St. John Bosco claimed that one out of every four men is called to the priesthood.
I am standing in a place where in all dioceses there is no longer any pretense of replacement rate for the next five to ten years for retiring and dying priests.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is below replacement rate, and so is the Davenport Diocese and the Dubuque Diocese. These are only three of many which will not have enough priests to minister to Catholics either in urban or rural areas. I have spoken with many young men this weekend who said their dioceses are way below replacement rate.
Why are not young men answering the call of God? I blame families for not passing on the Faith.
I blame parents who are not forming their children in the virtues-many articles on this blog help parents to do this.
I blame parents for not disciplining or inculcating the Ten Commandments, for not praying with their children.
In the Faith, there can be no compromises. Either one is a Catholic and practicing, or one is not.
If lay people complain about the lack of priests, I say, "How many of your grandchildren are in the seminary?"
To sacrifice a child to God is a joy. Hannah sacrificed Samuel. Elizabeth sacrificed John. Our Lady Mary sacrificed her Son.
Churches will be closing and sold, even heritage ones.
Those beautiful, empty churches built by our ancestors will be destroyed.
Remember, all those Churches in Revelation no longer exist. All those dioceses up and down the Levant in the early days of the Church are gone. All those great basilicas and cathedrals which served the huge Catholic communities in Northern Africa are long gone.
