The Catholic Priesthood

The emphasis in the church is on the identification of those individuals who have the vocation for priesthood, and the nurturing of that vocation. As John Paul II asserted in a recent address, the Catholic church views the priesthood as a call that is pure gift from the spirit (Paul II, 1998). It is the responsibility of the individual, in collaboration with family and religious, to determine if a call to the priesthood exists. The initial development of vocation takes place in the family and in the parish setting. Parishes have the responsibility of nourishing each of their young people. Catholic schools and other organizations have particular responsibility in working with young men in order to help them recognize and accept a priestly vocation (Paul VI, 1965).

If there is indication that this call is a real one, then the individual enters into training for the priesthood. This can be extensive. Each country, or rite, has the responsibility of establishing a program of training for the priesthood within a set o

. . .
is ordained to the diaconate. This has long been an intermediate stage for those candidates preparing for ordination. More recently, however, the permanent diaconate has been more fully developed and established (Basic norms for..., 1998). Through the Sacrament of Orders, the priest is ultimately transformed into "Christ himself," so that he can properly represent the leadership of Christ in the church and perform the sacraments. Priests are individuals who have been conformed to Christ the Head and Shepherd by the sacramental process which confirms their vocation through ordination in the Holy Spirit (Paul II, 1998). In one of the major Decrees on the clergy during this century, Presbyterorum Ordinis, Paul VI established the role of the priesthood in the ministry of the church. As he described it, the priesthood builds upon the sacraments of Christian initiation, which it presupposes. It is then conferred by special sacrament, the Sacrament of Holy Orders, in which the priest is anointed by the Holy spirit and signed with a special character (Paul VI, 1965a). The church traces the priesthood back to the apostles. The church considers that God sent Christ to do his mission, and Christ then sent the apostles to fulfill the
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Paul VI, Paul II, Catholic Church, Holy Presbyterate, Presbyterate Diaconate, Christ Basic, Christ Essentially, God Bishops, Trinity Directory, Jesus Christ, paul vi, vi 1965, paul vi 1965, paul ii, paul ii 1998, basic norms, ii 1998, paul vi 1965a, congregation clergy, john paul, vi 1965a, holy spirit, john paul ii, catholic church, spirit paul ii,
Approximate Word count = 1265
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

More Essays on The Catholic Priesthood