[H]e certainly seems to illustrate the fact that the shortage of Catholic priests and religious is opening up lots of career possibilities to those who have failed in other lines of work. And my experience with such people is that no matter how apparently free-wheeling, open, and new-agey their approach, if you question their content or method they come down on you like Joe Stalin. Because in their hearts they know they have no idea what they're doing, beyond chapter six of the training manual or whatever. You have already had more than your share of threatening emails from those who felt you failed to appreciate sufficiently their ministry of caring and sharing.I think this is an important insight: what's feeding the problem overall is a lack of vocations in the Church. I tend to side with observers like Fr Z, who say that an irreverent atmosphere in mass is a factor that leads potential candidates to disregard vocation as a serious option. Some also suggest that if you tell believers that sin and confession aren't important, they'll take you seriously.
The other side of the coin is what I see at our parish, with dedicated and inspiring clergy, an active server program, a reverent atmosphere, and additional activities across the board like Bible study, LifeTeen, Steubenville, and so forth, for some inexplicable reason, there are always several seminarians in the pipeline there.
Naturally, it doesn't help to read that in some cases, vocation directors and seminary psychologists actively discourage straight candidates while encouraging gay ones. It's going to take more than one pope and more than one saint to clear this up, as it did during the Reformation and during the Avignon captivity.
My correspondent is also correct in commenting on the rigidity of "centering prayer" advocates. It puzzles me that Dr Cunningham, having somehow acquired advanced degrees in theology from Catholic institutions, should display so little basic familiarity with the Catechism. My sense of things is that handsome is as handsome does; he seems to last about two years at jobs where someone is paying attention, and he'd been at the Massachusetts parish for two years before he moved on -- to California.
I don't foresee a happy outcome for this guy.
