The Ordained Priesthood

Catechism of the Catholic Church sections # 1536 through 1600 are relevant to these documents.	The story of Church letters	Background statements written by Msgr. Peter J. Elliott of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and copyrighted by Catholics Committed to Support the Pope are indicated by ©CCSP. All others are written and copyrighted by Martin K.Barrack.
Document	Description	Background
Haerent Animo EWTN Library	Encyclical to the Catholic Clergy on Priestly Sanctity, Pope St. Pius X, August 4, 1908	During the Modernist crisis, St. Pius X writes to the priests of the world and puts before them the obligation of holiness in the priestly life. He rejects activism which emphasizes practical virtues at the expense of the interior life of prayer — the true and sure heart of effective priesthood. This problem of activism, tied up with Modernist and Americanist tendencies, would recur and even intensify during the twentieth century. ©CCSP
Ad Catholici Sacerdotii Vatican Library	Encyclical on the Catholic Priesthood, Pope Pius XI, December 20, 1935	In the last years of the great depression, Pope Pius XI affirms the need for and the sublime dignity of the sacrificing priesthood, centered on the Mass. This mediatorial and reconciling work of priests is extended in their ministry of the word as preachers and teachers. In an era of totalitarian persecution by the left and the right he does not hesitate to point out that those who hate priests are the foes of God. ©CCSP
Menti Nostrae EWTN Library	Apostolic Exhortation on the Development of Holiness in Priestly Life, Pope Pius XII, September 23, 1950	In his most memorable document on the priestly life, Pope Pius XII speaks to the priests of the world as they face the challenges of the post-war era. He calls them to rediscover the life of holiness through prayer. He gives practical directives on vocations and formation and corrects worldly tendencies already developing among some priests. He also seeks help for poor clergy. These years were marked by problems such as the “worker priest” experiment in France and the persecution of priests under communism. ©CCSP
Sacra Virginitas Vatican Library	Encyclical of Pope Pius XII, March 25, 1954	In a majestic and rich document, Pius XII reaffirms the value and dignity of holy virginity and celibacy. In various countries, this was an era marked by an increase of vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. At the same time, some Catholics were also seeking a deeper understanding of marriage and family life. But the Pope has to correct unbalanced opinions, especially playing down the importance of chastity “for the sake of the kingdom” and exalting married life above consecrated virginity. ©CCSP
Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia Vatican Library	Encyclical of Pope John XXIII on St. John Vianney, August 1, 1959	The Pope, whose own priestly life of prayer and penance would later be revealed in his published diary, speaks to priests as a beloved shepherd and sure guide. ©CCSP
Address to the Roman Synod Still looking	Pope John XXIII, January 26, 1960	The last significant ordering of priestly life before the Second Vatican Council is embodied in the Roman Synod of 1960. Even as it still reflects the method and thought of the Tridentine reform, its principles and priorities would remain valid amidst the serious problems of the decades which followed. ©CCSP
Optatam Totius Vatican Library	Vatican II, Decree on the Training of Priests	The necessary renewal of the formation of priests in seminaries and religious houses was initiated by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council in the decree Optatam Totius. The existing Tridentine model of formation was adapted to meet the needs of the Church of the late twentieth century. But rapid changes in some seminaries soon went well beyond what the Council Fathers envisaged and raised problems linked to dissent on matters of faith and morals. In 1990, the Synod of Bishops on Priestly Formation would review the loss and gain of the renewed methods of preparing men for the ministerial priesthood. See Pastores Dabo Vobis. ©CCSP
Presbyterorum Ordinis Vatican Library	Vatican II, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, December 7, 1965	The spiritual and pastoral renewal of priestly life ws a major concern of the Council of Fathers. But many serious problems emerged among priests soon after the Council. In these difficult years, Presbyterorum Ordinis would remain a sure point of reference. Its classical principles would be taken up by the Synod of Bishops on Priestly Formation, 1990. See Pastores Dabo Vobis. ©CCSP
Sacerdotalis Caelibatus Vatican Library	Encyclical on Priestly Celibacy, Pope Paul VI, June 24, 1967	Pope Paul VI speaks to the whole Church at a time when priestly celibacy was under attack and when the number of priests leaving the active ministry was rising. He traces celibacy from the New Testament and explains the meaning of this gift which centers on the Person of Jesus Christ. He reaffirms the value of the discipline of celibacy for the sake of Christ’s kingdom and emphasizes the need for better formation of students for the priesthood. ©CCSP
