The Charism of Priestly Celibacy

by John C. Cavadini (Editor), Institute for Church Life

With contributions from Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M., Archbishop Allen Vigneron, and Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti, this timely collection of reflections on priestly celibacy explores its biblical, historical, and theological roots and affirms what current studies of priests reflect--that despite its challenges, celibacy has been a grace for priests personally. The value of celibacy is often questioned, yet recent surveys of priests demonstrate that more than 75 percent of them feel personally called to celibacy and find it a source of grace in their lives. This rich collection of reflections was presented as a symposium at the University of Notre Dame in 2012 and offers both priests and lay Catholics a deeper, theologically based appreciation of celibacy as a charism or gift of the Holy Spirit. With contributions from leading authorities in scripture, Church history, theology, pastoral leadership, and psychology, this collection offers what one contributor describes as a "reversal of mindset," a reframing of the issue for today.

185 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2012

Reviews

[Joe Furka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would very much recommend this book to anyone, whether they are discerning a call to the priesthood or not. It gave me a great appreciation for the church’s teachings on priestly celibacy and why it is a gift for priests and their spiritual sons and daughters.

Only reason it’s not five stars is that it was slightly repetitive given it was a compilation of 8 essays on the topic from 8 different people.

[Photovy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book with some solid reflections. Key takeaways
Celibacy as rooted in love and imitation of Jesus Christ, not as merely an ascetical practice or something the "frees me to do more ministry"
Meant to also cultivate the virtues of natural fatherhood - responsibility and self-sacrifice.

[Damien Rappuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

While enjoyable and edifying, the reflections in this book are pretty basic and disparate, having each essay written by a different author with little continuity between them. Individually, some of the essays are decent reflections--in particular I enjoyed Archbishop Peter Sartain's and Archbishop Allen Vigneron's reflections--while others seem disassociated or disconnected from the rest and from lived experience (too much attempted theology without connection to lived experience). Perhaps it is best to treat each essay as though it exists in a vacuum.

This little book attempts to do too much in too little space to pull it off very well. And if it wants to touch on every aspect of celibacy as relevant to contemporary views, the lack of reflection on celibacy as an ecclesiastical discipline per se does this book a disservice. To have a well-rounded, realistic, and healthy reflection on celibacy as charism and integral part of vocation, it is necessary to evaluate Eastern experiences with married and with celibate clergy. Ignoring the lived experience of the priests of Eastern rites and churches will still leave unanswered questions in the minds of contemporary readers.

Still, it provides a few answers to questions on the minds of many people in a very accessible way. Recommended, though many more focused books exist to answer specific questions better.