I was just made aware of an Apostolic Exhortation by Bishop Olmstead of Phoenix specifically targeted to men. I've only been able to watch a video introducing it and skim through it. I can only say I think this Bishop clearly sees the times we live in; he clearly sees evil taking hold over lives ; he understands we are in the midst of a great spiritual battle. He says: "I offer this Exhortation as an encouragement, a challenge, and a calling forth to mission for every willing man in the Diocese of Phoenix: priests and deacons, husbands, fathers and sons, grandfathers and widowers, young men in preparation for your vocation – that is, each and every man. With this Exhortation, I want to clarify for you the nature of this mission from Christ, for which I will rely on the clear guidance of the Holy Scriptures, the Magisterium of the Church, and the example of the saints." "I begin this letter with a clarion call and clear charge to you, my sons and brothers in Christ: Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is wounding our children and families, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men. This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes. The world is under attack by Satan, as our Lord said it would be (1 Peter 5:8-14). This battle is occurring in the Church herself, and the devastation is all too evident. Since AD 2000, 14 million Catholics have left the faith, parish religious education of children has dropped by 24%, Catholic school attendance has dropped by 19%, infant baptism has dropped by 28%, adult baptism has dropped by 31%, and sacramental Catholic marriages have dropped by 41%.[1] This is a serious breach, a gaping hole in Christ’s battle lines. While the Diocese of Phoenix has fared better than these national statistics, the losses are staggering. One of the key reasons that the Church is faltering under the attacks of Satan is that many Catholic men have not been willing to “step into the breach” – to fill this gap that lies open and vulnerable to further attack. A large number have left the faith, and many who remain “Catholic” practice the faith timidly and are only minimally committed to passing the faith on to their children. Recent research shows that large numbers of young Catholic men are leaving the faith to become “nones” – men who have no religious affiliation. The growing losses of young Catholic men will have a devastating impact on the Church in America in the coming decades, as older men pass away and young men fail to remain and marry in the Church, accelerating the losses that have already occurred. These facts are devastating. As our fathers, brothers, uncles, sons, and friends fall away from the Church, they fall deeper and deeper into sin, breaking their bonds with God and leaving them vulnerable to the fires of Hell. While we know that Christ welcomes back every repentant sinner, the truth is that large numbers of Catholic men are failing to keep the promises they made at their children’s baptisms – promises to bring them to Christ and to raise them in the faith of the Church. This crisis is evident in the discouragement and disengagement of Catholic men like you and me. In fact, this is precisely why I believe this Exhortation is needed, and it is also the reason for my hope, for God constantly overcomes evil with good. The joy of the Gospel is stronger than the sadness wrought by sin! A throw-away culture cannot withstand the new life and light that constantly radiates from Christ. So I call upon you to open your minds and hearts to Him, the Savior who strengthens you to step into the breach! He quotes Ezekiel, “And I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land…” (Ezekiel 22:30) It's amazing to me that in so many threads on MOG, we read about the storm, the threats, and challenges facing us and we now have this Exhortation to go into the breach. I would say this call goes beyond just the men in Arizona but to the world. I cannot wait to read through and see if I can answer the call. http://www.intothebreach.net
Good for him. We need more bishops to stand up and boldly proclaim Truth and lead their flocks. The cup has certainly overflowed and its past time to say, enough!
Great post miker, This Bishop Olmstead clearly knows the suitation that is facing the world. As far as I'm concerned, I believe that Men & manhood & young men in particular, have been under attack by evil for many years now, and this is finally paying dividends as the traditional definition of family/man/manhood is shattered by modern liberal thinking, backed by a generally secular media with supporting politicos in an almost subconscious effort that runs 24-7 across the planet. Its high time for the Church to catch up & take a stand, and start reminding the world through the people once again about the basic tenets of our Catholic way of life, basic civilisation 101 if you please... They could start with the 10 Commandents... DBM
This may not be popular to say, but I believe it is true, so I will say it. In the 3 diocese's that I have lived in, it is priests themselves who do not want faithful/orthodox men teaching the faith or leading roles within the Church. They prefer either timid uneducated men and/or mostly feely touchy women to teach religious education classes. The loss of faith of many of our priests have caused much of the loss of manhood within the faith. Once the women started taking over the altar as Eucharistic ministers and lectors the men stepped back. Once the girls were invited to serve at the altar, the boys stopped being altar boys and they became less influenced by the priests to consider priesthood. I am not belittling the roles that women and girls have assumed with the liturgy, I am just saying that because of this men and boys have stepped back in a large way and this is part of the reason that you see so few men leading in Church functions.
