One of the measures of the success of a diocese is the number of its seminarians because they reflect a spiritual ecology. If young people are not willing to give their lives in service to God when they hear the call, then either they are not listening for it or their environment represents an obstacle. But how ought we respond when a diocese actively sabotages what was working?
The vocations initiative in the Diocese of Charlotte has been thriving for well over a decade. Under the former bishop (Bishop Jugis), dozens of young men entered the minor seminary that was built in Belmont, North Carolina. The young men who entered provided their stories in publicly available videos or via miniature biographies in the diocesan newspaper. Each young man explained how he heard the call to the priesthood, when he knew, what his family was like, etc.
One cannot help noticing the similarities between them: they come from large Catholic families, are overwhelmingly homeschooled, had regular access to Eucharistic adoration, went to reverent parishes, and so on. With the aid of that program, they emerged as orthodox, motivated, zealous priests who celebrate reverent liturgies themselves.
Orthodox. Faithful. Free.
Sign up
Read more...
