From Celibate Catholic Priest to Married Protestant Minister: Shepherding in Greener Pastures describes a previously unstudied population of celibate Catholic priests who left the priesthood and eventually became married Protestant ministers. Stephen Fichter alternates from narrative to descriptive as he follows the lives of three of his study participants before, during, and after their dual transition. The descriptive sections include a history of religiously motivated celibacy and a review of the four leading forerunners in the field of Catholic clergy research. This scholarly study is the first time that these transitional clerics have candidly explained their difficult journeys of discernment. Religion, love, loss, and commitment are all analyzed in the context of this unique group of men, and the profiles in this book are memorable not only for the richness of their content, but also—and maybe most importantly—for their humanity. Lessons can be drawn for all people, especially those who have ever suffered a mid-life crisis.
In this wide-ranging and penetrative study, Stephen Priest uses clear and direct language to explain the thoughts and ensuing importance of one of the greatest contemporary thinkers.
Msgr. Stephen Rossetti—acclaimed expert on religious and clergy—has developed ten fundamental building blocks for priestly holiness, reminding his readers that the priest is a man who is full of God and full of joy. The Ten Steps to Priestly Holiness Cease any serious sin Renew the Sacrament of Penance in ourselves and in those we serve Pray more Dive deeply into the Eucharist Nourish good friendships, especially with priests Love the Church; love your bishop Practice gratitude Embrace your crosses Relax and trust Abandon yourself to God
The Subject in Question provides a fascinating insight into a debate between two of the twentieth century's most famous philosophers - Jean-Paul Sartre and Edmund Husserl - over the key notions of conscious experience and the self. Sartre's The Transcendence of the Ego, published in 1937, is a major text in the phenomenological tradition and sets the course for much of his later work. The Subject in Question is the first full-length study of this famous work and its influence on twentieth-century philosophy. It also investigates the relationship between Sartre's ideas and the earlier work of Descartes and Kant.
The Empiricists represent the central tradition in British philosophy as well as some of the most important and influential thinkers in human history. Their ideas paved the way for modern thought from politics to science, ethics to religion. The British Empiricists is a wonderfully clear and concise introduction to the lives, careers and views of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Mill, Russell, and Ayer. Stephen Priest examines each philosopher and their views on a wide range of topics including mind and matter, ethics and emotions, freedom and the physical world, language, truth and logic. The book is usefully arranged so that it can be read by thinker or by topic, or as a history of key philosophical problems and equips the reader to: recognize and practice philosophical thinking understand the methods of solving philosophical problems used by the British Empiricists appreciate the role of empiricism in the history of Western philosophy. For any student new to philosophy, Western philosophy or the British Empiricists, this masterly survey offers an accessible engaging introduction.
Hide & Seek chronicles the intensely personal war between wartime Rome’s Nazi SS Chief Herbert Kappler and the Vatican’s Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, a fiercely fought rivalry that culminated in Kappler attempting to kidnap and murder his Irish opponent, who was determined to fight Rome’s Nazi rulers. Called “Ireland’s Oscar Schindler,” O’Flaherty masterminded a large-scale operation from inside the neutral Vatican, to hide and help Jews, downed airmen, and escaped Allied prisoners. Using safe houses and church buildings, the priest sheltered around five hundred Jews in the Holy See and many thousands more Jews and Allied escapees in and around Rome. After a Resistance bomb killed thirty-two German soldiers, an enraged Hitler ordered revenge. Kappler planned and oversaw the firing squad execution of 335 people in the Ardeatine Caves outside Rome. The massacre became the worst atrocity committed on Italian soil during the war. After the war, the Nazi colonel was found guilty on all the charges relating to the massacre and sentenced to life. Amazingly, O’Flaherty began visiting his former rival in prison, engaging in a long-run conversation that led to Kappler’s conversion—and baptism by the Irish Monsignor.
