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LATEST NEWS Lecture Series: Father Donald Cozzens (May 5) Priesthood in Crisis, A Church in Trouble:
Monday, May 5, 2008 at 7:30 pm in the Church
A Lecture by Father Donald Cozzens
Introduced by Kenneth L. Woodward When Pope Benedict XVI spoke at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers recently, there were hundreds of seminarians in his audience. But St. Joseph's has no new seminarians this year and bishops had to fly in young men of their own to provide people for the Pope to address. Everyone knows there is a crisis in priestly vocations but no one seems to know what to do about it. Churches are closing everywhere and in many dioceses have to get by with "priestless" parishes. Each year there are fewer Catholic priests in the United States and their average age has climbed to over sixty. Overworked priests complain of burnout. The recent clerical abuse scandals have hurt recruiting efforts-not to mention morale. The future of the church as Catholics have known it is at stake.
As always, admission is free of charge. Click here for the complete Winter/Spring 2008 Lecture Series schedule.
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Father Donald Cozzens is one of the few priest-scholars who have frankly addressed the problems besetting Catholic clergy. A retreat-master to priests, monks and nuns, he is the former rector of St. Mary's Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio. In the last dozen years he has written five award-winning books that deal candidly with the options available to meet the crisis in the priesthood. His latest, Freeing Celibacy, confronts one dimension of the crisis. In his lecture he will present the latest thinking on the changing face of the priesthood, priestly formation, celibacy, and emerging lay leadership. Come and tell your friends you heard it at St. Theresa's.