Priests, Seminaries, and What the Bishop Said in Hawaii

Noted, from yesterday's news:

"Diocese celebrates Bl. Marianne feast, priest incardinations"
Patrick Downes, Catholic News Agency (February 13, 2011)

"Honolulu, Hawaii, Feb 13, 2011 / 01:24 pm (CNA).- At the mid-afternoon Mass for the feast of Blessed Marianne of Molokai Jan. 23 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Bishop Larry Silva blended a handful of themes and events into a single message – 'Christ's love takes what is degraded and makes it glorious.'

"In addition to commemorating Hawaii's second candidate for sainthood, the bishop chose the occasion to incardinate two Filipino priests into the Diocese of Honolulu.

"Bishop Silva started his homily on a harsh note, followed by a hopeful tone.

" 'I don't know of any time in Catholic history when there was more bad publicity about Catholic priests,' he said, using the example of the recent clergy sex-abuse crisis.

" 'But in spite of that, the enrollment in seminaries is rising,' he said...."

Yes, I know about the pedophile priests:

• "Pedophile Priests, Ephebophilia, and Facing Facts "

Moving on.

Having Standards, and This Catholic

Seminary enrollment: rising?! I'm not all that surprised. In America, it looks like the Catholic Hierarchy has been doing long-overdue housecleaning in seminaries - and colleges that have "Catholic" in their name. Insisting that allegedly-Catholic colleges and seminaries act as if they were at least neutral toward the Catholic Church may seem like a radical idea, but I think it makes sense.

That reminds me of what happened at the state college my father worked for, something like a half-century ago.

Someone had noticed that an appalling fraction of the freshman class each year dropped out. This wasn't fair, some argued: particularly to the students who started out thinking they'd graduate, only to spend months learning they were better suited for other things. One approach would have been to lower the standards until showing up for class would earn a diploma. Instead, the college raised admission standards: even though that might mean fewer students.

Enrollment went up. A lot. Word got around that this college was interested in folks who had what it took to graduate - and that attracted serious students.

Opinions

Most folks have opinions, I think - and I'm no exception. Here are a few that relate, however vaguely, to that article:

• Having Standards
  • Is a good idea
  • Isn't the same as hating people
• Being Catholic
  • Is a good idea
  • Isn't always easy
  • Is counter-cultural
    • (January 12, 2010)

That's it for tonight: It's late; I'm tired; and I still have dishes to wash

Slightly-related posts:

• "Hating People? Not an Option"
  (December 9, 2010)
• "Assumptions About Religion, and American Rules of Etiquette"
  (April 14, 2010)
• "Saints: That's so Medieval"
  (February 14, 2010)
• "Notre Dame, Obama, and 'Outside Agitators' - a Blast From the Past"
  (May 17, 2009)
• "American Catholic Bishops Intolerant! (I Should Hope So)"
  (November 13, 2008)