Huh?

[Fidei Defensor]

My priest was talking about the shortage at mass a few sundays ago. He was talking about in the past how most catholic families were larger so usually atleast one child would go into service of the church. but now these days with the acceptance of contraceptives, families are smaller and less kids are going to the church. I guess thats dealing with faith in the church teachings then.

[MagiDragon]

[quote name='fidei defensor' date='Jan 23 2005, 08:39 PM']My priest was talking about the shortage at mass a few sundays ago. He was talking about in the past how most catholic families were larger so usually atleast one child would go into service of the church. but now these days with the acceptance of contraceptives, families are smaller and less kids are going to the church. I guess thats dealing with faith in the church teachings then.[/quote]
wow, your priest rocks! that's awesome that you have a priest that will come right out and say that! (Otoh . . . no one in my extended family contracepts and there haven't been any priests or nuns yet . . . but i'm one of the oldest at 22 . . . give us time

Peace,
Joe

[Fidei Defensor]

Haha yea, except he is going on vacation tomorrow.. lol. The other priest today said at the end of mass "Father is going on vacation tomorrow for a week, so after mass, you all have my permission to stick your tounge out at him on the way out" haha yea mass rocks

[toledo_jesus]

the priest shortage is a result of people choosing their wants over God's call. I think that any faithful Catholic man at some point wonders if he has a calling. Some choose not to discern it, others do realize they have a calling and ignore it. The problem [i]is[/i] our culture, one that glorifies service to oneself rather than service to God. The desires of a person are valued over the desires of God. Men are not encouraged to join the priesthood, they are encouraged to drink beer, fornicate, and get a high paying job. This is a Catholic culture problem.

[Socrates]

[quote name='toledo_jesus' date='Jan 23 2005, 10:49 PM'] Men are not encouraged to join the priesthood, they are encouraged to drink beer, fornicate, and get a high paying job.  This is a Catholic culture problem. [/quote]
What's wrong with drinking beer? (I'm drinking a beer at this very moment! LOL!)

Edited January 24, 2005 by Socrates

[MagiDragon]

[quote name='toledo_jesus' date='Jan 23 2005, 10:49 PM'] the priest shortage is a result of people choosing their wants over God's call. I think that any faithful Catholic man at some point wonders if he has a calling. Some choose not to discern it, others do realize they have a calling and ignore it. The problem [i]is[/i] our culture, one that glorifies service to oneself rather than service to God. The desires of a person are valued over the desires of God. Men are not encouraged to join the priesthood, they are encouraged to drink beer, fornicate, and get a high paying job. This is a Catholic culture problem. [/quote]
Yes. It's too bad. We wanted to be like the Protestants in the 50's, now you can't tell us apart from the way we act. *sigh* I wonder what it's like to have a strong Catholic culture.

[jezic]

[quote name='jmjtina' date='Jan 23 2005, 12:03 AM'] Yes it is a good thing that my parish priest is enforcing.

We are working for more holy vocations in the parish particularly for priests, and if doing away with girl altar servers is something we need to do as a parish so be it.

We volunteer for everything as Al said. (I'm a girl as well and used to be an altar server) Lectors, youth ministry, CDA, you name it, we are SO there! We don't discourage them from participating, we encourage them to participate in other areas of the Church.

The Altar boys are specifically going through more training and retreats to help them in thier spiritual lives, free from distraction while serving the sanctuary in hopes of fostering more priests from the parish.

And we also have a bunch of old ladies praying for vocations as well.

The Vatican says it's okay to have them, not that it's mandatory to have them. [/quote]
Why is it a bad thing??

We have never needed more vocations. God has given us plenty. What we need is more people to answer that call and actually go for it.

Besides here i think there are guys that volunteer for stuff to. They just have to have someone to break them out of their shell.

[Winchester]

If you want married priests, change rites.

[Guest Aluigi]

it used to be a special thing for boys to do. it used to cultivate vocations.

and now it isn't. it doesn't.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Aluigi' date='Jan 23 2005, 10:33 PM'] it used to be a special thing for boys to do. it used to cultivate vocations.

and now it isn't. it doesn't. [/quote]
In line with the constant and universal tradition of the Church, the Eastern Rites do not permit women to serve at the altar.

[Apotheoun]

The Eastern Rites have married priests, and yet, as I pointed out earlier in this thread, they too have a shortage of priestly vocations. The problem with vocations is not caused by celibacy; rather, it is caused by our society, which shuns the idea of making life long commitments, and which is focused solely upon a materialist understanding of the meaning of life.

God bless,
Todd

[spathariossa]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='Jan 24 2005, 11:36 AM'] In line with the constant and universal tradition of the Church, the Eastern Rites do not permit women to serve at the altar. [/quote]
With the possible exception of vague references to "deaconesses"

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='spathariossa' date='Jan 24 2005, 12:20 PM'] With the possible exception of vague references to "deaconesses" [/quote]
Deaconesses have never been [i]ordained[/i], rather, they were set aside to assist at the baptism of women, i.e., when baptism was still done in the nude. In such cases the priest said the words effecting the sacramental action, while the deaconess immersed the woman in the water. Deaconesses have never had a function within the sanctuary, since women have always been forbidden to approach the altar. Women have never been permitted to go past the iconostasis.

God bless,
Todd

[spathariossa]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='Jan 24 2005, 02:32 PM'] Deaconesses have never been [i]ordained[/i], rather, they were set aside to assist at the baptism of women, i.e., when baptism was still done in the nude. In such cases the priest said the words effecting the sacramental action, while the deaconess immersed the woman in the water. Deaconesses have never had a function within the sanctuary, since women have always been forbidden to approach the altar. Women have never been permitted to go past the iconostasis.

God bless,
Todd [/quote]
Interesting. I knew women couldn't go past the iconostasis within the historical record but I wasn't sure we had evidence concerning the function of the deaconess.

[Good Friday]

[quote name='Apotheoun']Deaconesses have never been ordained, rather, they were set aside to assist at the baptism of women, i.e., when baptism was still done in the nude.[/quote]
Then how do you account for the fact that the ordination rites used for the ordination of deaconesses is identical, in most cases, to the rites used for the ordination of deacons; and how do you account for the fact that the matter and form of holy orders is always present in these rites?