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'Worker-priest' was a missionary initative by the French Catholic Church in particular for priests to take up work in such places as car factories to experience the everyday life of the working class . Although the movement did spread to many other countries such as Belgium and Italy, the French were always the most prominent.
In 1944, the first worker-priest missions were set up in Paris, and then later in Lyons and Marseille. The Church hoped, by "putting young priests into secular clothes and letting them work in factories, to regain the confidence of the French working class, which [had] almost completely abandoned the Catholic faith."[1]
In 1945, Pius XII "approved (reluctantly) the daring social experiment of the French worker-priests."[1]
In 1950, Pius XII in an apostolic exhortation on the priestly life expressed "reservations and suspicions of the worker-priests …"[3]
Many of the priests joined in campaigns for improved pay and conditions and the movement became prominent in the industrial unrest of 1952 and 1953. This resulted in the factory owners complaining to the Catholic Church that the priests were being divisive by supporting the unions.
The French bishops informed the worker-priests that they must return to their parishes. About 50, however, chose to stay on at their work.[4]
Moreover, by 1953, of some 90 priests, 10 had married, and about 15 were working with the communists.[1] "… the Pope sent verbal orders that the movement be suppressed, but the French cardinals managed to persuade the Pope to allow the worker-priests to continue 'in principle,' after some major changes in the setup."[1]
In November 1953, all worker priests were recalled and required to leave their work and unions.[7]
However, the worker priests had gained certain insights about the alienation of the Church from the modern world and the poor from their experience as workers. These had been shared with many others including the Bishops by means of letters, newsletters, books and meetings and the then Papal Nuncio to France, Archbishop Angelo Roncalli. When Roncalli became Pope John XXIII in 1958, he called the Second Vatican Council, at least partly as a result of what the worker priests had revealed. During that Council, the French and Belgian Bishps in particular were very influential in shaping its direction towards renewal and engagement with the modern world.
In 1963, priests were allowed to return to the industrial workplaces, and in the 1990's the were about 2,000 priests of the workers mission in France, although they were ageing in line with the wider population of Catholic priests in that country.
★ Frans van der Hoff
★ Little Brothers of Jesus
1. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
2. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
3. Holmes, J. Derek, and Bernard W. Bickers. ''A Short History of the Catholic Church''. London: Burns and Oates, 1983. 281.
4. Collins, Peter. “The Demise of the Worker Priests.” ''Uniya Newsletter'' (autumn 1995): 12. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~cardoner/uniya/un5au12.txt.
5. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
6. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
7. http://www.catholiclabor.org/gen-art/loew.htm
In 1944, the first worker-priest missions were set up in Paris, and then later in Lyons and Marseille. The Church hoped, by "putting young priests into secular clothes and letting them work in factories, to regain the confidence of the French working class, which [had] almost completely abandoned the Catholic faith."[1]
In 1945, Pius XII "approved (reluctantly) the daring social experiment of the French worker-priests."[1]
In 1950, Pius XII in an apostolic exhortation on the priestly life expressed "reservations and suspicions of the worker-priests …"[3]
Many of the priests joined in campaigns for improved pay and conditions and the movement became prominent in the industrial unrest of 1952 and 1953. This resulted in the factory owners complaining to the Catholic Church that the priests were being divisive by supporting the unions.
The French bishops informed the worker-priests that they must return to their parishes. About 50, however, chose to stay on at their work.[4]
Moreover, by 1953, of some 90 priests, 10 had married, and about 15 were working with the communists.[1] "… the Pope sent verbal orders that the movement be suppressed, but the French cardinals managed to persuade the Pope to allow the worker-priests to continue 'in principle,' after some major changes in the setup."[1]
In November 1953, all worker priests were recalled and required to leave their work and unions.[7]
However, the worker priests had gained certain insights about the alienation of the Church from the modern world and the poor from their experience as workers. These had been shared with many others including the Bishops by means of letters, newsletters, books and meetings and the then Papal Nuncio to France, Archbishop Angelo Roncalli. When Roncalli became Pope John XXIII in 1958, he called the Second Vatican Council, at least partly as a result of what the worker priests had revealed. During that Council, the French and Belgian Bishps in particular were very influential in shaping its direction towards renewal and engagement with the modern world.
In 1963, priests were allowed to return to the industrial workplaces, and in the 1990's the were about 2,000 priests of the workers mission in France, although they were ageing in line with the wider population of Catholic priests in that country.
| Contents |
| See also |
| References |
See also
★ Frans van der Hoff
★ Little Brothers of Jesus
References
1. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
2. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
3. Holmes, J. Derek, and Bernard W. Bickers. ''A Short History of the Catholic Church''. London: Burns and Oates, 1983. 281.
4. Collins, Peter. “The Demise of the Worker Priests.” ''Uniya Newsletter'' (autumn 1995): 12. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~cardoner/uniya/un5au12.txt.
5. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
6. "Urbi et Orbi." ''Time'' (14 Dec. 1953), http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806801-9,00.html.
7. http://www.catholiclabor.org/gen-art/loew.htm
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