Priesthood: Changeless and Changing

Priests have been in the news quite a lot. The news hasn’t always been good. Thomas Lane makes it clear that every priest is ordained to bring good news and to be good news. Since the days of his own preparation for priesthood much has changed. We no longer speak about tonsure, minor orders and subdiaconate. Many countries have permanent deacons. Lay people are receiving the ministries of lector and acolyte. The number of priests in the older Catholic countries continues to decline. Thomas Lane spells out what is changeless and what is changeable in priestly ministry. In three chapters, he shows how all the baptised are called to be a priestly, prophetic and kingly people. In the other two chapters he indicates ways in which priests help to activate this call. He has no easy solutions for the tensions in priestly ministry today. But he is convinced that good priests will shape a good priestly people and a good priestly people will shape good priests.