I note that a former candidate for ordination in the OCSP this year, a former TEC clergyman, has returned to the Episcopal church. After leaving his TEC parish he was attending seminary full-time and discerned that the Catholic priesthood was in fact not what he was being called to. I think this is a good news story insofar as it reflects the typical experience of a candidate for Holy Orders, ie an extended formation period in which many seminarians (about 25%) decide that the priesthood is not for them.Two things strike me. One is that the process of reviewing candidates in 2012 did result in some notable negative outcomes, starting with David Moyer, but certainly a number of other candidates were disappointed. Given subsequent developments, it was probably all for the best, although these fine men have had to find other vocations in life.I hope that there were men in the two initial formation groups, whose ordination preparation consisted of a one-week trip to Houston and a few weekend webinars, who also discerned that the Catholic priesthood was not what they were called to, but I think there were a number of obvious factors working against that. And I think that the OCSP has paid a price for rushing these men into leadership positions. This Sunday the OCSP takes a second collection for its Seminary Fund and I think this is important, regardless of the amount actually collected, because it focusses on the fact that preparation for ministry in the Ordinariate is being brought in line with that in the Church as a whole.
But it's also worth noting that the initial personnel selections for the OCSP weren't especially good, and it appears that since Bp Lopes's arrival, something of a do-over is in progress. But what can a promising celibate seminarian see in the OCSP as a career path? His best hope could well be to cultivate Bp Lopes as a mentor and move up and out -- but otherwise, won't the OCSP be just a backwater?
