Pope Francis is alleged to have told Italian bishops: "If you have even the slightest doubt, it's better not to let them enter because these acts or deep-seated tendencies can lead to scandals and can compromise the life of the seminary, as well as the man himself and his future priesthood."

However, there has been no Vatican confirmation of what Francis told the bishops in a closed-door session last week.

Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, who is the president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, answered a journalist's question in a way that appeared to confirm that Francis had discussed homosexuality when addressing Italy's crisis of priestly vocations.

If Francis's alleged views have been correctly quoted, they match up with a 2005 Vatican document about gay men's vocations.

The document is called "Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders."

It was issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education.

In 2016, the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy released another document called The Gift of the Priestly Vocation.

It says "If a candidate practices homosexuality or presents deep-seated homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director, as well as his confessor, have the duty to dissuade him in conscience from proceeding towards ordination."

Neither of the documents was signed by the pontiffs of the day - Pope emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

Though Francis has not addressed the topic publicly, he alluded to problems of homosexuality in seminary formation during a recent meeting with Chilean bishops.

In a letter written to the bishops which was leaked to Chilean media, Francis corrected Chilean prelates for systematically covering up clerical abuse.

He said the abuses were not limited to just one person or group, but were the result of a fractured seminary process.

In the case of many abusers in Chile, Francis noted how problems had been detected while they were in the seminary or the novitiate.

Rather than expelling these individuals, some bishops or superiors "sent priests suspected of active homosexuality to these educational institutions."

Source

• Crux Now
• Eurasia Review
• Image: American National Catholic Church

Many have already relocated from enclosed suburban retreats into city centres.

So far seminarians from the dioceses of Lille, Orleans, Nantes, Lyon, Rennes and Paris have relocated.

The change in living arrangements responds to Pope Francis's wish for trainee priests to live less isolated lives.

The 13 seminarians in Lille will move later this year, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich says.

Two of the priests who teach will live with them. Two others will live a short walk away in a second house.

Ulrich says a document called Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis [the Gift of Priestly Vocation] is mainly responsible for the changes. It sets out the guidelines for priestly formation.

The Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy updated Fundamentalis in 2016.

It calls for "a true human, spiritual and pastoral maturity of priests," Ulrich says.

Seminarians say they are pleased with the new living arrangements.

"Rue Princesse [our new home] offers us the challenge of a more evangelical life," Maxime Labesse says. He is a third-year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Reims.

"This community life presages how we will be called to live as priests," Lille seminarian Maxence Dubois says.

He hopes to form an even more fraternal community in the new seminary.

The change offers opportunities to bring theological, philosophical and spiritual formation together with pastoral experience.

Some French seminaries had already long established themselves in local communities before the recent changes to Fundamentalis were made.

Parisian seminaries, for example, began moving closer to the people in 1984.

Today there are eight houses attached to a parish in Paris, where several seminarians and two priests live.

In September 2010, Lyon's Saint-Irénée provincial seminary left a building in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon to settle next to the Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica.

"Ratio Fundamentalis makes things happen and forces us to rethink our pedagogy, with fewer lectures and more teamwork," Eudist Father Laurent Tournier says. He has been the rector of the Orleans seminary for the past six months.

Although many changes are taking place, the original seminary buildings are still in use. In Lille, for instance, the original seminary building will continue to be a place of formation and to house diocesan services.

"There is no question of abandoning this building, even if reorganizations are under consideration" Ulrich says.

Source

• La Croix
• Image: Séminaire provincial de Lyon saint Irénée

The St. Joseph Seminary in Maliana Diocese is the country's second minor seminary after Our Lady of Fatima in Dili, which has been the only place of study for young people aspiring to become priests. Continue reading

Detroit's Sacred Heart Major Seminary hired the actors to put seminarians through a three week acting and public speaking workshop.

The exercise has been nicknamed "Preaching Boot Camp", reported the Detroit Free Press.

Actors Arthur Beer and Mary Bremner-Beer have run the workshop at the seminary for the last few years.

The seminarians are taught how to project, how to control tempo, and how to master timing in order to deliver a Biblical truth or a laugh line.

