Calling Rome Home: "The Collar"

Prayer for the intercession of St. Isidore of Seville, Patron Saint of the Internet

Almighty and eternal God, who created us in Thine image and bade us to seek after all this is good, true, and beautiful, especially in the divine person of Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee that, through the intercession of Saint Isidore, bishop and doctor, during our journeys through the internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to Thee and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter. Through Christ our Lord. Amen
Fr. John T. Zuhlsdorf

Monday, July 10, 2006

"The Collar"

I recently finished reading Jonathan Englert's The Collar. Englert followed five seminaries for a year at Sacred Heart Seminary. Sacred Heart specializes in second-career vocations. Therefore most of the seminarians are older and most of them have been married, now either widowed or divorced. The book is an un-apologetic look at life in a Catholic seminary. Nothing is held back when describing the seminarian's struggles with theology, celebacy, and various other issues.

However, I was not entirely impressed with the book. Often Englert ventures to explain various Catholic teachings and practices. I found many of the explanations lacking in depth and accuracy. The book also gives an at times unbalanced weight to the issue of celibacy. Even though I realize that this probably is a very big issue for many seminarians, I thought that the book didn't provide a balanced view of the issue. It lacked in discussion of the deeper meaning behind priestly celebacy.

I read the book because I think it is important to understand the struggles our priests face and what priestly formation entails so that we may better support our priests and those considering a vocation to the priesthood.

My rating: