A class on the cusp
From the Buffalo News: For Class of 1969, a priestly era fades
After 40 years of seismic shifts in Catholic Church,once-plentiful shepherds reflect on what they’ll leave
It took two Buffalo cathedrals and a basilica in Lackawanna to accommodate the ordination Class of 1969. On a bright spring morning 40 years ago this week, 25 young men made solemn vows to serve as Catholic priests in the Diocese of Buffalo.
Afterward, they stood for photos shoulder to shoulder in their pressed white vestments, looking with pious expressions at the camera, as if peering into the future.
Little did they know at the time what was in store.
Most of them ended up as respected pastors and are now approaching retirement. A few left the priesthood and got married. One of them was elevated to bishop and Tuesday will be installed in the Diocese of Syracuse.
The Class of 1969 was one of the largest ever in the Buffalo diocese —” and a stark contrast to the state of priestly vocations now. In many ways, it was a class on the cusp.
Its members were called into a whole different priesthood than the one they ended up learning and practicing. Not that they minded.
—We really did think there was going to be a major change in the direction of the church,— said the Rev. George L. Reger, pastor of Blessed Trinity Church.
The country was in upheaval over the Vietnam War, inner-city riots and campus protests, and the Catholic Church in the United States was in the midst of its own drama, adjusting to a new Mass in English, along with other liturgical and philosophical changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council.
—The sands were shifting under our feet in the institution we were committing ourselves to,— said the Rev. John J. Leising, senior associate pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Clarence.
…
The Rev. Patrick H. Elis, pastor of St. Rose of Lima, even remembers talk of more dormitories being built when he was a theology student at the East Aurora seminary, now known as Christ the King.
—We were unaware of the future dissolution of numbers. We just thought it was going to continue on,— he said…
The sad fact is that most of this class still fails to acknowledge the downside of Vatican II. They expected that they would turn the Church on its head, and that everything would change. It was pure naivete. Things did change and the change was on balance negative because the core elements that had fostered their vocations were thrown out like the proverbial baby with the bath water. The good that came out of Vatican II remains overshadowed by the destruction its purveyors wrought.
The picture (click on it for a larger version) that accompanies the article, of the portion of the class ordained by the Rt. Rev. Pius Benincasa, was likely the last of its kind, with the new ordinands in Roman chasubles. Those chasubles were thrown out as easily as were the foundations of their vocations.
I know many of these men. Many are personable, kind, and hard working. They are great administrators, great with the people, but attend one of their liturgies — well at least the lectors read what’s in Lectionary. The rest is dodgy.
Thankfully the PNCC offers the tradition that fosters vocations as well as the advances many of these men sought — which we instituted in the early twentieth century. The PNCC made necessary changes, like the abolition of mandatory celibacy, the Holy Mass in the vernacular, and enshrining the democratic rights of each member, in a natural, unforced way. It is why I can call the PNCC home as opposed to the R.C. Church in the United States. The R.C. Church is still trying to gain its footing, something likely to take generations, and not all that certain to occur.
“The R.C. Church is still trying to gain its footing, something likely to take generations, and not all that certain to occur.”
Believe me, it will occur – and is occuring now. Just look at Church
history. Conditions were worse before and during the Reformation. Yet,
the Roman Catholic Church recovered, stronger than ever. And, even if
secularism and atheism advance and the Church is persecuted, it will
survive and thrive in new areas. Witness its triumph over fascism and
Soviet communism. Never bet against the Roman Catholic Church. Many
wiser and better educated men than you have predicted its demise. They
are long dead, but the Roman Catholic Church remains.
I don’t say this to be cruel, but I wonder (given the decline in number
of members, priests and parishes) if the Polish National Catholic Church
will be here 100 years from now. In the Cleveland area alone, in my
lifetime, the number of PNCC churches dropped from 5 to only 2. In
speaking with their pastors, I learned that your Church has lost many
members due to Americanization, interfaith marriages, geographic moves
to areas of the U.S. where there are no PNCC parishes, and even
Vatican II reforms not to mention the election of a Polish Pope. In
some places, even the PNCC is trying to “gain its footing” by changing
its identity to the “National Catholic Church”. Only time will tell if
this works or if the PNCC will continue to shrink. Personally, I hope
that the Polish National Catholic Church remains as a vibrant witness
to a Polish and democratic form of Catholicism in America and Poland.
If it continues to attract and retain members such as you, it will.
May God bless you in your Church work.