The married couple's boot camp is a change-up from the typical seminary classes in Catholic theology and doctrine.

Boot camp classes begin with vocal exercises and seminarians also do breathing exercises.

One example of the latter is seminarians holding a lit candle in front of their mouths, while trying to exhale slowly enough to make the flame dance, rather than blowing it out.

To tap into the emotions, the seminarians are asked to write and deliver speeches about their mothers.

Then they have to deliver those speeches to their mothers.

When one of the seminarians said his mother started crying, Mrs Bremer-Beer, a college acting teacher, took it as a good sign: "Doesn't it make you feel good when they cry?" she asked.

Other exercises include memorising monologues about characters from plays and delivering these.

It is an admitted challenge for priests to break through to congregations, so the preparation is considered worthwhile.

"Priests today have to compete with a digital media culture where sound-bites, tweets and social media updates are the currency of communication. It's a real challenge for preachers to break through," said John Gehring, Catholic programme director at the Washington, DC-based advocacy group Faith in Public Life.

Sources

• Detroit Free Press
• Image: Creation.com

On Wednesday archbishop Anthony Sablan canonically erected the new St. John Paul the Great Archdiocesan Seminary of Guam.

The ceremony took place after a Mass which was celebrated in the parish church of San Isidro in Malojloj.

Attached to the church is the former Carmelite Monastery, which will now become the seminary.

This new seminary is intended to generate more priests coming from local vocations.

There are presently five seminarians.

Students will take their philosophical and theological studies at Blessed Diego Luis De San Vitores Catholic Theological Institute for Oceania located in Yona.

Source

• Umatuna.org
• Image: Umatuna.org

His requiem Mass was celebrated by the Bishop of Auckland, Bishop Patrick Dunn, on October 13.

Five other bishops and dozens of other priests were present.

In his homily Fr Stuart Sellar said, "I've met three saints in my life and Vincent Hunt was one of them."

"He was a man consulted by bishops in Australia and New Zealand for his prudence, wisdom and judgment. He had a lovely humanity about him." Continue reading

On September 25, Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano of Ciudad del Este diocese was removed to preserve the "unity of both the bishops and of the faithful", according to a Vatican statement.

"Serious pastoral concerns" were also cited.

Bishop Livieres had allowed a priest accused of abusing seminarians in other countries to minister in his diocese.

A Vatican spokesman denied these accusations were central to the bishop's removal, but said this had been debated.

Bishop Livieries had appointed Argentina Fr Carlos Urrutigoity as vicar-general, despite his track record in the United States.

Scranton diocese in Pennsylvania posted a message to its website this year that that the priest "was identified as posing a serious threat to young people".

Fr Urrutigoity was removed as vicar-general in Ciudad del Este in July, just before an apostolic visitation by Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril Castello.

Ordinations were suspended in the diocese after the visit.

The Vatican statement said the "onerous decision" to dismiss Bishop Livieres was made after a "careful examination" of the findings of a Vatican investigation conducted by the congregations for Bishops and for Clergy.

Several years ago, Bishop Livieres publicly accused Asuncion's archbishop of being gay, setting off a public uproar.

After he became bishop in 2004, Bishop Livieres opened his own diocesan seminary in Ciudad del Este and shortened the formation period to four years.

On September 25, Bishop Livieres posted a letter to his diocesan website, stating that he opened this seminary to make up for the failings of the national seminary.

This raised the ire of his fellow bishops, Bishop Livieres wrote.

He claimed his removal came as a result of an ideological campaign by Paraguayan bishops in league with Vatican officials.

"The true problem of the church in Paraguay is the crisis of faith and moral life perpetuated by bad formation of clergy and the negligence of pastors," he wrote.

Bishop Livieres also complained that he was never shown Cardinal Abril's report, that the apostolic visitation was flawed and that he was not allowed to speak with Pope Francis on his situation.

He said all allegations of inappropriate conduct were false, but he would accept the Pope's decision.

Sources

• New York Times
• National Catholic Reporter
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: BBC

A group called Concerned Catholics of Guam placed an advertisement in the July 2 edition of a local newspaper, Pacific Daily News, challenging AOA's Archbishop Anthony Apuron "to publish annually, beginning with the fiscal year completed on June 30, 2012, an independent auditor's report".

A March 2012 letter from the Vatican's then-representative to the Pacific islands, Archbishop Charles Balvo, called on Apuron to submit the archdiocese's financial statements to a Vatican office.

The office of the Evangelisation of Peoples had expected the archdiocese to submit a financial report in 2011 and in previous years.

The Guam group that called for the public disclosure of church finances brought its concerns to Pope Francis' new Pacific islands representative, Archbishop Martin Krebs, who visited Guam in July.

The review report of Deloitte & Touche includes 26 Parishes, 9 Catholic Schools, and the Chancery Office under the Archdiocese of Agana.

Not included in the review report are the following organisations: Catholic Social Service, Catholic Cemeteries of Guam, Inc., and Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary of Guam.

The financials of these organisations will be disclosed separately in their particular websites.

Also disclosed in the website are the internally-prepared financial statements of the AOA for Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2013

The Archdiocesan website says, "AOA is continuously working to improve its fiscal management. "

"The AOA plans to hire an independent CPA firm to conduct annual financial reviews beginning with the fiscal year just ended June 30, 2014, and to have these financial reviews disclosed to the public as soon as they become available."

Source

• Archdiocese of Agana
• guampdn.com
• Image: Archdiocese of Agana

He was farewelled at the seminary this week.

"I'm sad to be leaving at this stage in the year but owing to health reasons I feel that it's best for the Seminary and for me that I return to Australia for medical treatment. I would liked to have completed my term which was due to finish at the end of the year," says Monsignor Jeffrey.

"We are grateful to Monsignor Jeffrey for his work at the Seminary over the last three years," says Archbishop John Dew, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

"He came to us from the Diocese of Sandhurst, Australia, at a time when he was due to retire."

"Instead he responded willingly to our request to come to New Zealand as Rector of Holy Cross Seminary."

"During his time here, he has embraced the culture and the Church here and has contributed greatly to the Seminary."

"Monsignor Jeffrey's experience and passion for priesthood has contributed greatly to his work at the Seminary," said Dew.

"He brought his many years of experience as both a staff member and rector of two seminaries, and his involvement in Catholic education."

"He also has great enthusiasm for the new evangelisation, and having worked in a number of parishes. He has a proven knowledge of pastoral ministry."

"While we're sad to see him leave early before the anticipated end of his term later this year, we understand that the need to prioritise his health and well-being."

Reflecting on his time here Jeffrey says he has enjoyed New Zealand "I'd like to thank all of the staff at the Seminary for their work and support of me and my role."

"I'd also like to thank all of the Seminarians who have passed through the Seminary during this time. I wish them all the very best in their discernment and development of their vocation. They will remain in my prayers as I return to Australia," he says.

Monsignor Jeffrey was ordained at Sacred Heart Cathedral in his home town of Bendigo in 1963 and worked as Assistant Priest at parishes in Beechworth, Cohuna, Heathcote and Shepparton.

He then spent twelve years at Corpus Christi Provincial Seminary in Australia as a member of staff (1972 - 1977) and Rector (1978 - 1984). In 1985 he was appointed a staff member of the Pacific Regional Seminary in Fiji and became Rector in 1989, a position he held until 1993.

In 1994 Jeffrey became Parish Priest at St John's Catholic Parish in Euroa before joining St Brendan's in 1995.

In addition to seminary and parish-based roles, Monsignor Jeffrey has been Chairman of the Sandhurst School Education Board since its inception 15 years ago; Director of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria for 12 years, and Chairman of a Diocesan Ecumenical Commission for 14 years.

He was named Prelate of Honour by Pope John Paul in January 2000.

Source

• catholic.org.nz
• Image: Supplied NZCBC

His appointment takes effect this time next year. The lead in time will allow him to prepare and visit other seminaries to observe formation processes.

Source

Archbishop John Dew's Newsletter 20/02/14

The Rector of PRS Fr. Michael O'Connor said 2013 was a year of special blessings. He said one of the principal signs was what may have been a record number of priestly ordinations.

There were 18 ordinations to the priesthood spread over dioceses and congregations.

Diocesan priests 11
Archdiocese of Suva (4); Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru (2); Diocese of Carolines (2); Diocese of Wallis and Futuna (1); Archdiocese of Samoa (1); Diocese of Tonga (1)

Religious and Institutes of Apostolic Life 7
Society of Mary (5); Vincentians (1); Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (1)

In the last seven years 82 priests have been ordained - an equal number of diocesan priests and priests for congregations.

Every one of these graduates has graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity accredited by the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools, and also a Bachelor of Sacred Theology, S.T.B. from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome.

Fr Michael says PRS is grateful for the support of Bishops and Major Superiors who have continued to send personnel for further training, with the intention of their teaching for a time at PRS when they return after studies.

The establishment of a Regional Seminary was one of the first tasks embraced by the newly formed Pacific Conference of Bishops when it came into existence in the late 1960s. The third meeting of the Bishops in 1970 decided to ask the Archbishop of Suva to begin looking for land and in the 1971 meeting the decision was reached to start the seminary in Suva in 1972. The present site was develop during 1972 and early 1973 and in June 1973 the Pacific Regional Seminary opened on its present site at Suva Point.

Source
PRS :supplied
Image: PRS Supplied

The new seminary will be called the "Saint John Paul II Archdiocesan Seminary" and will be initially hosted on the grounds of the Carmel on the Hill Retreat Center in Malojloj. There are plans on the drawing board to construct the seminary.

The new Saint John Paul II Archdiocesan Seminary will complement the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Yona, which opened in 1999.

Both seminaries are diocesan seminaries owned by the Archdiocese of Agana; however one will underscore the local mission in the archdiocese while the other will have the added element of availability for the world wide mission.

Source

• U Matuna Si Yu'os

The book has resulted in a degree of interest from the general public and has been interviewed twice on Radio New Zealand Nation.

Davison is now the head of religious studies at Pompallier College in Whangarei.

• Listen to interview on Nine to Noon
• Listen to interview on Spiritual Outlook

A weekend chocker of catchups, re-introductions and lots of stories, for old mates, some who had not seen each other for 30 years or more focused around Friday drinks, a visit of the Marist Archives, the the actual book launch, launch dinner and Sunday Mass.

Wives and partners too seemed to learn lots and were able to put names and faces together, some for the first time.

The conversation flowed all weekend.

Speaking at the On a Mission launch dinner, in a packed dining room at the Back Bencher Hotel, Mike Fitzsimmons described the occasion as 'very special.'

"I often thought if ever a place deserved an old boys gathering, the Mount does. The great quest we were all on, intensity of our experience and the friendships formed make the school equivalent very pale indeed."

Mr Fitzsimmons said the seminary was a 'great deal' for him.

• Board and meals for seven and a half years.
• A tertiary education at Victoria and the Mount worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• It gave me 'once a seminarian' stories to last a lifetime that seem to leave people gob-smacked even to this day.
• It gave me friends for life.
• It gave me habits so useful for married life - extraordinary ability to take criticism, unquestioning obedience, and an instinctive habit of speed drinking whenever someone is approaching the door!

Mr Fitzsimmons however reminded those who had yet to read the book, that On a Mission is not a history of the seminary, rather it's 22 stories, each with their own truth, he said.

A similar event earlier in Whangarei, earlier the week also attracted more than 100 people.

Author, Shaun Davison says his former colleagues "rank as some of the most inspiring people I've ever met" and described the call to a Marist vocation as "a noble mission to serve God in our world".

For Mr Davison, the journey to write the book began 1976, when he joined a thriving community of over 100 at Mount St Mary's Seminary, Hawkes Bay, most of whom were training to be Catholic priests, and although in the late 70's number began to dwindle, still four years later Mount St Mary's still had around 80 seminarians.

"We had no doubt it would carry on for another 100 years," he said.