Our tale begins in a small town in Slovakia, in the shadows of the High Tatra mountains where each day was a matter of survival. The time was 1849 when the power of the Roman Catholic Church was declining. A young, unconventional priest was sent to a broken down abbey to restore the influence of the church. He started the rebuilding process when he found a baby on the door step of the church. The priest decided to raise the boy in the abbey and to prepare him for the priesthood when the boy fell in love with a young woman. The priests battle between the love for the boy and the love for his God began. He fought the church and his superiors for the sake of the young man who, finally left his training for the priesthood and married the young lady; they had five sons and one daughter, raised in the shadow of the church. Living under the yoke of the Austrian-Hungary Empire became more of pure survival. Trying to leave the country prior to the war became their primary goal. The family moved to the United States; one by one. Each one scrimped and saved to bring the next one over. World War I erupted and the youngest boy, Stefan was drafted into the army of the empire before he could take his parents to America. He fought in the war for which he has no sympathy and left his elderly parents in the hands of the hired help. He spent two years on the Russian front where he was wounded. After his recovery, he was sent to the Alps where he was captured and spent two years as an American prisoner of war Stefan returned after he was released from prison and fell in love with the woman who had taken care of his mother and father. His father died and Stefan took his mother, his pregnant wife and came to America to be with his family. Their first born was delivered on a steamer half way across the Atlantic ocean. They finally landed in Boston to begin their life in the textile mills of Cohoes New York. The story tells of the conflicts encountered in a rural area of eastern Europe. The infuence of the church and very strong family values which were brought to this country and are still a part of the lives of people who left the oppressions of Europe. Life was hard, but the family survived and this is what makes up the bulk of the population of our country today. It tells of the power and force that our forefathers had and the determination to come to this country so we could be born free.
Far-reaching changes continue to take place in the American priesthood. Building on insights gained from four previous surveys, Same Call, Different Men uses fresh data from a 2009 survey-jointly implemented by the National Federation of Priest's Councils and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate-in which 900 priests shared attitudes and stories about their lives and ministry. Among topics covered are the challenges of ministry with fewer ordinations and larger parishes, ministering to an increasingly multicultural laity, collaboration with lay leaders, and personal reflections on the sexual abuse issue. It also relates the many satisfactions of being a priest, one who brings Christ to others and who is invited into many profound moments of individual lives.
Based on a survey sent out to Catholic clergy in the UK, this study is a major contribution from empirical theology towards interpreting the health and potential of the priesthood today. The issues raised by this new study concern the nature and health of the priesthood, a topic of most urgent concern at a time of clerical scandal and abuse. The conclusions of this book are extremely revealing but fundamentally positive for anyone concerned with the future of the Christian Church at the start of a new millennium.
Stephen Elkins-Williams had the extraordinary good fortune to preach in the same pulpit for 30 years, and it was equally fortuitous for generations of parishioners at the Chapel of the Cross in the vibrant university community of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Guiding his listeners through a thorough grasp of scripture, as well as personal insight and lively storytelling, his preaching also reflects a keen understanding of his place in the leadership lineage of a 170-year-old parish. Stephen made the Chapel of the Cross a trusted leader among churches in a caring, giving and activist community, and a source of inspiration, comfort and teaching to young minds and hearts on a college campus. In the words of a long-time associate, When Steve preaches I always learn something that changes my understanding of God and/or the practice of faith. Stephen joined the Society of Jesus while completing his studies toward degrees in philosophy and divinity, and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1975. He soon realized that Gods purposes for his life were changing; he left the Jesuits and was received as an Episcopal priest in 1982. He arrived in Chapel Hill that year as associate for parish ministry, and was chosen rector three years later. Here are more than 80 of his sermons that bring ancient liturgy thoroughly alive to a modern faith community.
A bestselling author and leading expert on the Catholic priesthood, Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti forges a renewed theology of priestly blessing, encouraging his brother priests to embrace the habit of blessing people, objects, and events. In this provocative and inspirational book he shows how the blessing is integral to the identity of priests and crucial to the spiritual wellbeing of all the faithful. Msgr. Stephen Rossetti fears that many priests shy away from blessing people and objects because of a lack of awareness of the rich tradition of Church blessings and a deficit in training for this important pastoral practice. In The Priestly Blessing, Rossetti urges priests to boldly and frequently embrace this ancient practice because of their unique calling. Rossetti traces the history of blessing in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. He also explores the various types of blessing, such as praise of God, the invocation of special benefit from God, and being consecrated to God. The Priestly Blessing also helps priests reflect on what saints and mystics have taught about blessing as a vital activity of the Church, and outlines connections between Catholic sacramental theology, the practice of priestly blessing, and the Catholic understanding of creation that helps make sense of priests blessing objects and animals.
