Procession of Seminarians

Dear Blog Visitors:

I came across this old photo today (probably dates to the 1920s). It reflects a long tradition of seminarians processing from the old St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

You can see from the photo that there were several hundred seminarians in the procession. I recall seeing this annual ritual in my younger years.

Like many seminaries throughout the world, St. Bernard's closed and Rochester now only has a handful of young men preparing for the celibate priesthood.

In the face of closing parishes and a sharp decline in celibate priests, the Vatican remains stubborn amongst the clamor for change. The average age of diocesan priests throughout the country is now 64. (This makes me feel young as a 60-year-old married priest.)

Traditionalists are reluctant to let go of the mandatory celibacy policy that has been in place since 1139. My argument remains that unless the Vatican allows married priests and women priests into diocesan parishes, many more closures will be on the horizon.

Let us continue to pray for more inclusivity in the Roman Catholic Church.

Peace to all,
Ray Grosswirth