But all of a sudden things changed.

Just twelve years later the bells at Mount St Mary's Seminary, Greenmeadows tolled for the last time, the grand Hawkes Bay institution closed, and the remaining handful of students moved to Auckland to continue their training.

Motived by turning 50, Mr Davision, who left the seminary in 1981, went in search of his former colleagues, to retrace their journeys, revisit their decision to embark on a religious path and discuss its impact on their lives.

Fr Merv Duffy SM, a professor of Systematic Theology at Good Shepherd College, Auckland, describes the book as: "A terrific read! Wonderful coming-of-age stories. Talented men reflecting on their seminary days, the ideals and ordeals."

Monsignor Gerard Burns, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Wellington, bought On a Mission on Friday night and found the stories so riveting that he couldn't put the book down until he finished it.

Those interested in a copy can get them direct from the publisher, Steele Roberts.

A good representation from the various dioceses and congregations is expected to attend. These include diocesan priests from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia and Kiribati as well religious from the same areas. There will be some coming who did not reach ordination but who still greatly value the experience of training at Pacific Regional Seminary. It is hoped that some of those present will include the Bishops and Archbishops who are former students of PRS.

Because this is the 50^th anniversary of Vatican II and also the Year of Faith, the weekend in August will be focused especially on the Vatican II documents on the ministry of Priests and on formation. These will be part of an ongoing series of lectures which have run through this year on the documents of Vatican II.

The Pacific Regional Seminary was the fruit of the Vatican II's emphasis on building up the local church and of the Vatican II structure of the Conference of Bishops. The first Plenary session of the Bishops' Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC) took place in 1968. By the time of the third meeting in Sydney in 1970, serious consideration was given to establishing a regional seminary for the Pacific and a decision was made at the same meeting.

Suva was the chosen site and Archbishop George Pearce (Archbishop of Suva) was entrusted with the task of purchasing a site and putting up the buildings. A temporary site at the Bishop Court close to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart opened on 6^th March 1972 and was used for the first eighteen months.

Eighteen students - religious and diocesan - from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa started in 1972. But by June 1973 the new site and buildings at Suva point were opened with another seven students added to the numbers. Within 8 years, by 1980, the number of students reached beyond 100.

Source

• PRS
• Image PRS

CTI has been the academic wing of Holy Spirit Seminary since 1999 when the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea set up a distinct institute for the academic formation of seminarians and laity. Thus both Holy Spirit Seminary and its offshoot, Catholic Theological Institute, share this jubilee celebration.

Among the many highlights of the Jubilee celebrations two can be mentioned: first, the Singkai Lecture given by Fr. Ommerborn SVD which explored the beginning of seminary education in Melanesia culminating in the creation of Holy Spirit seminary and second, the presence of five bishops and many priests, all graduates of Holy Spirit Seminary-Catholic Theological Institute who shared their reflections of life over the years at CTI-Holy Spirit Seminary with the present student community.

Holy Spirit Seminary began in 1963 at Kap, Madang. At its commencement there were about thirty students from various regions of the country: Manus Island, Bougainville, Yule Island, Wewak, Goroka and four students were from the Solomon Islands. The staff in the early years were all members of the Society of the Divine Word. A few months earlier, on December 8th 1962, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) erected its seminary at Bomana and classes commenced early in 1963. The buildings were located on the grounds of what is now the campus of De La Salle Secondary School. Soon both communities were to be united.

In 1965 when the bishops were in Rome participating in the Second Vatican Council they made the decision to move Holy Spirit Seminary to Bomana, thus establishing one major seminary in the country for clerical religious and seminarians which was staffed by MSC and SVD priests. Over time other religious orders built houses on the seminary campus: Marist Fathers, Capuchin Friars, Franciscan Friars, Society of the Divine Word, Dominican Friars and Mariannhill Missionaries. The Passionist and the Salesian seminarians, while residing off campus, also attended Catholic Theological Institute.

Today the number of seminarians and clerical religious enrolled at Catholic Theological Institute is 120. Another 130 are enrolled in seminaries in other provinces of the country and in the Solomon Islands: Vanimo, Ropollo, Banz and Honiara, Solomon Islands. CTI's curriculum is primarily oriented to the formation of priests, but it warmly welcomes members of religious congregations and lay people. There are a small number at present enrolled. Also for much of CTI's existence the Anglican Church has sent some of its seminarians and priests to study at CTI. Their presence on campus has strengthened the already strong bonds between the two communions.

Source

• Fr. David Willis - President, Catholic Theological Institute
• Image: stevenswindow.blogspot.nz

"What we have in common is the Pacific, the ocean. I think it is great that we can share a little bit of the vision and future of the seminaries in the area," said Fr. Pius Sammut OCD, itinerant catechist responsible for the Neo-Catechumenal Way for the Pacific. He stated, "It is an enriching experience to see what is happening in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Australia, and other areas, to see the rectors come together sharing their ideas and knowledge on how to run the seminary, identify common problems and views, and be in communion with many priests, rectors, and formators who serve the Church and the seminaries."

In the course of the meeting the seminary rectors had several sessions on topics relating to priestly formation; new evangelisation, multi-cultural and anthropological issues, moral and faith formation challenges.

The principal speaker was Fr. Denis Vincent Twomey SVD, Emeritus Professor of Moral Theology at St. Patrick's College in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

On Thursday, the seminary rectors concelebrated a special Eucharist with the Most. Rev. Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM, Cap. D.D., at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica.

Source

• Umatuna.org
• Image: Umatuna.org

After his parents' divorce, the 14-year-old Cruise — then Thomas Cruise Mapother IV — gravitated toward a friendly priest who was recruiting students to attend the St Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati.

"I think he wanted a good education," the priest, Father Ric Schneider, told the New York Daily News.

"With his parents going through a divorce, it was tough on him, that's maybe one of the reasons why he came here. He was a typical teenager, trying to find his way in life."

According to Shane Dempler, his closest friend in the seminary, Cruise was sincere about becoming a priest.

"He had a very strong Catholic faith," Dempler said. "We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests. We thought the priests had a great lifestyle and we were really interested in priesthood."

The seminary — where students had to learn Latin, Greek and German — had a drama club that Cruise joined for the two years he was there.

Priests at the seminary have said Cruise chose to leave the school when his family relocated, but Dempler remembers it differently.

One night, he said, he and Cruise stole some liquor from the Franciscan priests, who were planning a celebration.

Dempler sneaked into the room where the liquor was stored and threw bottle after bottle out the window to Cruise, waiting below. Most bottles broke, but they managed to get some intact and hide them in the nearby woods.

"The priests didn't even realise until some of the other boys found out about our plan and snuck into the woods and got drunk," Dempler said. "They were caught staggering down the road to the seminary and forced to confess.

"The school wrote a letter to our parents saying they liked us both, but would prefer if we didn't return. So we weren't kicked out, just preferred not to go," said Dempler.

Source:

New York Daily News

Image: Urban Christian News

But as soon as the Games end, the Spanish Olympian will head to a Belgium seminary to begin the process of becoming a priest.
According to the Spanish daily El Pais, even though he always considered himself a believer, it was only in 2005 that he became aware of the importance of God in his life.

Continue reading

And renewal is coming. After the 2002 scandal about sexual abuse by clergy, progressive Catholics were predicting the end of the celibate male priesthood in books like "Full Pews and Empty Altars" and "The Death of Priesthood." Yet today the number of priestly ordinations is steadily increasing.

A new seminary is to be built near Charlotte, N.C., and the archdiocese of Washington, D.C., has expanded its facilities to accommodate the surge in priestly candidates. Boston's Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley recently told the National Catholic Register that when he arrived in 2003 to lead that archdiocese he was advised to close the seminary. Now there are 70 men in Boston studying to be priests, and the seminary has had to turn away candidates for lack of space.

According to the Vatican's Central Office of Church Statistics, there were more than 5,000 more Catholic priests world-wide in 2009 than there were in 1999. This is welcome news for a growing Catholic population that has suffered through a real shortage of priests. Continue reading