The Worcester Diocese apparently disagrees. For I have expressed my interest in discerning a vocation to the priesthood but have been excluded from such a discernment process. See here.
And when I tried to volunteer at the parish level or have a Mass said for my father, I was put off. This is not charity. This is hatred and violence.
In his Encyclical Letter Caritas In Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI wrote, Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law (cf. Mt 22:36- 40). It gives real substance to the personal relationship with God and with neighbour; it is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones). For the Church, instructed by the Gospel, charity is everything because, as Saint John teaches (cf. 1 Jn 4:8, 16) and as I recalled in my first Encyclical Letter, “God is love” (Deus Caritas Est): everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by it, everything is directed towards it. Love is God's greatest gift to humanity, it is his promise and our hope."
The Worcester Diocese is not thriving. In fact, it is gradually disintegrating. Parishes are closing. Many are deserting the Church. They sense the lack of commitment toward authentic charity. Many just don't feel welcome.
The Diocese of Worcester is betraying love. It operates as more of a private clique where a few individuals determine who is welcome at the table and who is not. Who gets the sacraments and who does not. Who gets to apply for the priesthood and who doesn't. Who may participate in the life of a parish and who may not.
Saint Gregory the Great said that, "The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist."
Too bad Bishop McManus doesn't reflect on that.
