Catholic archdiocese of Washington has largest ordination class in 14 years

Associated Press | May 23, 2003 | Michael Kahn

[NYer]

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Nine men will become Catholic priests Saturday in the nation's capital _ the Washington archdiocese's largest ordination class in 14 years.

The past year's news stories about sex scandals have not turned them away, says church spokeswoman Susan Gibbs. More like the opposite. ``What our vocations directors were finding here _ and around the country _ was the men who've been thinking about it became more committed to working for the church, because what they saw in the scandal was not a reflection of priesthood and what a good priest is,'' Gibbs said.

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who will preside over the ordinations, has made priest recruitment a priority since he came to Washington in 2001. Rather than resort to billboards or the high-tech approach used in some dioceses, he relies on the personal. ``A priest recommending a young man in his parish, a chaplain at a university bringing up the idea'' are among the methods, said Gibbs.

Typically, it takes four to seven years to become a priest. Last fall, the archdiocese had about 15 men enter the seminary, but some always drop out. ``People enter and they might find out they're really not called to that, but at least they found out,'' Gibbs said.

This year's class includes Scott Hahn, 38, an Ohio native who grew up on a hog farm and then went on to teach in a Washington school. There is also a former George Washington University track coach, Gregory Coan, 39, as well as John Caulfield, 29, whom Gibbs describes as ``the all-American boy.'' ``He's the kind of boy your mom wants you to bring home. And God brought him home,'' Gibbs said.

The Archdiocese of Washington serves 550,000 Roman Catholics living in the District of Columbia and five southern Maryland counties.

[Jeff Chandler]

>>The LA archdiocese has no ordinations last year, only 2 in 2001 and 3 in 2000 and only 3 in 1999. I guess there are too few liberal seminarian canidates for the LA archdiocese.
<<

Wow!!!!! That's truly sad, especially considering the fact that they have a seminary in the diocese. Although, I know a priest who, upon graduating from that seminary and leaving the grounds, literally removed his shoes and disposed of them.

[Loyalist]

The liberal mainline Protestants have boiled their membership down to a sympathetic core which will stand by them, through thick and thin.

But even if they didn't, a newly-independent American Catholic Church could bring a new vitality to liberal Christianity in the way that new movements, fresh with optimism and enthusiasm, generally do.

It would be starting with at least as many adherents as the liberal Protestant demoninations put combined, thousands of clerics, a network of educational institutions, a lot of real estate and a fair amount of cash.

Don't underestimate the spirit and commitment that marks many a new enterprise. It could see the new AmChurch through a lot of difficulties.

[Jeff Chandler]

The liberal mainline Protestants have boiled their membership down to a sympathetic core which will stand by them, through thick and thin.

But even if they didn't, a newly-independent American Catholic Church could bring a new vitality to liberal Christianity in the way that new movements, fresh with optimism and enthusiasm, generally do.

It would be starting with at least as many adherents as the liberal Protestant demoninations put combined, thousands of clerics, a network of educational institutions, a lot of real estate and a fair amount of cash.

Don't underestimate the spirit and commitment that marks many a new enterprise. It could see the new AmChurch through a lot of difficulties.

---

Do you hear that, sink? There's hope yet! (Just kidding, sink!)

[sinkspur]

Since I follow John Paul II, I know you must be kidding.

If he decides an American Church is the way to go, in union with him, that's the way I'll go.

[Jeff Chandler]

Just teasin' ya!

[JNB]

That priest, since he is probably orthdox, probably went though many horrors at that seminary. The LA Archdiocese and the surrounding diocese' in many ways is the last bastion of full on liberalism at all levels in the Catholic church in the US. Not saying liberalism doesnt exist at other diocese', it certainly is still quite a power force in most diocese', but the Jadot Bishops in most other diocese' have largely retired, while Cdl Mahony has 8 more years of being the Archbishop of the LA archdiocese.

[Jeff Chandler]

That seminary is so bad that the liberal Diocese of Phoenix doesn't even send their seminarians there any more!

[Dajjal]

With constant prayer and 24/7 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament this will happen again.

I'm thinking it won't happen again until we start to educate the children in real catechism -- giving up the phenomenological gobbledygook and returning to the strict logic of St. Thomas.

[Maximilian]

giving up the phenomenological gobbledygook and returning to the strict logic of St. Thomas.

You mean "phenomenological gobbledygook" like "personalism," right?

[Maximilian]

Following up on a previous thread regarding the ordinations in Cincinnati, we just got our latest edition of the "Anti-Catholic Telegraph," with news of this year's ordinations. They ordained 6, which is a big improvement over the average for the past few decades.

However, the ages are 38, 30, 41, 54, 46, and 52. That's an average age of 43.5 years. These priests will have fewer years of service, meaning that you need more priests just to stay even. Even the dire warnings about the crisis in the priesthood coming from the diocese predicted that the number of priests may fall below 200. But 6 priests times 30 years only equals 180. So we're still far below replacement. And I wonder if we should factor in a drop-out rate, which has been considerable over the past few decades.

[Dajjal]

"...giving up the phenomenological gobbledygook and returning to the strict logic of St. Thomas."
You mean "phenomenological gobbledygook" like "personalism," right?

Right. Ontology is prior to epistemology.