Ordination without Sacrifice

Gandhi gave us his take on the Seven Deadly Sins, and one of them is "religion without sacrifice." I think of this a lot when it comes to ordination. The reality is that within Independent Catholicism (and its many iterations thereof), it is easy to be ordained. This reality spans from the liberal to the traditional--if you find a willing bishop, you, too, can be a priest. I do not think that this is inherently bad. There are many people who have been innately called to priesthood who should be ordained. For one reason or another, they are not able to pursue it in their church of origin. 

I do not always think that a theological degree is required for ordination. While helpful in explaining theological concepts to those to whom we minister, I also realize that they are out of the reach of many people. Because of the exorbitant cost of education in the US (especially), it does not make good financial sense to go tens of thousands of dollars into debt for ministry that will never be able to reimburse you for your costs. However, thankfully, because of the internet, there are many opportunities for learning that are less formal but still provide insightful, challenging insights.

So, without formal training, what is the option for training clergy? Well, there are other ways to prepare. A lot of it depends on the candidate. The individual has to take every opportunity to prepare themselves for ordination. At a minimum, ordinands should work on their spiritual life, emotional health, professionalism, grammar, and demeanor. Without this, ordinands are doing themselves a disservice because 1) they are seeking the easy path without doing the work and 2) they limit their own success in ministry and their ability to minister to people.

Some of the fault is on the ordaining bishops, who do not challenge applicants to do this hard work. Sometimes, they are eager to ordain people to grow their church or, less cynically, there is a true ministry need. However, by ordaining too quickly you actually do the ordinand a disservice on your side, too. It is incumbent that each person called to public ministry be spiritually prepared, emotionally prepared, and intellectually challenged. To fail to do so can cause a host of additional problems. 

Technology has made our lives infinitely easier. If you wish to be ordained, take it upon yourself to learn and digest. Take courses to improve your grammar. Watch videos about professional conduct and take trainings about child protection. We have access to some of the most brilliant human minds at the click of a button. Document what you have done and show it to your bishop. Together, you can craft a meaningful, yet challenging plan forward that does not put you thousands of dollars into debt while still helping you grow as a person. What a time to be alive!

O Priest! You are not yourself because you are God. You are not of yourself because you are the servant and minister of Christ. You are not you own because you are the spouse of the Church. You are not yourself because you are the mediator between God and man. You are not from yourself because you are nothing. What then are you? Nothing and everything. O Priest! Take care lest what was said to Christ on the cross be said to you: "He saved others, himself he cannot save! - St. Norbert

Stability among Independent Catholics

I was speaking to a friend about the lack of stability in the Independent Catholic world, and it inspired a writing. As you may know, the Benedictines take a specific vow of stability. Thomas Merton writes: "By making a vow of stability the monk renounces the vain hope of wandering off to find a ‘perfect monastery.’ This implies a deep act of faith: the recognition that it does not matter where we are or whom we live with. …Stability becomes difficult for a man whose monastic ideal contains some note, some element of the extraordinary. All monasteries are more or less ordinary.… Its ordinariness is one of its greatest blessings."

I think this is all the more difficult in the Autocephalous Catholic world. Because of our independence, the sky is the limit on what we want and where we want to go in our spiritual life. We have seen that manifest itself chaotically--clergy who have cycled through religions as frequently as we change socks. We also see micro levels of this--clergy who change within the Christian tradition from Anglican to Roman Catholic-ish, to Orthodox, and everything in between. Or, clergy who start and stop and start again parishes while creating whiplash among attendees. Or, perhaps they change jurisdictions frequently--hopping from here to there in contravention of the vow of stability mentioned above.

In typing these, I realize that I am not immune to the call to change. I have frequently waffled in understanding if my beliefs are Old Catholic or Western Orthodox. I struggle between these two poles because my deep commitment to the Western liturgical tradition while being called to the theology and mystical understanding of Orthodoxy. I have found, in myself, a way to nurture both, albeit sometimes confusingly. Fortunately, the founder of my tradition lived in this same confusing place, so I am in good company.

As I have written before frequently and emphatically, there is no good name for us in this little world. We seem to swing between being accused of schism, imitation, and innovation. So, we live in a gray area. However, despite this we are called to "keep at it" as much as we can. This also has implications in our own worshiping communities. Not planning ahead can lead to starting and stopping liturgical plans and programs, which in turn creates confusion among those to whom we minister.

Another caveat is that I am not stating that it is ok to stay in a situation where, in good conscience, we cannot stay due to feeling abused or conflicted. Unfortunately, there are plenty of stories of bad jurisdictional experiences in our tradition (although the same can be said for mainstream churches). However, constantly hopping around or rapid changes do not benefit us and the people we serve. Consider the person who digs a well only superficially and gives up. If they but only dug a bit deeper, they would have found their treasure: water.

I have a very dear friend who has labored at his parish for many years. Unfortunately, the response has been low but he persists nonetheless because he knows the importance of what he does. I admire him so much because I have been in the same place, laboring consistently and working for growth. His little group continues to meet despite, what I might imagine, is some disappointment and frustration but also hope. Yet, people know he is there and visitors come. He is consistent and present. May we all be so, too.

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” - Saint Augustine