Thomas,
I have been reading your comments on this blog with great interest. And I feel that I must let you know that it is the very ideas of what you think the PNCC should be that would not allow for the PNCC to grow!
First of all, I am not Polish and I am a priest in the PNCC. Now, I have nothing against the Polish tradition or heritage of the Church, in fact the only reason the denomination ever had a chance of survival was because of its roots as a Polish ethnic Catholic Church. That being said, no longer can the PNCC survive fulfilling that role. Yes, there still are several parishes that thrive to this day offering a Polish Catholic tradition, but for me, being Irish, I could never embrace such a a parish as my home of worship.
Our parish has for sometime used ‘National Catholic Church’ and we have had members with German, Italian and even Hispanic roots join our parish. We have become what America is, a melting pot of traditions. All come and all feel welcome because we do not force upon them a Polish tradition.
If you were to ask me what the most exciting aspect of ministry that is currently taking shape in the PNCC, I would tell you that it is the rapid growth of parishes in Texas, whom worship in Spanish and English.
People looking for a valid alternative to the Roman Catholic Church are going to want a church that is not heavy laden with ethnic traditions, but a welcoming faith that is open to all expressions of Catholic Christianity.
The PNCC’s role as a specific ethnic church has served its purpose, and now the PNCC must look to the future as being a ‘National’ church, embracing all ‘national’ traditions and heritage.
Padre,
Thank you for your remarks. They have made me rethink some of what I
wrote. For example, my emphasis on POLISH National Catholic Church may
be due to my formal historical study of the origins and development of
the PNCC. Its raison d’etre was discrimination against Polish immigrants.
Now, it may need a more modern and contemporary one, so a switch to
NATIONAL Catholic Church may be helpful and even necessary. But, the
whole PNCC – not just a few local parishes – will have to study, discuss, and agree to such a change. National Synods have considered and rejected such a move till now. Let us hope that the whole PNCC
reexamines the issue.
However, a name change alone will not save the PNCC from extinction. A change in identity does not address the issue of church decline. Why does
the PNCC not retain younger parishioners and attract new ones? Is it
because the Church is TOO Polish? Some ethnic Eastern Orthodox Churches
in America are growing – especially the Antiochean O.C. which has had
an influx of former American Protestant clergy and laity. I may be wrong,
but it seems that the Antiocheans are doing well because they emphasize
the apostolic, liturgical, and sacramental character of Orthodoxy without
changing their name or identity. Is there something in the Antiochean
experience from which the PNCC can learn?
In any case, I welcome this whole discussion. PNCC members MUST ask:
Quo Vadis – “Wither goest thou?” or “Where are we going?” Thank you for
sharing your experience and perspective. Let us hope others join us
in this journey to self-awareness.
P.S. I have bookmarked your blog and look forward to reading it and
adding my limited “two cents” to it. The PNCC – both past and present –
fascinates and intrigues me. Maybe Deacon Jim and you can help educate
me.
P.P.S. American historians and sociologists no longer describe America as “a melting pot of traditions”. A more accurate analogy would be to
say America is a mosaic or a salad where the individual elements (ethnic
groups) mix, retain their characteristics, and create a new whole. No one
“melts”; each “blends”. It sounds strange, I know, but it better explains
the American immigrant and ethnic journey. Again, thanks for your ideas.
Thomas,
Your comment about the ENTIRE Denomination accepting and approving the change of name and vision is dead on!
I feel that is what is holding our church back the most; no real consensus on what the vision and mission on behalf of the whole PNCC.
I can understand your POV related to the history of the PNCC, as I myself would love for all churches to embrace more of their past glories, in the realms of theology, worship, etc. However, I know too well that people my age are not interested in ancient liturgies and practices, but more about building relationships with Christ and with each other. The majority of my friends (I am 28 by the way) have fully embraced Lutheran and Episcopal Churches that are focused on social ministries. They see the Church as a means to reach out, not a place to worship within. I hope that our parish can balance both of these aspects.
But, I don’t want to get too far off topic. But yes, the entire PNCC must discuss and discern the future as a whole…how ironic would it be if the general synod did vote to embrace the name “National Catholic Church”, thus you would see signs such as “St. Stanislaus NCC, Polish Mass 7:30”
I am not sure as to why the ethnic card seems to not influence those who choose Orthodoxy as it does those who walk by our churches and say “well, I am not Polish”
And, I look forward to future discussions with you Thomas. God’s Peace.