Faithful Catholic priest become atheist psychologist shows how he himself shucked and how the reader can enjoy shucking childhood prejudices and superstitions to thrill to rational friendliness in our pluralistic planetary society. This book could have been titled “The Book of Tolerance.” The psychologist author recognizes that each of us learned a lot of traditions and beliefs when too young to evaluate them. Such prejudices are very deeply ingrained into the subconscious. Therefore they are often most difficult to overcome even in adult years and with further experience and education. (Dr. Uhl was already in his 30s when he finally got free; many people never get free.) Each of us grows up and learns to analyze and think critically at different speeds. Even in the same family one sibling may remain highly opinionated and prejudiced, stuck in the past, while another thoughtfully unlearns childhood myths and becomes a broadminded adult. Therefore, tolerance of such differing rates of learning and unlearning is necessary for civilized peace good friendships in a pluralistic society. Such patient understanding is less difficult when one follows the new Golden Rule: Treat others as you would reasonably want and expect them to treat you if your roles were reversed. The thrilling details of an exciting journey with our planetary neighbors are clearly laid out in the little book, Leap of Honesty – Priest to Atheist. A generous sprinkling of earthy humor richly seasons this revolutionary book for enjoyable spiritual nourishment. Previously published as Out of God’s Closet and Imagine No Superstition.
A new study by Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti—a licensed psychologist and research professor who has studied the American priesthood for thirty years—found that an overwhelming majority of American Catholic priests say that they are happy, like their work, and have vibrant spiritual lives. As Rossetti’s capstone to thirty years of studying the Catholic priesthood in the United States, Priesthood in a Time of Crisis is an indispensable tool for bishops and priests, as well as all those charged with the formation and ongoing education of clergy. Rossetti conducted similar studies on the psychological and spiritual well-being of American Catholic priests in 2004 and 2009, the latter of which led to his groundbreaking book Why Priests are Happy. This book includes the most recent findings about the health of priests, what most influences their wellness, and how the Church can ensure their continued well-being. The three studies make up the most comprehensive survey of American priests ever conducted. Rossetti’s research shows Priestly happiness in the United States has been steadily rising for the last few decades and continues to be very high, with 90 percent or more of priests indicating that they strongly agree/agree with the statement, “Overall, I am happy as a priest.” Priests very much like doing what they do, resulting in high job satisfaction. More priests are engaging in traditional spiritual practices—including praying the Liturgy of the Hours and spending at least thirty minutes each day in private prayer—than they reported a decade ago. Support for celibacy among priests remains high and is rising, with more priests professing to have a positive experience of celibacy, from 75 percent in 2009 to 82 percent in 2021. Mental wellness of priests remains high despite some signs of distress and depression, particularly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Priests report they are disappointed in Church leaders for their failures in handling abuse cases. Rossetti explains that the most crucial indicators of a priest’s psychological and spiritual wellbeing are loneliness, self-esteem, relationship to his bishop, compassion satisfaction, childhood trauma, traditional spirituality, priestly fraternity, sexual conflicts, and his intimacy with God.
Historically, black Americans have affiliated in far greater numbers with certain protestant denominations than with the Roman Catholic church. In analyzing this phenomenon scholars have sometimes alluded to the dearth of black Catholic priest, but non one has adequately explained why the church failed to ordain significant numbers of black clergy until the 1930s. Desegregating the Altar, a broadly based study encompassing Afro-American, Roman catholic, southern, and institutional history, fills that gap by examining the issue through the experience of St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart, or the Josephites, the only American community of Catholic priests devoted exclusively to evangelization of blacks. Drawing on extensive research in the previously closed or unavailable archives of numerous archdioceses, diocese, and religious communities, Stephen J. Ochs shows that, in many cases, Roman catholic authorities purposely excluded Afro-Americans from their seminaries. The conscious pattern of discrimination on the part of numerous bishops and heads of religious institutes stemmed from a number of factors, including the church’s weak and vulnerable position in the South and the consequent reluctance of its leaders to challenge local racial norms; the tendency of Roman Catholics to accommodate to the regional and national cultures in which they lived; deep-seated psychosexual fears that black men would be unable to maintain celibacy as priests; and a “missionary approach” to blacks that regarded them as passive children rather than as potential partners and leaders. The Josephites, under the leadership of John R. Slattery, their first superior general (1893–1903), defied prevailing racist sentiment by admitting blacks into their college and seminary and raising three of them to the priesthood between 1891 and 1907. This action proved so explosive, however, that it helped drive Slattery out of the church and nearly destroyed the Josephite community. In the face of such opposition, Josephite authorities closed their college and seminary to black candidates except for an occasional mulatto. Leadership in the development of a black clergy thereupon passed to missionaries of the Society of the Diving Word. Meanwhile, Afro-American Catholics, led by Professor Thomas Wyatt, refused to allow the Josephites to abandon the filed quietly. They formed the Federated Colored Catholics of America and pressed the Josephites to return to their earlier policies; they also communicated their grievances to the Holy See, which, in turn, quietly pressured the American church to open its seminaries to black candidates. As a result, by 1960, the number of black priests and seminarians in the Josephites and throughout the Catholic church in the United States had increased significantly. Stephen Ochs’s study of the Josephites illustrates the tenacity and insidiousness of institutional racism and the tendency of churches to opt for institutional security rather than a prophetic stance in the face of controversial social issues. His book ably demonstrates that the struggle of black Catholics for priests of their own race mirrored the efforts of Afro-Americans throughout American society to achieve racial equality and justice.
