Father, what happened to soul?

I go visit my friend Father Joseph, a parish priest, at his newly renovated building. As kids I wanted to become a doctor, and he a priest. We still meet to shop talk our respective callings. Recently his church is undergoing the Digital Transformation, as a champion of Ministry Modernization. I was directed to his office, greeted by his Ministerial Office Assistant and asked to wait, as the current appointment is running late. He no longer sits in a confessional booth; the Church wants the clergy to be more “approachable.” I hear heated muffled exchanges inside. Twenty long minutes later, a man in tattered jeans leaves the office in a huff, as if verbalizing, “What a waste of time.” I get a nod from the MOA and make my entry. Father Joseph looks deeply distressed. “Folks have no respect these days” he says. “They don't call you 'Father' anymore; it’s like, ‘Hey Joe’…and I say, ‘hay is for horses, not your priest’…” Read: Solo saves a foot “I guess the confessional didn't go so well?” I venture the obvious. “You have no idea,” he shakes his head. “Long ago, people used to come in with just one sin, you prescribe a few Hail Marys, tell them they are absolved, and off they go [waving his hand]. Nowadays folks come in with a whole list [stretching out two hands] and some are not even real sins!” He catches his breath. “Folks are not into repentance anymore, but ‘self-improvement’…and they are not shy to tell you how they want it done!” He needs to vent. Like a trained family doctor, I go into my empathic listening mode. Father Joseph snorts and continue. “Remember I was telling you last time, the Church now requires us to use the Electronic Ministerial Record?” Oh yes, I do recall that other, rather intense conversation. The Church—in an attempt to gain oversight of priestly activities—now requires meticulous record keeping, with periodic audits by the Diocese. This not only ensures that priests are actually seeing parishioners, but that they practise Ecclesiastically Based Ministry. No more renegade priests with improvised personal opinions, no more missing alibis when they get accused of impropriety. “How do you even type out everything people confess while trying to listen?” he asks rhetorically in exasperation. “What do they think we are . . . data entry clerks?” Read: Sribble and doodle—for serious physicians “That can't be easy,” I intone empathy. “I recall you telling me young people don't want to go into Ministry these days.” “No kidding,” he shoots back. “The Church is in crisis. Too many parishioners, too few priests, and now most of us old guys are retiring early.” He leans closer, in gravitas, as if to share some dark secret. “You should hear some of the desperate fixes they are devising…,” he says. “They are actually trying to recruit Nun Practitioners to be Priests!” (He makes the sign of the cross.) “Lord help us…recently there was an investigation conducted by the bishops, showing that the Nun Practitioners performed a few limited sacraments every bit as well as the Priests, with similar satisfaction ratings from the parishioners!” He lets out a conspiratorial smile. “But it turns out not many Nun Practitioners actually want to become Priests. They have their own calling, and didn't become Nuns in order to become Priests!” He chuckles in amusement. “And get this…” he barely pauses, “the Diocese thinks the problem lies with young priests' lack of confidence, so they are adding an extra year to their deaconship.” He contorts his face in pain. “They overlook…that even after long years of training and ordination, young priests don't carry on as priests.” (He throws his arms up in the air.) “Everyone loves priests who dabble and travel, they are far more interesting at cocktail parties,…while Old Faithfuls like me, who stay with the same parish for 40 years, are absolute bores.” I sigh. That just about sums up my own career as well. But Father Joseph didn't stop there. “You know how desperate the Church is?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “They even approached the Alchemists to look after minor spiritual ailments.Traditionally the clergy and alchemists learned not to mess with each other's work, having learned some hard lessons in the past.” He pauses, looking pensive. “Frankly I don't mind them helping us out any way they can, especially when folks no longer want to miss time from work to come into church during daytime service hours,” he says. “But I wonder, when their liability insurance goes up, will they still want to do ministry?” “So you tell me, if even the priests don't want to be priests, why would anyone else want to be priests?” By now a depressive feeling sinks into me. The Great Debate going on in the Church these days, isn't about God, or how to help those who are weary and burdened, or addressing the myriad sufferings and injustices of our world. As I follow the conversation on priest recruitment and retention, I realize that the Great Debate is now whether it works best if they are paid by capitation, or fee for service, with some bishops and priests even advocating “going private.” The Church seems to have lost something more than priests …it has lost soul. I try changing the topic. “How do you like your newly renovated church? I notice it's unadorned and uncluttered, no statues, relics, stain glass…and the large sanctuary space is now replaced by so many offices.” “That,” he says, “is the future Salvation of the Church.” I am puzzled, unable to tell if he is sarcastic or sincere. Slowly and stoically he says, “Until recently most of our church board members, staff, and volunteers worked off site. But now the Church is rolling out the 'Parishioners' Ministerial Home'—a concept 'one stop shop' to meet everyone's spiritual needs, where we can share work so priests can go on vacations and not burn out. Every good work done here can be documented and date-stamped into the Electronic Ministerial Record, so finally the entire Church can work as One, and ultimately, we can aggregate big data to measure the positive impact of the Church on the world.” I do a double take. Something about all this sounds less than holy. “Now, what about the sanctuary? Don't you want people to simply be inspired, to meditate and pray, to look up beyond themselves?” “Here,” says Father Joseph, as he reaches under his table for a pair of VR glasses. He winked. “There's a button on the side, take your pick, from the most beautiful churches around the world!” And they are beautiful, and inspiring…a legacy and message from our pre-digital ancestors, who seemed to have done everything the hard way, using primitive tools. Father Joseph and I exchanged parting blessings (he's definitely running very behind by now), and I leave the building, feeling an odd mix of nostalgia and nausea, reflecting on friendship, faith and fracture in our life's journey. I am grateful for my own calling. I am so glad Family Medicine is nothing like that. Dr. Adam Chen is a solo family doctor in Oakville, a member and executive of Primary Care Solo Doctor MIG within OMA. He happily collaborates with colleagues, NPs, pharmacists, chiropractors, physios, naturopaths and patients. This piece is not a critique on people, but to point out that “solutions” need “soul.”

Father, what happened to soul?

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics