‘The Way I See It’ A Column by Gerald Archibald, Edmonton

To begin this column, I am going to state a personal opinion regarding the current state of our Church, and two policies/canon law items that need to be changed in order to have any chance at stopping or slowing the decline in the number of people leaving the Faith (many of whom have adopted “spirituality” instead of the institutional church). Without immigration, our parish communities would be mostly grey haired or balding people.

Our church is in serious trouble. Many things need to change within the church before young people, including young families, come back to the Church (Collins, ‘What Can the Irish Church Learn from Australia’, Zoom, Aug 5, 2020).

So there are several important areas that must be changed in the future, but I will only mention two: 1. seminarians must have the choice of taking a vow of celibacy in the case of diocesan priests (celibacy is not a requirement for holiness) 2. women must be accepted as candidates for the priesthood (a core human rights issue).

These two changes will likely come in time. If so, why not speed up the process and implement these elements sooner rather than later. But as of now, this present series will focus on seminaries that educate men for celibacy. Of course, there are many other requirements necessary for seminaries to be effective. These will be addressed in the remainder of this column as well as future columns.

Sources

The sources used in researching this column come from literally dozens of written sources that I consider credible. Some are quoted, others are used as a backdrop or context for this column. A huge resource has been the contributions of many highly interested educated people who are extremely well read, many of whom have seminary and some priesthood experience, with whom I’m in regular contact.

Let me charge right into the issues. Many of this network of contacts tell me their grown children and families have lost all interest in their faith for a whole variety of reasons, not the least are the quality and practices of the priests within their parishes. Many say the Church has become irrelevant to them. Credible church experts have been saying this for years, “the Church is becoming irrelevant in today’s complex society” they say.

One of the most influential and regarded theologians of the modern age has been Dr. Hans Kung. He says: “If we do not learn now, we suffer more; more priests will leave, more parishes will be without pastors, more churches will be empty, more young people will not even consider the Church, more women will be in complete frustration and leave the Church…all this I think are indicators that we have to change now.” (You Tube interview: Pandovvano-Kung Interview 01). I, for one, am convinced that Dr. Kung’s predictions have all come to pass.

“The teaching authority of the Church has three cooperative sources: the official magisterium of the papacy, the research of scholars, and the lived faith of ordinary people” (Zimmer, J, July 2020). ‘The sense of the faithful’ is integral to Church’s teachings (Groom, Thomas H).

I believe the ‘sense of the faithful’, or the ‘sensus fidelum’ (as I learned in the seminary) is often neglected or ignored by the Church. Furthermore, I believe this has been the case throughout much of its history, which in turn has impacted its seminaries.

The first article of this series (ICN, September, 2020) delved into some of the reasons why seminaries need reform. This second column will focus upon ‘what effective seminaries should look like’ in the future.

The feedback I’ve received from my networks is that the majority of our priests today have trouble relating to our culture, rarely give good homilies, are reluctant to really get to know their parishioners or those involved in special ministries (e.g., home visits are a rarity).

Furthermore, the perception is that few priests of today are perceived as happy and holy, are not models for people to follow, and have narrow theological views of the current issues impacting the Church. So, if all this is to change, it must begin with priestly formation.

General Themes

General Themes of effective priestly formation: If the Church is to become relevant again, it must assure the following key areas are included in a program of priestly formation:

•  seminarians be assessed regularly by expert men and women regarding their maturity or ‘balance’
• current and timely education of candidates by highly qualified men and women
• extensive parish and mission experiences of seminarians
• candidates have the ability and enthusiasm to effectively communicate
• candidates have a clear understanding of the ‘theology of the laity’ (St. Pope Paul iv, ‘Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity’, Nov. 18, 1965) and view the laity as essential and equal partners of priests
• candidates have a thorough understanding the evils and devious nature of clericalism
• seminarians’ spiritual formation be based on current theology including discipleship
• candidates develop and embrace the importance of continual discernment and life- long learning.

Research clearly states the seminary of a diocese should be the heart of the diocese. (Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Training of Priests, 1965). This is not evident in many, if not most, dioceses in Canada! Do any of our readers see their seminaries at the heart of their dioceses? Do parishioners and seminarians ever engage together?

Regarding Orders and Congregations, their seminaries must assure they involve members who are actively engaged in carrying out the mission of their founders. The Vatican issued an updated ‘Gift of the Priestly Formation’ in 2017 which states that there must be four components within the priestly education process: propaedeudtic stage (poorly worded – generally refers to personal and psychological development), philosophical studies, theological studies, and vocational synthesis.

However, when one reads this very large document, it leaves much to be desired in the practical sense. It still has passages that smack of clericalism. But Pope Francis continuously emphasizes that the Church has to be more pastoral and ‘concrete’ in service (Wounded Shepherd). Lofty theological concepts do little to enhance the faith of people. But the ‘Gift of Priestly Formation’ has value despite its limitations. It talks about discipleship.

I believe this should be the core message and theme throughout the priestly formation process. The candidate for priesthood should view his vocation as being a disciple of Jesus, and that this must be is a life-long relationship. This discipleship is nurtured through spiritual direction, prayer, discernment, and continuous learning throughout life.

Another critical theme of effective priesthood is servant leadership. Pope Francis has emphasized that the Church must be all about service. Priests, to be examples to the laity, must adopt the attitude of servant leader, and like the rest of us, work on this until the end of life. The U.S. Association of Priests in 2018 said “…the way the current Program of Priestly Formation that has been implemented in many seminaries has more often than not resulted in priests who do not see themselves as Christ – like servants of God’s people.” This lack of service orientation fosters “a sense of distance, separation, elitism, clericalism, insensitivity and superiority, all of which have been critiqued by Pope Francis” (National Catholic Reporter on line, April, 2020).

To conclude this column, balanced maturity must also be continually strived for in the years of priestly formation. In England and Wales, 37 was the average age of a candidate entering the seminary in 2014. Such candidates have likely had experience in relationships and have been influenced by the hyper-sexualized secular culture of the day.

The majority likely will have traits of self centeredness. As a result, seminaries must have the capability of assessing the modern seminary candidate throughout his studies and gradually coach and accompany him towards the theological and pastoral goals necessary for the priesthood. A team of experts made up of men and women, who specialize in psychological and spiritual development, should regularly assess each candidate. (C. Jamison, OSB “A Reflection on the Qualities of Candidates Entering Seminary and the Formation Implications”, Models of Priestly Formation, 2019).

Jerry Archibald is a regular columnist. He appreciates direct feedback – email to:
(archibaldjerry@gmail.com)