Messenger, sentinel, steward ... these three words have been used to describe the work of a priest in the Church of England since Cranmer wrote the original ordination rite in 1550. Two more, servant and shepherd, were added in 1980. Taken together, these five metaphors provide a rich and resonant set of ideas through which to explore the nature of Christian ministry. In this short, lyrical book, Bishop Stephen Cottrell explores each one; based on actual addresses given to ordinands on the night before their ordination, it is refreshing, challenging and accessible. Anyone considering ordination or already in ministry will want to read this book for the fascinating exploration of the five metaphors he considers.
Since he was in the first grade, fourteen-year-old Nicholas Gilroy has felt that God might be calling him to be a Catholic priest. To determine whether he has a vocation, he applies and is accepted as a freshman at Saint Peter’s High School Seminary. Nicholas, who has been homeschooled, is overwhelmed by the size of the building. He is also intimidated by the vice rector, Father Stephen Reynolds, who, from Nicholas’s perspective, should be in the marines and not in a seminary. The young man soon develops a friendship with Jose and Luke, two other freshman boys, which helps him to achieve success on the football team and to enjoy his new life at Saint Peter’s. But when Nicholas signs up for an after-school program to help tutor children in the inner city, he finds himself thrown into an adventure that puts his life at risk and changes him forever. In this novel, a teenage boy enrolled in a seminary participates in an after-school tutoring program in the inner city and comes face-to-face with life-changing danger.
This book could have been titled The Book of Tolerance. The Psychologist author recognizes that every child learns a lot of traditions and beliefs when too young to evaluate them. Such prejudices are very deeply ingrained into the subconscious. They are difficult to overcome even in our adult years of further experience and education. (Dr. Uhl was already in his 30s when he finally got free; many people never get free.) Each person grows up and learns to analyze and think criticallly at different rates. Even in the same family one sibling may remain opinionated and prejudiced, stuck in the past, while another thoughtfully unlearns childhood myths and becomes a broadminded adult ready for planetary friendships. Therefore, tolerance of such differing rates of learning and unlearning is necessary for civilized peace in a pluralistic society. Such friendly understanding comes easy under the new Golden Rule: Treat others as you would reasonably want and expect to be treated if your roles were reversed. Out of God's Closet: This Priest Psychologist Chooses Friendly Atheism shows how the author got really free and how readers can enjoy the same freedom to be proud, happy, planetary neighbors. Generous sprinkling of earthy humor richly seasons this revolutionary book for enjoyable spiritual nourishment.
Avoiding Injuries provides a unique perspective of outdoor injuries. Master outdoorsman Steve Priest's point of view of injuries, remedies and prevention, gives a flavor for the health concerns that come up in an active physical life. Injuries are something every outdoor enthusiast dreads. No one wants to think about them, but injuries are a fact of life. It is not a question of "if" but "when". However, the good news is that injuries can be prevented and overcome. Outdoor Activities such as running, cycling, hiking, skiing, triathlons, biathlons, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and canoeing and kayaking, increase the possibility for a sports injury. Read to learn what you can do - as Steve has - to minimize the frequency for injury, and how to handle the injuries once they occur.
For the Balinese, the whole of nature is a perpetual resource: through centuries of carefully directed labor, the engineered landscape of the island's rice terraces has taken shape. According to Stephen Lansing, the need for effective cooperation in water management links thousands of farmers together in hierarchies of productive relationships that span entire watersheds. Lansing describes the network of water temples that once managed the flow of irrigation water in the name of the Goddess of the Crater Lake. Using the techniques of ecological simulation modeling as well as cultural and historical analysis, Lansing argues that the symbolic system of temple rituals is not merely a reflection of utilitarian constraints but also a basic ingredient in the organization of production.
As a shepherd to the community, the priest has a vital role in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Just as he is to feed the sheep of his parish, the priest is to attend to the spiritual needs of inquirers, catechumens, and the elect. This resource guides priests through each of the periods and steps of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, showing how the priest is part of the process. The author point out ways in which priests journey with those going through the Christian initiation process. This resource will help priests understand the vision of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults as it explains each of the periods and steps of the process. The table that charts out what occurs during each period, the rites belonging to the period, and the length of the periods provides an easy reference. Also includes a glossary and resources.
