What do we know about the men who are being ordained to the priesthood this year?

Plenty!

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) has released its annual report on those who are being ordained in the U.S. during this Year for Priests. The report, commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), contains an overwhelming amount of statistics and demographic information. Here, in this week's top ten list, I will provide ten statistics regarding this year's ordination class that I found especially interesting: More...

A couple discussions in recent weeks have reminded me of one of my pet peeves in the area of liturgy: namely, the "lay homily."

Now, I should clarify that I have no problem whatsoever with the Church's teaching that all of us, according to our state in life, are called to preach. Hey, I do it here at this blog. Through our Baptism, we are all called to be "prophets" or heralds of God's Word to others. 

And we all have different gifts. Some people are more eloquent, convincing, and "dynamic" as speakers than others. Some lay people have more better oratorial gifts than some priests. No argument there.

Still, the Church very clearly forbids the giving of homilies by lay people (see below). Now, most places that have lay people giving the homily don't call it that. Rather, they call it something else, like a "Gospel reflection." Yet, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and even takes the place of a duck, then for all intents and purposes, it's a duck.

Okay, you might say, the Church is pretty strict about lay homilies, and yes, some dioceses and parishes play a little fast and loose with the rules. But what's the big deal? More...

Since I posted "Confession by the Numbers" a couple weeks ago, I've received a few emails asking how often we should avail ourselves of this sacrament of Christ's mercy. So, since you asked . . . More...

For many years I’ve had the clear sense that most parishes allot an inadequate amount of time each week for Confession. In my experience, most parishes set aside one hour per week for scheduled Confessions, some set aside two hours, and very few set aside more than that.

What does that all that mean in practical terms? Well, I decided to dust off my calculator to see if there really is a “Confession shortage.” More...

Like many parents, I’ve heard the incessant pleas of my children to get a pet (or in our case, another pet). With these pleas come all sorts of promises and assurances that the dog, cat, or gecko will receive abundant love and impeccable care. All will be right with the world--or at least with our home--if we simply were to adopt Rover or Princess.

Then, of course, we get the pet, and the enthusiasm diminishes with the first accident on the carpet. The kids are still fond of animals--they love the zoo or Animal Planet, and maybe would like to own other pets.

But the pet or pets they already have are taken for granted, and what was previously considered loving care is now experienced as a burdensome chore.

Pet Seminary

When we think about it, there’s a similar dynamic at work when it comes to our parish priests. We’re concerned about the looming priest shortage in many areas. We have vocation directors and parish committees on the constant lookout for prospects. We come up with 101 ways to support our seminarians. We esteem the priesthood and like the idea of getting a new priest.

Yet, as a pastor in California once confided to me, priests tend to fall off the map after ordination. The priests that we do have, day in and day out, are easily taken for granted. Over time their personal quirks or shortcomings overshadow, in our minds, the graces that come to us through their ministry.

In short, the idea gives way to the reality.

That brings us to our consideration of the Year for Priests. Notice that it’s the “Year for Priests” and not “The Year of the Priest.” The latter sounds like an item from the Chinese zodiac (2009, “The Year of the Ox”) or a 70s hit by Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”).

The Year for Priests is much more tangible than that. The Church is calling us to support the real-life priests in our midst. After all, this year is for them.

So what are some practical things we can do as a way of observing the Year for Priests? More...