(…..somehow thought you’d be emailing . And I was first because we put the names in a hat , so there. The parish elected ten of us. There was me, a taxi driver, a communications technician, a Council building worker , a train driver, a fellow who does something up at the sports club, a chiropodist, a couple of teachers and a doctor. Average age : thirties/ forties , except for the sports chap, Peter, who is 25 – just the age they used to ordain them at ! And not all married, by the way.
And yes, a couple of elderly church worthies put their names in , but the parish obviously felt being an Ordained Celebrant wasn’t a reward for services rendered , not to mention wondering why exchange an elderly layman for an elderly cleric. (they came anyway).
The training was pretty much like a long retreat every month to fill in the year . We were divided up into what they used to call deaneries , whatever that was all about. Have you ever looked at a Deacon’s training ? Six or seven years of every ology you can think of , unaccountably not including deep sea diving and geology. And for what? Leave the ologies to the religious orders, I say.
The sermons , as you know , are emailed from the orders. And if they’re all like the ones we get from an Australian priest, nobody’s going to fall asleep during a sermon. What a difference . After all, as somebody once said, a priest with the personality of a used car salesman can be helpful , but how many of them were there ?
I used to read on the net some of the articles about General Absolution . Most of them were from Tridentine clergy who, shall we say, were not too keen on us Ordained Celebrants, especially when it came to the Sacrament of Reconciliation , or at all for that matter , which I could never understand , since all we’re there for is to provide the Eucharist . Nuff said! They were preoccupied about how happy the penitent felt after leaving the confessional, and how happy they felt about making them happy. The firm purpose of amendment never seemed to come into it , and surely that’s what the Sacrament is really about . I feel I’m simply there to pass the baton to the congregation and the rest is between them and God.
St Maeve’s was packed, of course, for the first Mass said by an Ordained Celebrant possibly just through curiosity, but the numbers have pretty well kept up. And young Tommy and Catherine among them, even when Dad is not on the altar , which has not always been the case .
People have wondered what will happen if one of us ever gets divorced . To which I say- so what? Many a priest with difficulties – perhaps not enough- has simply got laicised. What’s the difference ?
Anyway…..) email continues .

l