Fifth World Day of Prayer for Priestly Vocation Still looking	Message of Pope Paul VI, April 19, 1968	In the “Year of Faith” which saw the publication of the encyclical Humanae Vitae and the Credo of the People of God, Pope Paul VI calls for prayer for priestly vocations. Prayer for more priests would be one way the faithful could confront the fall in vocations which would afflict various countries, particularly in the subsequent decade. ©CCSP
Formatio Permanens Still looking	Circular Letter, Congregation for the Clergy, November 4, 1969	Pope Paul VI’s apostolic constitution Regimini Ecclesiae (1967) assigned to the Congregation for the Clergy the responsibility for proposing adequate measures for helping priests, in particular younger ones, in their spiritual and theological formation. This Congregation, after consulting episcopal conferences throughout the world, developed guidelines for priestly formation and communicated these to the world episcopate in 1969. ©CCSP
De Sacerdotio Ministerali Christus Rex Library	Synod of Bishops, December 9, 1971	In the era of crisis, when some priests experienced confusion about their own identity, the Synod Fathers address salient issues of priestly life and ministry. They affirm the absolute necessity of priests as part of the nature of the Church and propose ways to strengthen their mission and life. They also reaffirm the objective reality of priestly consecration, the indelible sacramental character imparted at priestly ordination. Several theologians had denied or questioned this truth, and in theory and practice ministerial priesthood had been reduced to a role or social function. ©CCSP
Inter Insigniores Still looking	Declaration on the Ordination of Women for the Ministerial Priesthood, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, October 15, 1976	Influenced by the rise of feminism and the acceptance of women as clergy in other ecclesial communions, some Catholics began to argue in favor of the ordination of women to the priesthood. Authorized by Pope Paul VI, this instruction reaffirms the Church’s unchangeable tradition of the male priest who acts sacramentally in the person of Christ, the priest. This teaching would be subsequently repeated by Pope John Paul II in Mulieris Dignitatem, n. 26, and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1577, citing Canon 1024 of the Code of Canon Law. ©CCSP
Discourse to the Clergy of Rome Still looking	Pope John Paul II, November 9, 1978	At the beginning of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II speaks to the clergy of his own diocese. Priests in Rome would later be encouraged by his systematic visits to their parishes, by diocesan celebrations, such as the annual Corpus Christi procession, and by his promotion of the renewal of the local church through the the Roman Synod, evident in an increase in vocations and the creation of new parishes. The Pope himself is thus the model for all diocesan bishops by making the care of priests a priority of his episcopal ministry. ©CCSP
Letter to All Priests Still looking	Pope John Paul II, Holy Thursday, April 6, 1979	In the first year of his pontificate, initiating an annual custom, Pope John Paul II addresses all the priests of the Church on the day Christ our Lord ordained his first priests at the Last Supper. He confronts a wide range of problems evident at the end of a decade of confusion and decline, including the secularized lifestyle of some clergy, men leaving the priesthood, and the lack of priests in some regions. The description of the community without a priest is particularly apposite and evocative. (cf. n. 10) ©CCSP
Ratio Fundamentalis Instutionis Sacerdotalis EWTN Library	Circular Letter on Spiritual Formation in Seminaries, Congregation for Catholic Education, January 6, 1980	In the wake of the reforms of Vatican II, some misinterpretations of the Council and erroneous attempts at implementing it, the Congregation for Catholic Education released in early 1980, shortly after John Paul II had been elected Pope, this circular letter to bishops on the spiritual formation in seminaries. ©CCSP
Homily to 5,000 Priests from the Whole World Still looking	Pope John Paul II, October 9, 1984	A great number of priests were brought together by the Catholic Charismatic movement for a retreat in October 1984. The Pope encourages them in their ministry for God’s people and calls them to a deeper interior life. The later years of this decade saw both a trend towards a more spiritual way of life among priests and an increase in vocations in various countries. Fewer priests left the active ministry as tighter control was exercised on this process. As the situation stabilized, many clergy found mutual support in priestly associations and the new movements within the Church. ©CCSP
