Page 13 - The Priest, Summer 2015

We often only speak about having to form foreign clergy so as to allow them to understand the local parochial culture. But these needs are as pressing for local religious clergy as they are for foreign secular clergy!
Notwithstanding what we read earlier in Christus Dominus I don't think that or- dinaries (ie: bishops) are cognisant of our lack of experience and knowledge regarding parochial mangement. In ac- cepting our nomination as parish priests or assistant priests in parishes, they often assume we have had the same formation as their seminarians would have had – in- cluding that all important pastoral year, something I never had the opportunity to undertake.
Religious in the diocese
The Church’s Magisterium reminds us:
Bishops are asked to welcome and es- teem the charisms of the consecrated life, and to give them a place in the pas- toral plans of the Diocese. They should have a particular concern for Institutes of diocesan right, which are entrusted to the special care of the local Bishop.
A Diocese which lacked the conse- crated life would not only be deprived of many spiritual gifts, of suitable places for people to seek God, of speci c apos- tolic activities and pastoral approaches, but it would also risk a great weakening of that missionary spirit which is charac- teristic of the majority of Institutes.13
In his pastoral charity [the Bishop] will therefore welcome the charism of the consecrated life as a grace which is not restricted to any one Institute, but which bene ts the whole Church. Bishops will thus seek to support and help conse- crated persons, so that, in communion with the Church, they open themselves to spiritual and pastoral initiatives re- sponding to the needs of our time, while remaining faithful to their founding charism. For their part, consecrated per- sons will not fail to cooperate generously with the particular Churches as much as they can and with respect for their own charism, working in full communion with the Bishop in the areas of evangeli-
zation, catechesis and parish life.14
Religious, and more particularly here, 13 Vita Consecrata, no. 48.
14 Vita Consecrata, no. 49.
Journal of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
religious clergy, do have a role in the di- ocese and in parish life. There would be many who would argue that we are simply here in an auxiliary role. But the Church calls us, indeed mandates religious to work closely with the diocesan structures as part of it, not simply as bystanders. I don’t think this is a great problem in Australia. But having had a good experience of the Church – or rather of my Order – in the U.S., Italy and Poland, I see this as a great problem where religious and diocesan clergy look upon the other with suspicion and at times disdain. The Church’s teach- ing on this collaboration is not just for us here, but needs to be heeded by all reli- gious and secular clergy throughout the world.
Religious promote priestly vocations
One last area of collaboration in this section before speaking brie y on the role of religious men and women in general, is that of vocations. Believe it or not, reli- gious promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood.
From my own experience, our three parishes of Kellyville, Springvale and War- rawong have certainly generated vocations to the diocesan priesthood. The witness of the priest-friars in these areas has en- couraged young men to discern their vo- cation to the diocesan priesthood. We are not there to compete with the diocese but rather called to nurture vocations for the greater glory of God and not ourselves!
I would hope that diocesan clergy too when they note a vocation in a young man may be discerning enough themselves to see that perhaps the diocesan life is not for this young man and he may be more suited to community life — not, as I've heard, and certainly not from the good men in this room, that this young man is perhaps not so academically inclined and so he may be more adept to consecrated life! We may be simple, but hopefully the great academic history of religious shows that we too can read a book!!!
Seriously though, as the Jesuit Fr Har- don wrote so beautifully:
The Eucharist is also the best way to recognise vocations. Show me a man or woman devoted to the Eucharist and I
will show you a person who is an apt sub- ject for the priesthood or the religious life.15
Discern well for the sake of the candi- date, not for the sake of a perceived de- cline in vocations to the diocesan priest- hood, which as we are seeing is not so in decline any more. Religious clerical con- gregations faithful to the Church, with a clear sentire cum ecclesia, are in great need for the very renewal we are seeing in our diocesan seminaries!
3. The value of religious sisters and brothers in our parishes
In general terms I have looked at the Magisterium of the Church regarding the collaboration of religious in the pas- toral setting and a closer look at religious priests in parishes. Now I would like to brie y outline the great role that non- clerical Religious can have in our parishes as well.
Firstly the great witness of prayer of religious. In seeking God rst in their lives they can be a great help to the many parishioners who are in need of seeing this witness of prayer. Parishioners are inspired by the communal nature of re- ligious in the parish, of the mystique of what life is like ‘behind the convent walls.’ They are also edi ed by the horarium that religious live. I know my own parishioners are always taken aback to know we friars actually spend several hours each day in prayer in our friary chapel. Most think that the only ‘church time’ we have is when they see us celebrating Mass in the church.
Another area of collaboration is reli- gious brothers’ and sisters’ participation in the sacred liturgy. Now I believe, like most of you, of the role of the priest in the liturgy! I'm not quite sure the sizes of your parishes but I look after a parish where our weekday Masses number anywhere between 150-300 people, and our Sunday count is somewhere near 2600 people. We do have to use extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, even with three of us friars living in my community. I will always ask any religious present to help rst. I
15 John Hardon, ‘The Eucharist and Vocations,’ 1980.
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