or two. Many are home grown and recruited through the Knights of Columbus councils or from home-schooling famlies.

The older priests who are dying are often the aging revolutionaries. Seminary officials in most seminaries, and especially the ones in the Vatican where bishops are often prepared, are of the elder generation and complain and whine endlessly about the conservatism of today's seminarians. Brighten up. Better times are coming.

No one is bringing in priests of the Red Chinese "Patriotic" Church which is, ummmm, schismatic. The underground and actual Catholic Church in China is unlikely to be sending its priests here and, if it did, we would be privileged to be served by living martyrs in the mold of the late Ignatius Cardinal Kung who spent his final years at St. John Fisher Residence in Stamford, Connecticut, after many years in red prisons.

If the bishop of Arlington is ordering that Catholics NOT receive on their knees, he is directly defying a Vatican order that was issued about one year ago. Charlie Wilson and the St. Jose[ph Foundation in Texas will, no doubt, be happy to litigate this successfully in Canon Law courts.

[Maximilian]

The problem in Arlington is the bishop

Thanks for the background info.

This appointment was prior to the recent wave of actually Catholic appointments elsewhere.

Keating hasn't been gone that long. I guess they were still appointing members of the gay mafia as recently as 5 years ago.

If Christendom tudents are entering a seminary under the current Arlington bishop, they ought to know better.

I agree. But I personally know some people living in the diocese of Richmond who hope their son becomes a priest in the Arlington diocese. I guess they haven't heard the news.

My diocese (relatively small but quite orthodox Rockford) ordained 11 this year alone and has 48 seminarians.

Hurray for Rockford! But it makes Arlington look even worse. Arlington is not that small a diocese. I bet they have more Catholics than Rockford does.

If the bishop of Arlington is ordering that Catholics NOT receive on their knees, he is directly defying a Vatican order that was issued about one year ago.

I recently saw confirmation that Christendom caved to the bishop. A student posted info that in fact they are now requested not to kneel for communion and to maintain "unity of posture." So I guess a student wouldn't be expelled if he went ahead and knelt for communion, but it is no longer the standard practice at Christendom.

[ArrogantBustard]

Our seminarians study at Mt. St. Mary's, St. Charles Borromeo, or the Pontifical North American College. IOW, they aren't entering a seminary 'under' Loverde.

Christendom College's Chapel still has its Communion Rail. Until recently, the students, faculty, and townies used it in the traditional manner. Loverde ordered an end to the practice. I'm given to understand that many of the students still kneel to receive Communion. Most priests here are quite orthodox, but Loverde is no friend of orthodoxy and numbers of seminarians have dropped since he arrived.

[BlackElk]

If they are being prepared for Loverde's diocese, they are under Loverde.

As to kneeling for communion, contact the St. Joseph Foundation which exists to litigate these questions in Church courts. All expenses are paid by contributors and not by litigants. The Wanderer published the Vatican decree that communicants have a RIGHT to kneel about a year ago. I believe that there is even a decree requiring altar rails in all church renovations, issued sometime last year by the Vatican.

[ArrogantBustard]

I believe that there is even a decree requiring altar rails in all church renovations, issued sometime last year by the Vatican.

No kidding ... Now that's something to warm a flinty inqusitor's heart! I'll have to look that up.

[livius]

Love your tags! Is there a Ladies' Auxiliary?

Or at least a day when ladies may lunch?

[Desdemona]

Yes, there is a ladies' auxiliary. Hats are required. I bring cucumber sandwiches.

[BlackElk]

Gay Mafia appoinments were common until about six months ago. There has been terrific progress, though, in those six months. Watch the public stances of the bishops newly appointed and their actions. Also note the creation of a number of geographical centers of contiguous orthodox dioceses (judged by the identities and actions of bishops).

Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, including Milwaukee (what a relief!), Madison, LaCrosse (Burke's but now vacant since he left to take St. Louis), Chicago (older appointment to cleanse Bernardin's Chicago), Rockford Doran, 1995, member of the Signatura), Peoria (formerly Myers now another good guy). Imesch (Joliet and ICEL) falls next. Needed: Green Bay, Springfield and Belleville (Gregory) and maybe one other Southern Illinois diocese and then we have Burke now in St. Louis replacing St. Rigali of Philadelphia.

Southern New England/NY metro/NJ/Philly: Connecticut's gain is Virginia's loss. Former auxiliary (Hartford) Loverde is gone to ruin Arlington (where his scandalous demise is second most likely only to Roger Cardinal Mahoney's in LA). Lori is in Bridgeport and is an improvement over Egan in many administrative and pastoral ways and is a sound Catholic. Watch him for a future major appointment. Cronin is gone from Hartford and replaced by a former NYC O'Connor auxiliary Archbishop Henry Mansell by way of Buffalo who seems sound and cannot help but be an improvement over Cronin. Norwich has a new young French Canadian bishop from Maine who is reportedly very good and replaces Hart who was a soulless member of the Boston ward-heeling school. Clean sweep in Connecticut. NY: Egan has the NY Archdiocese and was quite active for orthodoxy at the recent USCCB meeting. He is also a very effective recruiter of vocations (a common theme in many appointments lately along with orthodoxy). Daily (Boston coverup crew) is gone from Brooklyn and replaced by the very orthodox and energetic former bishop of Camden, NJ. NJ: Newark is in the able hands of Archbishop John Myers, formerly of Peoria. Philadelphia: St. Rigali, the author of the recent feast of superb appointments. Needed: Catholic bishops throughout Northern New York and particularly in Albany to replace Hubbard and Rochester and Oswego and Buffalo(?)

Kansas/Nebraska: Archbishop Eldon Curtiss (Omaha) and Fabian Bruskewitz (Lincoln) with TWO seminaries including FSSP one at Lincoln. Both previous appointments but two of the very best in the US. Also Carlson in South Dakota who is pushing Daschle hard on abortion and publicly.

Northern California and San Diego: New bishop of Oakland and Bishop Wiegand at Sacramento (prohibited communion for Gray Davis in his diocese where predecessor had inaugural Mass for Davis). Also new auxiliary at San Diego with a future (Los Angeles after Mahoney is taken down?) Bishop Cordileone. Says Tridenine mass. Minces neither minces nor words. Sandyeggo knows more. Ask her.

The bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, DiNardo has been appointed co-adjutor bishop at Galveston-Houston (to soon replace the notorious Fiorenza). Similar appointment (of a St. Louis auxiliary) at Kansas City as coadjutor to Archbishop Kelleher. Archbishop Hughes of New Orleans is hunting pro-aborts in the press as doctrinally non-Catholic. Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Wichita has replaced the disgraced Bishop O'Brien at Phoenix. Jury is out on O'Malley in Boston but how can he NOT be an improvement over Law.

This is an exciting time to be a Catholic in America as Rome FINALLY moves on AmChurch.

[BlackElk]

Of course, there is a Ladies Auxiliary, as explained by the orthodox and talented Desdemona of St. Louis, keeper of the library of sacred music and performer extraordinaire.

Bear in mind always that the auto da fe is God's chosen way to purge sin from the land and there are so very many overdue, ummmm, inquiries to be performed. (Ted the Swimmer, Daschle, Mary Landrieu, Rembert Weakland, Barbara Mikulski, Christopher Dodd, Patrick Leahy, Bishop Adamec, Bishop Pilla, Roger Cardinal Mahoney, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, Susan Collins, Rosa DeLauro [her other car is a broom too!], George Pataki, John Rowland, David Obey, Archbishop Joseph Pilarczyk, Bishop Joseph Delaney, Bishop Oscar Lipscomb, and so many, many, many others).