The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest's Crisis of Soul

by Donald Cozzens

Few today would contest that the priesthood is in a state of crisis. The nature and implications of that crisis, however, remain the subject of considerable discussion and debate. In The Changing Face of the Priesthood , Fr. Donald Cozzens offers insight into the crisis by reflecting on the issues, challenges, concerns, and realities of the priesthood today. The same year that Pope John XXIII surprised the Catholic world with his call for an ecumenical council, Cozzens began his formal study of theology. As a seminarian he felt the shaking of the priesthood's foundations. The very face of the priesthood was evolving even as he arrived at his first parish assignment. A generation later, the face of the priesthood continues to reveal new contours, fascinating features, and sadly, some tragic blemishes. In The Changing Face of the Priesthood , Cozzens takes a long, honest look at the present state of the priesthood. He provides this examination not merely from an empirical, scientific perspective but also from a personal, pastoral perspective. Drawing on clinical data, church documents, and his nearly forty years of pastoral experience, Cozzens gives shape and form to the changing face of the priesthood. Through his reflections he leads readers to both concern and hope for the priesthood of the twenty-first century. Chapters are Discovering an Identity," *Guarding One's Integrity, - *Loving as a Celibate, - *Facing the Unconscious, - *Becoming a Man, - *Tending the Word, - *Considering Orientation, - *Betraying Our Young, - and *The Changing Face of the Priesthood. - Donald Cozzens, PhD, a priest and writer, is author of two award-winning titles, Sacred Silence and The Changing Face of the Priesthood , and editor of The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest , all published by Liturgical Press. He is writer in residence at John Carroll University where he teaches in the religious studies department. "

Genres: Theology

148 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Allan Savage]

Cozzens wrote: "The very face of the priesthood - the external cues and customs, the internal hallmarks of identity and function - seemed to be changing..." (P. ix). I read this book seeking these "internal hallmarks" and found them most clearly expressed in Part I. In Part I Cozzens defines his topic for reflection, that is, the human transformation necessary for a priest of Jesus Christ, and then he turns his attention to external cues and customs current in the U. S. Catholic Church. This is, in fact, primarily a book on the deeper concept of spirituality, not a book on the sociological or psychological insights of the spiritual life. The enduring value of this book is that Part I touches on the human psyche and pneuma and effectively introduces the principle of gratia praesupponit naturam (grace builds on nature). In this context, I found it helpful to read Cozzens' book in light of James Forsyth's (1997) work, Faith and Human Transformation: A Dialogue Between Psychology and Theology, which thoroughly elaborates Aquinas's second principle gratia perficit naturam (grace perfects nature). Cozzens' book is about the Catholic Church in the United States which provides the sociological and psychological context for his external cues. However, to my mind, the book's fundamental concern is the appropriate understanding of spirituality of the part of the individual seeking to discern the internal hallmarks of Christian identity.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A penetrating and insightful read into the complexities of the human condition especially for those men who are call to the vocation of the priesthood . Cozzens speaks with honesty and clarity on some of the dangers a man can fall into as in as an individual but also how his ministry as a priest can warp his sense of reality. Recommended for the young priest starting in ministry.

[LeRoy Dierker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, thoughtful, insightful with real wisdom.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although not a Catholic, I enjoyed heading this priest's perspective on how the Catholic priesthood is changing. I think that many of his principles easily transfer over to Protestant Christianity.