Charlotte Bishop Introduces an Extra Year of Priestly Formation
The Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, announced a change to its priestly formation programme in an email sent to priests on 15 December, according to the substack.com-account The Pillar.
Beginning in the next academic year, diocesan seminarians will complete a one-year pastoral assignment teaching at a local Catholic secondary school. The teaching year will take place after philosophy studies and before theological studies.
Purpose of the Programme
Seminarians will receive pay, be assigned a lay mentor, and live in local rectories while paying room and board at diocesan rates.
The diocese said the programme is intended to provide sustained pastoral and teaching experience, as well as exposure to the demands of full-time work and daily life.
Priests Tired of Bishop Martin
The article relies largely on anonymous sources. Some priests have raised concerns about the programme’s impact on priestly formation, the lack of formal classroom training, the additional year added to formation,…More
A new priestly formation plan in the Diocese of Charlotte will require seminarians to spend a year teaching in Catholic middle or high schools. Bishop Michael Martin says the goal is to expose seminarians to lay life and strengthen their ability to teach the faith. The proposal has drawn pushback from clergy, raising questions about whether opposition reflects concerns with the plan itself or with a rollout critics say lacked consultation—and whether growing “Martin fatigue” could hinder the bishop’s ability to lead major changes now.
Clergy in the Diocese of Charlotte CALL OUT Bishop Martin's new seminary formation rules.
Charlotte seminary changes prompt objections, ‘Martin fatigue’
“Everybody is upset. It doesn’t matter -- liberal, conservative, traditional, not so traditional, whatever. It’s a style of leadership issue.”
Dictatorial leadership style as opposed to pastoral. Similar to the style of globalist Bergoglio. [Good training for living in a tyrannical NWO world. /sarc]
Seems he wants a relatively free labor pool that can be controlled. Now, some might be tempted to think having seminarians teaching youth is better than liberal laity, but make no mistake - the curriculum will be set! And it most probably won't be faithful to the Church's tradition. I know from experience. When is seminary in the 90s, students had to teach sex ed to Catholic schoolchildren, and NO it wasn't about Christian morality BUT "science" i.e. the mechanics of the sex act and birth control!!!!
That was the "lesson plan" and if one balked one was removed and/or punished. Perhaps this is THE reason for the bishop in question for his change in priestly "formation" = WEED OUT THE DEVOUT & FAITHFUL candidates before ordination!!
When I was ordained, it was 8 years of seminary training. Then it became 9 and now it will be 10 years. The bishop is obviously not a diocesan priest, but a religious because he is wearing a religious habit.
The rationale "on paper" is to make sure the formation 'will stick' since, as was posted on this site, many young priests burn -out and seek to be dismissed from the clerical state to get married or just leave for "other pursuits.' It's another way to cancel so-called "rigid" new priests (that surveys show are more conservative than their elders) and create a "vacations crisis" needing extreme solutions like "lady priests"!!! It's a CONSPIRACY [NOT A THEORY]!!!