Many priests being ordained these days are on their second vocation in life.
We have a FReeper who just became a priest after a change in his life. I bet you would identify with him.
How about a priest that had worked in a major airline industry before he became a priest? Would you listen to him?
Yes, I would...
Of course these are exceptions to the rule...
The RCC has a even bigger problem in the next decade when priests start retiring or passing in numbers greater than newly ordained priests can fill the pulpit, which is already a problem...
“How about a priest that had worked in a major airline industry before he became a priest? Would you listen to him?”
The last sentence brings to my mine a story about St.Peter, the pearly gates, and two new saints upon entering into Heaven, one who was a missionary priest who had gotten a simple cotton robe and he found out that the guy ahead of him had recieved a silky robe. The priest complained to St. Peter asked him why was he (guy ahead of him) was given a more fancier robe then he, the missionary priest who went to other countries to proclaim and live the Gospel. His answer was that people prayed for him A LOT. Turns out that the this new saint worked as a airline pilot and so people would very much be praying for him to drive safe the planes he piloted.
Speaking about flying, coming home from a one week vacation, had made a stopover at Philadelphia International Airport and got me to think, this international airport will see the Church’s most important priest show up in a few months, Pope Francis for the international families conference.
Both priests in our parish are graduate engineers from Purdue University.....well educated and have actually lived quite normal; lives before becoming priests.....which I think took another 4-6 years of seminary training.