Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Cowardly Priests

A common complaint here in the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese is the lack of Catholic teaching during Mass. Explicitly from the pulpit when the priest sermonizes (is that a word?) about the days readings. In an informal polling done among some of our favorite priests here in Houston the vast majority of them do not feel it necessary to preach from the pulpit. They feel that 'soft' issues are what is in order and that any teaching of Catholicism is best left to each individual to discover themselves. When asked that Mass is the only time of the week that most Catholics are exposed to Catholic teachings a common response is that during marriage preparation or other opportune activities are best suited for this. We responded that by the time they reach marriage preparation classes it is to late. A couple of priests rolled their eyes and proclaimed that they engage with many of this sort by slowly bringing them into the fold. Pure frustration. When the majority of the Catholic population don't even know what a sin is or that Hell exists, answers such as the above are unforthcoming and cowardly. For more information concerning the breakdown of cowardly priests in a 2005, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research click here.

7 comments:

Matt said...

does that go for bishop/chancellor's too?

Anonymous said...

Especially for bishops/chancellor's!!!!!!

Anna B.

Matthew said...

I think there are some very liberal priests out there. And, I don't agree with them at all. I was looking through a biography of Cardinal Mahony of California and was shocked when I say how ugly and Protestant looking the Catedral he built is. There's even an actor buried in there! If anyone should be buried in a church, it should be a saint not an actor!

When I am a priest, I am going to preach and teach straight from the pulpit. After I talk about the readings, I'd like to start teaching from either the CCC or something like the Baltimore Catechism. I'll just read a few paragraphs each week. It's extremely important for priests to teach the faith.

Anonymous said...

Far too many priests fear that by preaching the truth, the collection baskets will return empty. The hard truth is that the people are begging to hear the Word of God preached rather than the watered down foo foo version. I have discovered that where the Gospel is preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the collections multiply like the loaves and fish.

Anonymous said...

Amen Brother Lesser.

Excellent post, Tito.

Keep fighting the good fight. We'll get their attention eventually.

Joann said...

The Catholic Church Code of Canon Law requires even these cowardly priests to teach what they would rather avoid teaching:
"Can. 217 Since Christ's faithful are called by baptism to lead a life in harmony with the gospel teaching, they have the right to a christian education, which genuinely teaches them to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation."

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