This is what happens when you move away from the Bible. No-where in the bible does it say a church leader should be celibate. It also is not a job but a lifestyle. Serving God shouldn't be a chore but like marriage, a choice of service through love. But if you can never marry it's something you will never learn.

I have witnessed a few young men from the Ballarat Diocese enter the seminary for other dioceses because there was real or perceived heterodoxy and opposition to orthodoxy by Ballarat clergy. Add to that four generations of badly catechised Catholic school and college students and is anyone surprised at the current state of affairs. Vin Dillon is part of the problem and not the solution if he attributes this to celibacy.

This is true - it's not biblical at all to deliberately remain celibate - It says in Corinthians that we have the freedom to either marry or remain single - but that it is a choice. To say that the young generation is not attracted to the church probably isn't all that accurate - if by church you mean Catholic church then this statement would be correct, but as far as the 'protestant' denominations, there are many many young people becoming pastors/ministers.

"Committing yourself to one job for a life time is a different notion for this generation," And what a way to help them, by telling them they can't possibly do it! Cardinal Pell made the point so eloquently at World Youth Day. He challenged the youth of the world to not spend their life sitting on the fence. Happiness is found in fulfilling commitments. One mission is better than a thousand options. Stop telling young people they can't do it. Stop underestimating them. Tell them they can do it, and challange them. What athlete at the Olympics was inspired to such great achievments by their coach apologizing for how hard the training was. They don't apologize, they push them to greater and greater achievments. The priesthood is not an easy life, but it is an extraordinary one. It may be challenging but is also fulfilling. Never be afraid to tell the world about it! And remember God's solemn promise, "Pastores Dabo Vobis" (I will give you shepherds!).

Our Lady Help of Christians in Wendouree is not an hour and a half away from the nearest Parish Church or even St. Patricks Cathedral in Ballarat. Get a taxi or organise a transport roster to get to Sunday Mass. The Parish can and will survive if the People, who are the Church want it to. The Mass is the most important celebration of our faith and if you can all get to the footy and other things and you want to get to Mass you will find a way. The priests are only human and will do everything they can to help the situation. It would be different if you lived 2 hours away from a Church or you lived in a parish where they could not get to a Mass like in the Country areas where there is no priest in residence at all. The Melbourne Archdiocese is as bad or worse off so look around the area in Ballarat and you will find wonderful faithfilled people to make things work for you. I did live in the diocese for most of my life and the people will work around this small hiccup.

Agreed, serving God should be like marriage. But it was Jesus Himself in the Gospels who said that there are those who make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:12) Try also Mark 10:29. And on what basis do we accept that these and the other books are in the bible? 2 Tim 2:15 It was the Church from the earliest days that handed on both the books of the bible and esteem for those who followed the Lord's example of living single for God. Father of seven kids.

"Nowhere in the bible does it say a church leader should be celibate"? I beg to differ... 1. Think about the ultimate example; Jesus himself. 2. 1 Corinthians. "Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage... Those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that... The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided". 3. Jesus Himself speaks of celibacy in Matthew 19:11-12: "Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom it is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it." I think that'll suffice.. As for the actual shortage of priests here in Ballarat. Yes, it is a problem, but we will survive this crisis as we have survived other crisis' over the last 2000+ years. We need quality not quantity when it comes to our shepherds, so to me, the answer does not lie in lowering our standards. One only had to witness "World Youth Day" to know that there is spiritual growth (a re-growth if you like) , that there is a deep love for Catholicism among our young (and not so young) and that there is a future full of hope. Don't be so quick to be all doom and gloom. Teach our children what it is to be truly Catholic and they will know what it is to be faithful, fruitful, informed servants of God.

With the antics of the Catholic church over the past 30 years is it any wonder that no one wants to join the clergy? Even in Ireland the Catholic heartland they can't get priests for the same reason the attendance over there is the same as here no one goes to church anymore because of the actions of priests and the cover up and the movement of those priests when they were found to have mistreated vulnerable children. As a priest in Ireland said the Catholic church has one and a half generations left if they are lucky.

The flocks will dwindle further because the church has taken the celebrations away from the schools. While their intent is admirable, the times we currently live in make the 'parental' commitment to preparation meetings etc harder. The children should not suffer because of this... they are the future church goers and clergy. Besides the sense of community within the schools as a shared celebration has now gone, the children's daily peer family is missing from the celebrations. Having also moved from interstate, the difference between all the regions and states makes no sense, and means that children cannot receive sacraments because of the change of timings till others are done first - in different orders.

It is not surprising the Ballarat Diocese is bereft of seminarians. Better no priests than poorly formed priests . The lack of vocations in the Ballarat Diocese has nothing to do with celibacy, The Holy Spirit simply withdraws vocational graces for the future good of the church.