A conference was held at St. John’s Seminary, adjacent to the Boston College Brighton Campus, from September 25-27, titled “Chaste Celibacy and Continence of the Diocesan Priest: ‘The Precious Gift of God.’” The quote comes from Optatam Totius, which is the Decree on Priestly Training produced at the Second Vatican Council.

The conference had been a few years in the making. James Francis Cardinal Stafford, President Emeritus of the Apostolic Penitentiary, and prior to that, Archbishop of Denver, originally conceived the idea and Sean Cardinal O’Malley OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston, agreed to have the conference in the Archdiocese. The planning then fell to Rev. Arthur Kennedy, rector of St. John’s Seminary.

Conference attendees came from all over the United States, Canada, and Germany. It began with a talk by Marc Cardinal Ouellet, P.S.S., Archbishop of Quebec, who spoke on contemporary values and challenges to the practice of clerical celibacy.

He said that secularization, a general decline in morality, and the sexual revolution have made the idea of celibacy incomprehensible to the minds of many. In addition, the creation of a “parallel academic Magisterium” which is in confl ict with the Church’s teaching confuses some of the faithful.

Addressing the question as to why the priest should not change its policy simply in order to ensure all an have access to the Eucharist on Sundays, the Cardinal said that if there was to be a change, it would need to be one of proper discernment, and not of caving to a culture that does not understand the Christian message.

Speaking of the value of the practice, he noted that virginity was not an Old Testament value and that it was the “historical and eschatological” situation which arises in the person of Christ that changes this. He cited the Council of Elvera in 306 which said that priests who were married were to remain continent.

Diving more deeply into theology, Cardinal Ouellet states that to understand the priest as a representation of Christ is to understand why he must be continent and male. In the way that Christ is the Bridegroom to his Bride the Church, the priest is also a Bridegroom. He encouraged the Latin Church to not borrow from the East but to renew her own traditions. Ouellet’s talk was followed by evening prayer, a wine and cheese reception served by some seminarians, and then a dinner at the seminary.

Participants were then bussed to Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton where Archbishop Vigneron of Detroit spoke publicly on “Christ’s Virginity: Model of Celibacy and Service for the Diocesan Priest.”

The talk, steeped in phenomenological language, explained why the fact that exceptions are made to the rule of celibacy and therefore it cannot be a necessary requirement, it nonetheless remains essential.

Saturday began with morning prayer followed by Mass celebrated by Cardinal O’Malley, featuring a beautiful quartet. This was followed later in the day by talks given by Rev. Dr. Stefan Heid, who is Professor of Liturgy and Hagiography at the Pontifi cal Institute for Christian Archaeology, speaking on celibacy in the early Church, and Dr. Paul Vitz, whose talk was titled, “Psychological Consequences of Common Sexual Practices.”

The final talks were given by Rev. Richard Gabuzda, S.T.D., from the Institute of Priestly Formation in Omaha, and Cardinal Stafford himself.

This was followed by a formal dinner, once again served by some seminarians. On Sunday, Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Stafford, featuring the St. John Seminary choirs.

The conference was considered a success, and the talks given at the symposium will be turned into a book in the near future.

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