Pastores Dabo Vobis Vatican Library	Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II to the Bishops, Clergy, and Faithful on the Formation of Priests in the Circumstances of the Present Day, March 25, 1992	Responding to the concerns and conclusions of the Synod of Bishops of 1990, Pope John Paul II sets the way forward for priestly formation in all seminaries and houses of formation. The Synod had reviewed the ways in which Optatam Totius had been implemented since the end of the Second Vatican Council. Taking into account the changing conditions in the Church and the world, they indicated specific areas requiring better methods of formation in the future responding to the gradual increase in vocations in various countries. ©CCSP
Directives Concerning the Preparation of Seminary Educators Still looking	Congregation for Catholic Education, November 4, 1993	Among the matters emphasized by Pope John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, written in response to the recommendations on the priesthood made by the Synod of Bishops in 1990, was the need for adequate formation of seminary educators. The Congregation for Catholic Education explicitly addressed this issue in a set of directives issued in November 1993, offering sound guidelines to be followed in the preparation of seminary personnel, rectors, vice rectors, spiritual directors and confessors, professors, and collaborators. ©CCSP
Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests Vatican Library	Congregation for the Clergy, January 31, 1994	Drawing on the classical sources such as the teachings of Vatican II and subsequent exhortations such as Pastores Dabo Vobis, the Congregation for the Clergy offers a useful “Vademecum” for priestly life. The Directory appears amidst more hopeful trends in the last decade of the twentieth century: a gradual rise in priestly vocations, the reform of seminaries, and a recovery of priestly identity in terms of spirituality and lifestyle. Note: The Précis edition will contain (1) the full text of the “Introduction” to the document, (2) the full text of its “Conclusion,” and (3) an outline of its “Contents.” As the detailed list of the document’s contents makes evident, the Directory provides a comprehensive reflection, at once profoundly theological and practical, on the life and ministry of priests today. ©CCSP
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis Vatican Library	Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II, on Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone, May 22, 1994	That women cannot be ordained priests had already been stated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Inter Insigniores. The Church’s position was repeated in Canon 1074 of the Code of Canon Law, 1983, in Pope John Paul II apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem, 1988, and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1577. However, when the Anglicans in England introduced the practice of ordaining women and causing confusion among some Catholics, Pope John Paul II issued this definitive statement. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is significant in the history of the sacraments because the Pope affirms that there are divinely instituted essentials in a sacrament, which even the Church cannot change. ©CCSP
Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Ministry of the Priest Vatican Library	Congregation for the Clergy and Seven Other Roman Dicasteries, August 15, 1997	The rapid development of “lay ministries,” especially in nations where there were fewer priests, led to much lay involvement in the life and ministry of the Church. However, problems also arose, often described under the heading of the “clericalization of the laity.” This document, jointly published by eight Congregations and Councils of the Curia, seeks to correct abuses in liturgy and pastoral care. It promotes an authentic collaboration that respects the distinctive ministries and charisms of both laity and priests. ©CCSP
The Role of Priests in Catechesis Vatican Library	Address by Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, Congregation for the Clergy, November 15, 1998	Evangelization and catechesis are often understood as projects, things to be done or activities to be organized. But more, they are inherent in the work of the priest. Evangelization fits in because it is the foundation and context of catechesis. This address concentrates on the priest’s role in the formation of catechists.
The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish Community Vatican Library	Congregation for the Clergy, August 4, 2002	Parish priests, beset by many challenges, are always in the midst of their people. This document highlights the vital difference between the ordained priesthood and the common priesthood, the central elements of the priest’s life and work, the nature of the parish community, and some positive contemporary pastoral challenges.