Many Catholics will have seen the video, recently posted to twitter, of Fr. Brendan Hoban bemoaning the growth of traditional Catholic zeal among young seminarians and those recently ordained to the priesthood.
'They are traditional, they wear black, soutanes, they want to talk about sin, they want the Latin Mass!
I despair of young priests'
Fr. Brendan Hoban, who has an influential role in the Irish Synod pic.twitter.com/4YLKV5qFnZ
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) August 23, 2022
Hoban says one problem facing the Church is the lack of vocations, adding that the other problem is the kind of vocations it is attracting.
“anyone now who’s making the decision to become a priest is running counter to the culture of the day” he says.
He goes on to compare “the vocations we’re getting” to his “parish priest in the 40s and the 50s”.
“They’re traditional, they want to wear black, they want to wear soutanes” he says with more than a small hint of disdain.
One young priest responded to Hoban’s statement: “I despair of young priests. I’d prefer if we hadn’t got them.”
He replied, “Don’t worry, you’ll soon have your wish! The pews are fast emptying. The seminaries are empty. The convents/monasteries are largely gone. Marriages are down. Baptisms are down. A fine inheritance for us young priests!”
Another young priest, Fr. Fergal Cummins, responded by saying Hoban’s “recent criticisms of young, newly ordained priests wearing black, talking about sin and wanting to offer the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass is very insulting, reductionist and un-Christlike.”
He explained the deep significance of the traditional soutane (the black garments traditionally worn by members of the clergy) saying “black symbolises death to sin and death to self”.
He continued, that the white collar symbolises being alive to Christ and “bringing God’s graces to others”.
Fr. Cummins, who is in his early thirties was ordained almost 4 years ago. He says that youngsters in schools often ask him “deep piercing questions”, and that, “Many Irish people are poorly catechized due to the failures of their shepherds to meaningfully engage them to love, live out, and learn their faith more.”
“Beauty and hard-hitting homilies that challenge us to be stronger Catholics are often lacking at Mass.”, he says, “Thus, many young people have checked out and look elsewhere for meaning, beauty, spiritual freedom, truth, and love.”
Hoban’s criticisms include younger priests’ willingness to talk about and preach on sin.
“Sin destroys souls”, says Fr. Cummins, “He (Fr.Hoban) should be encouraging us young priests to be more faithful and Christ-like, not trying to undermine, ridicule or reduce our efforts to evangelise, enrich, and empower people to be free from their sins, holy and, spiritually healthy.”
Hoban previously said the Church was “slowly dying due to its antiquated practices and attitudes.”
If traditionalism and appreciation for the beauty of Catholic ceremony is what is bringing many back to practising their faith, why is that a bad thing? Would he really rather have no priests than have traditional priests ready to tend to their flocks with the kind of love and zeal the two young priests above seem to say has been missing?
“People still love God” says Fr. Cummins, “they need holy examples, strong theological training, beautiful sacred hymns, profound preaching and zealous priests who pray, care and want to sanctify those around them and to help understand their humanity and what it means to be human and made in the image and likeness of God”.
On the subject of traditional dogma he says, “People only rise to the challenge, they don’t’ rise to
reductionist, pissed-down, watery faith!”
“We raise people up to the dogma, we never water the dogmas of our faith to people. We are either faithful to our Lord first and foremost ~ or we are not!”