Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 

 

I spoke in my homily last week a little about how the All Things New parish hall meeting with Brenda Kresky from the diocesan planning office went (audio file and summary notes available online at our ACC website). The homily focused on the question of vocations to the consecrated life and how we are to foster and promote those vocations. As we observe World Day for Consecrated Life this week (February 2nd, 2026), I think it is good to continue on that theme.
 

The homily (audio available on our ACC YouTube channel) focused on the good and importance of celibacy because even though it was not specifically mentioned at our parish hall meeting, I have had a number of comments saying the Church should just allow married priests and we would have more priests. That argument is faulty because in the Eastern Rite Churches, where they do allow married men to become priests, they have seen the exact same struggle for vocations as we in the Western Rite. Having married priests would not solve the problem and would cause much of the good of the celibate priesthood to be lost in the Church and society. 
 

Another comment that has been presented a few times (though again not at our meeting) regards how the ordination of women could alleviate the problem of fewer vocations since it would open up another half of the population. I want to be clear that the ordination of women to the priesthood cannot happen. The Church has incontrovertibly declared that she "has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful" (Ordinatio sacerdotalis). The Church can no more ordain women than it could change the number of the sacraments or the books of the Bible. I do not have space here to go into the reasons why this is the case or to answer objections to it, but it is something we are bound to hold. I do not think it is healthy to argue for things that cannot change, instead we should focus on the things we can change. Then, cooperating with God's grace, we might all help build the Kingdom of God.
 

In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day for honoring men and women who have consecrated their lives to God through the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. As the light of the candles blessed on Candlemas symbolizes Christ the light of the world, so too are those in consecrated life to reflect that light of Christ to the world symbolized in their vows to the Lord. As we honor them, may their gift of self to God remind us to give that full assent of faith to God and to all that is definitively taught by His Church.

 

Peace in Christ,
Father Timothy