Cardinal Hummes, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to lead the Congregation for Clergy, made the following points in an interview this past week.
To strengthen the priesthood, the new Prefect said that his Congregation has a two-pronged mission: [1] the institution of higher standards in priestly formation; and, [2] the initiation of a "house to house" visitation by our priests to bring about a re-evangelization of Catholics. He feels that priests have to reacquaint themselves with the people, to experience the warmth of the baptism by which they were brought into the Church.
From my 8 1/2 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, I was well acquainted with the annual "house visitation" that brought priests to knock on every registered Catholic's front door! It was a unique experience. Other than being threatened by growling dogs and sometimes that growl of the homeowners, the visits had two purposes: [1] the opportunity for the priests to get to know the parishioners on a different level; [2] to discuss any issues that might be weighing heavily on the parishioners; [3] to check on the sacramental life of the family --- who needed baptisms, annulments, etc.; and [4] the Archdiocesan practice of asking for $50 - $75 for the parish coffers!!! That bottom line always interferes with good spiritual works.
Ask most priests today how many different families they have visited during the last year? The number would be surprisingly and disappointingly low. The last two decades have built a wall between parishioners and priests. The experience of truly knowing a priest: how much can anyone come to know another person simply by shaking hands at the church doors or hearing a homily? As a young student in both grammar and high school, I came to know many priests who would often stop by our home. I know it was the visits by Fr. Hughes (the Exorcist priest mentioned a while back), a couple of Discalced Carmelites who help on Sundays at St. James (Mt Rainier, MD), a Fr. John Madden, an extraordinary preacher who was a professor of English at Catholic University. It was through these visits and my experience with Jesuit priests and Scholastics at Gonzaga High School that helped me discern God's calling to the priesthood. It was during these visits that we learned much about the different priests and their dedication to the Church. Let me close these de ja vu moments with this recollection of my mother speaking to my father: "Every time one of the priests stops by, you always have you shoes sitting by the sofa, a cigar butt in an ashtray. Father must think I never clean the place!!!" What most parishioners never knew was what only the housekeeper at the rectory knew: whether or not Father was a neatnick or a slob in caring for his room!!!
To strengthen the priesthood, the new Prefect said that his Congregation has a two-pronged mission: [1] the institution of higher standards in priestly formation; and, [2] the initiation of a "house to house" visitation by our priests to bring about a re-evangelization of Catholics. He feels that priests have to reacquaint themselves with the people, to experience the warmth of the baptism by which they were brought into the Church.
From my 8 1/2 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, I was well acquainted with the annual "house visitation" that brought priests to knock on every registered Catholic's front door! It was a unique experience. Other than being threatened by growling dogs and sometimes that growl of the homeowners, the visits had two purposes: [1] the opportunity for the priests to get to know the parishioners on a different level; [2] to discuss any issues that might be weighing heavily on the parishioners; [3] to check on the sacramental life of the family --- who needed baptisms, annulments, etc.; and [4] the Archdiocesan practice of asking for $50 - $75 for the parish coffers!!! That bottom line always interferes with good spiritual works.
