AS of now we have approximately two students per annum in our seminary.
Older Catholics might have seen photo-graphs on the seminary wall of hundreds of smiling faces.
Maybe a few went under pressure but even these could, out of a nobility of spirit become truly inspired into a deep faith and love of God their Father.
For how long now we have had in our deepest presence a spirit, smooth-skinned, pin-stripe suit, successful in every hour of the day, with an ability to achieve above all his contestants?
His name, “Materialism”, and he has us by his teeth, the greatest enemy of the Church.
It is he who has emptied our seminary, not allowing anyone he could grip in his hand to go there; and have we not all hoped our children would be successful, have a good career, achieve, with a comfortable home etc?
In the past a family felt privileged to have a son as a priest. Without a priest there is no Mass, yes, a loss for me.
For much of his time a priest is there to restore hope for despair, to reveal that living Word of Love to the child, the youth, to console and bless the dying, to reveal God the Eternal Father to the unbeliever, to love the wanderer back to his God of love, a shepherd to carry the wounded, find the stray, bring the foolish back to those feet on a cross.
Is not God calling sons to priesthood, or is it that the deafening noise of materialism has drowned out that gentle call?
R PARKER
Oxley, Qld
