Most of them weren't born yet
when the events occurred that came to define the U.S. crisis of sexual
abuse by priests.
But for men who entered the seminary in the past
decade, a point of commonality seems to be that they want to prove that
priests are good people.
A decade after the U.S. Catholic Church scandal about clergy sex abuse exploded in the news, several seminaries contacted by Catholic News Service
reported the same motivation among the men who have entered the schools
in the past decade: "They all said they want to be part of the
solution," as Father Thomas Baima, vice president and provost at
Mundelein Seminary in Illinois put it.
Seminaries have adapted their admissions process and their curriculum
somewhat to reflect an increased emphasis on understanding the role and
demands of celibacy and on what is called "human development" in
academia.
But the common theme voiced by seminary administrators asked
about what has changed was that applicants say they want to counteract
the negative image of the priesthood that the abuse scandal created.
"More often than not they say they come because they want to prove that
there are good priests," said R. Scott Woodward, dean at the Oblate
School of Theology in San Antonio. "They want people to know that
religious life, the priesthood, are still valuable. They feel that's a
part of their mission."
Father Peter Drilling, rector of Christ the King Seminary in East
Aurora, N.Y., said he also has noticed a marked change in attitudes in
the 25 years he has been associated with the seminary. More recent
applicants are much more aware of and willing to discuss the problems
behind the abuse scandal.
"Just yesterday," he said, one of the five men interviewed as part of
the admission process said "one reason he wanted to pursue the
priesthood is that he has had good experiences with priests and he wants
to show that priests are good and that priests are part of the
solution."
All three administrators said their seminaries didn't add material to
the curriculum related to celibacy and appropriate behavior so much as
they began emphasizing it more, and in more parts of the course of
studies.
In a "causes and context" report on sexual abuse released by the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops in May, the section on seminaries
described a slow evolution in the emphasis on chaste celibacy in the
curriculum at seminaries.
The report: "The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by
Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010," was conducted by a
team of researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the
City University of New York and commissioned by the National Review
Board, a lay consultative body created in 2002 under the bishops'
"Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."
It said that in the five editions of the "Program of Priestly Formation"
published between 1971 and 2005, the section devoted to formation for
chaste celibacy grew from "four relatively brief paragraphs on
celibacy," in the first edition to a few more paragraphs in 1976 and up
to 11 paragraphs in the third edition. It noted substantial changes in
the 1992 fourth edition, but still described the depth in terms of
paragraphs, 33 in this case. Though it also described "a clear
delineation of behavioral expectations appropriate to a life of
celibacy."
By the fifth edition in 2005, the publication noted, the program greatly
expanded the topic of celibacy and the integration of "human formation"
into all other aspects of formation. It was described as discussing "in
clear terms sexuality and the expectations for education and behavior
relative to the concerns surrounding children."
"High standards and vigilance are urged pertaining to sexuality,
affective maturity and capacity to live celibate chastity," the report
found. It also commented on expanded norms for admission, with reference
to "psychosexual development, capacity to live a celibate life and a
minimum of two years of continent living before entry."
Franciscan Sister Katarina Schuth, a professor of religion at the
University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and an expert on seminary
education who consulted on the John Jay study, told Catholic News Service
that the early and mid-1990s was when seminaries first started putting
more emphasis on healthy development of relationships and on the role of
celibacy.
Human development instruction also focuses on the role of self-respect.
"Self-respect translates into respect for others," she said.
Like the seminary administrators, Sister Katarina said the subjects of
celibacy and appropriate behavior have long been addressed in seminaries
but perhaps without the understanding of the psychology of those topics
and appropriate education about how they affect one.
"You won't avoid problems with humanity simply by prayer," she said.
"There's nothing wrong with pious practices, but pious practices can't
make up for not understanding how to behave."
By the time an applicant gets to a seminary these days, he's already
been thoroughly vetted by the diocese or religious order which he hopes
to join. All three administrators said recent seminary students have had
background checks and more psychological screening than previous
generations ever received. The students are also more open to discuss
topics such as sexuality, celibacy and appropriate relationships, they
said.
Underwood said that 20 years ago, "you would mention the word 'celibacy'
and everyone froze. It was like you took all the air out of the room."
Even 15 years ago, said Underwood, "it was as if they had never heard
the word, as if it had not been mentioned as a part of the job
description, even though we know it had been."
Father Drilling said at Christ the King, which is now the seminary of
the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y. (it was administered by the Franciscans'
Holy Name Province until 1990), all seminarians receive the Virtus
training about sex abuse. That includes receiving and responding to
monthly updates, just as do all the priests of the Buffalo Diocese.
Father Baima, who has been at Mundelein for 11 years, said that as the
abuse scandal exploded a decade ago, "the worry was that it would
destroy vocations. We've found the opposite."
Not only do the men who come emphasize that they want to be a part of
the solution, "it's a theme that cuts across all types of students," no
matter whether they're young or older.
"They say, 'We want to serve the church and we want the church to be proud of us,'" he said.