In an article for the National Catholic Register, Ashley McGuire writes about a new movement to appreciate and thank our priests, much of whose work goes unseen and unthanked. This movement, she argues, is essential in light of the growing cultural crisis around the perception of Catholic priests in the US and their declining numbers. The “Thank a Priest” organization, she writes, is changing the narrative with positive media highlighting real life stories of selflessness and inspiration. In her article, “Thank A Priest: A Movement to Honor the Church’s Silent Servants,” she writes:
“They’re not the Catholic priests that you’re likely to hear about these days. They’re not the newsmakers.…You won’t always know their names — unless you happen to belong to their parish or run into them at a school or charity or any of the thousands of Catholic venues where Catholic priests serve their God and their flocks.
But isn’t it time to thank these everyday priests?
The International Institute for Culture in Philadelphia thinks so and has just launched a “ThankAPriest.com” campaign. It’s high time. The priesthood in America is in crisis. Our aggressively secular culture and clerical sexual abuse scandals continue to take a toll on the priesthood.
…One result: One national survey showed that 25% of non-Catholics associated the Catholic priesthood with predatory behavior and 28% consider our priests untrustworthy.… Another not-unrelated result is the dramatic decline in the number of American men entering the priesthood. The number of active priests was 60,000 in 1970; it’s just 35,000 as of 2020.
… There is a crisis in the Church due to a lack of young men choosing to respond to God’s call to the priesthood,” says the “ThankAPriest.com” website. “We believe that the cultural negativity surrounding the priesthood is a significant factor in this crisis. We are actively countering the negative perceptions by sharing the reality — that priests are courageous, holy and selfless men devoted to serving God and their communities.”
