Courtney McGrailDear Editor, Your editorial (IC 30/10/14) stated that there has been a lacklustre approach to promoting priestly vocations in recent years and that sleepy parishioners have not encouraged vocations.
I wish to state that Catholic parents have been rudely awakened in recent decades and are increasingly aware of the troubled realities within the priesthood. Catholic parents value the positive ministry of happy priests. However, they are rightly reluctant to encourage their sons to submit to cruel enforced celibacy, absolute obedience to an episcopal monarch and the increasingly unfair burdens now being loaded on a diminishing number of elderly priests.
The glaring absence of women from ministry, leadership, governance and teaching within our Catholic Church is an injustice and loss which deeply troubles lay people. Catholics are sickened by the hypocrisy of praying for restricted vocations when they know there are plenty of good men and women, whether married or single, with the talents plus vocation to celebrate the presence of the Risen Christ within people, families and parishes.
The other hugely important component is the silence of the priests. They are not free to speak out their honest feelings about the realities of their lives and the low morale in many cases.
I would assert that those good men are also wide awake like the Catholic parents as mentioned above and cannot, in good conscience, encourage fellow men into a ministry that needs urgent and massive reform, renewal and restructuring.
I continue to hope and pray that Pope Francis guided by the Holy Spirit and the common sense of the People of God will be empowered to lead us all to genuine reform and renewal of ministry and governance within our Catholic Church.
Yours etc.,
Joe Mulvaney,
Dundrum,
Dublin 16.