Have you ever found yourself distracted while praying? Do you find work easier than prayer? Do you find praying to be too mechanical? Do you want to have a deeper relationship with God? If you answer yes to any of these questions, this book will help you find your way towards a deeper intimacy with God in prayer. Praying is more than just an activity. It is a meeting between friends. Learn about the two phases of the prayer life, what to do when your prayer seems dry, and how to effectively pray and prepare yourself to discover God more in the context of a growing and mature prayer life. This book will help you build and deepen your relationship with God. It’s time you invested in your number one relationship for eternity.
Stephen McGinty tells for the first time the full life-story of Cardinal Thomas Winning, arguably the most controversial and pugnacious Archbishop in recent British history. Cardinal Winning never ceased to be an outspoken and unashamed champion of traditional Catholic values, fiercely anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality. Too conservative for the Conservative Party yet too socialist for New Labour, he picked fights with both, while his sympathy for the poor remained constant. Before his death in 2001, Cardinal Winning gave dozens of hours of exclusive interviews to the author, who has also enjoyed the assistance of Winning’s family, friends and colleagues.
Guerrilla Priest" captures a special moment in the history of the Pacific War: the formation of the first guerrilla resistance against the Japanese in northern Luzon, Philippines. Major Walter Cushing, Chief Puyao of the Tingguian village of Balbalasang, and Al Griffiths, an Episcopal priest, were key figures in this resistance. "Guerrilla Priest" describes the events that led to the ambush at Lamonan--disastrous for the Japanese--and the aftermath of that ambush for those who participated."Guerrilla Priest" also provides an intimate glimpse of the American colonial experience in the Philippines, its impact on the Tingguian people, and a portrait of Japanese soldiers and their commanders that defies stereotype. But perhaps most significantly, it tells the story of how a young American family--Al Griffiths, his wife Nessie, and their infant daughter Katy--managed to survive a horrific war.Al and Nessie wrote separate accounts of their wartime experiences. Author Stephen Griffiths based "Guerrilla Priest" on his parents' two unpublished memoirs.
Keeping the Faith in spite of the Church: True love triumphs against the Catholic Church's most outdated law, a gay priest is hounded by the Vatican's "Secret Police", a courageous young journalist takes on Nazi Germany and exposes the Pope who aided Hitler - Composed over three decades my stories from real life are about the struggle between Faith and organised religion, its hierarchical duplicity, shameful denial and lack of justice and compassion. "I'd love to be a Catholic, but the Church is in the way," says Jimmy, who wants to make love not war.
Keeping the Faith in spite of the Church: True love triumphs against the Catholic Churchs most outdated law, a gay priest is hounded by the Vaticans Secret Police, a courageous young journalist takes on Nazi Germany and exposes the Pope who aided Hitler - Composed over three decades my stories from real life are about the struggle between Faith and organised religion, its hierarchical duplicity, shameful denial and lack of justice and compassion. Id love to be a Catholic, but the Church is in the way, says Jimmy, who wants to make love not war.
Act of Faith: America's longest running criminal conspiracy perpetrated against children By: Stephen Rubino www.actoffaithbook.com About the Book In his debut novel, trial attorney Stephen Rubino takes the reader on an electrifying journey of deceit, intrigue, tragedy, passion and ultimate redemption. At the intersection of the sacred and the profane, Act of Faith dissects the Vatican’s complicity in America’s longest criminal conspiracy perpetrated against children. This multi-generational family saga is richly portrayed through an ensemble cast of unforgettable characters, revealing the secret world of the Vatican’s sheltering of sexual predators to avoid bringing scandal to the faithful. Act of Faith offers an unflinching account of the still emerging sexual abuse scandal plaguing the Catholic Church and its impact on the survivors and their families across America. The story chronicles the lives of siblings Francis and Elizabeth Natale, who suffer unspeakable psychological damage after being sexually abused by their trusted parish priest. As adults, Francis and Elizabeth become estranged, each hiding their secrets in dangerous double lives. He as a gifted pianist and sexually conflicted Catholic priest, she as a reckless but highly successful trial attorney. After resigning her partnership in a major New York City law firm, Elizabeth sets out to uncover the roots of the abuse scandal and to exact her personal revenge. On a serendipitous road trip across the country, Elizabeth confronts her lifelong demons and forms an unlikely alliance with Father Thomas Atkinson, her long lost high school love who has become a Vatican whistleblower. After a tense reunion with Francis, the trio enters the super-charged environment of high stakes litigation, exposing the Church’s centuries old practice of hiding sexual predators in plain sight from the religious faithful and law enforcement. Together, the trio brings to the courthouse steps the first Federal Civil Racketeering lawsuit against the Catholic Church.
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