The Age reports that, the Roman Catholic Church is launching a comic strip this week to attract teenagers into the priesthood. It is using the art form in an advertising campaign to combat the dramatic decline in applicants for ordination. The church hopes its comic, with pictures of nuns and monks playing pool and surfing [...]
Tag Archives: Catholicism
Australia closes 1,000 churches
21 December, 2006 – 4:21 PM
A friend of mine received a flyer in his letterbox last year from the church across the road. It was an invitation to church. No, it was a plea for help. The letter came from concerned members of the congregation pleading the community to “please attend their church” or they would face closure. Twelve months [...]
Vanishing Priests
11 October, 2006 – 7:41 AM
Still thinking about Werribee Mansion and Catholic decline in the West. A few observations: As a movement you could be at the height of “success” but a decade away from serious decline. It’s the “failure of success” syndrome. In fact, when the world changes it is the institutions with huge investments in buildings and in [...]
Where have all the Priests gone?
10 October, 2006 – 6:00 AM
Just returned from a weekend away with Michelle at the Werribee Park Mansion. A gift from friends or our 25th wedding anniversary. It was built in the 1870s by Thomas Chirnside, a Scotsman who sold up in the mid 1800s to come to Australia and build a pastoral empire. The family motto was “Do or [...]
Death of the Catholic church in Ireland?
28 September, 2006 – 10:07 PM
Under Patrick and the Celtic missionary movement, the Ireland once exported the monks who led the way in the conversion of Europe. See: Can anything good come out of Ireland? Modern Ireland is a different place today according to: The Irish Church vocations crisis. Vocations to the priesthood have collapsed and the seminaries are almost [...]
Getting it right
12 June, 2006 – 7:57 PM
Sam Metcalf is right: The Catholics got it right. It would be hard to find another movement in history with the durability and impact of monasticism. Protestant missions languished until it came up with its own version of the Catholic religious order—the Protestant mission agency. Wesley, Asbury and the Booths led dynamic church planting movements [...]
Sister Mary and Catholic decline
20 April, 2006 – 7:20 PM
Sister Mary Sinnott is 96 years old. She has just celebrated 75 years as a nun serving in education. Her story appeared in our community newspaper. Two things occurred to me as I read it. Firstly, I hope I look that good if I every reach 96! Secondly, the Catholic church is in serious trouble [...]
God’s troubadour: 7 Lessons from a movement founder
26 October, 2005 – 4:06 PM
The Middle Ages is regarded as and age of faith. It was also a period of mounting crisis. Into this world came Francis of Assisi—rich playboy, soldier of fortune and one of the greatest movement founders of all time. I’ve just finished a study of Francis of Assisi as a movement founder. The article is [...]
Beer mat ads to recruit priests
30 May, 2005 – 10:02 AM
According to the BBC, the number of priests is in serious decline in the UK. The Cardinal of Westminster has seen numbers of priest in his diocese slump from 850 in 1990 to 600 this year. The number is expected to decline to 470 over the next decade. But we have a solution. The Church [...]
Reappearing nuns
13 April, 2005 – 5:38 PM
Despite the devastation of the last thirty or more years (see “Disappearing nuns”), there are some signs of renewal and hope for religious orders. Those signs are evident among the newer orders that have remained true to their spiritual tradition and are still making the traditional demands of religious life. Those orders are successfully recruiting [...]
