May 6, 2014
With the recent canonizations of St. John XXII and St. John Paul II (and the presence at the ceremony of both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), world attention was once again drawn to Rome, and to the unique and inspiring men who have served as the successors to St. Peter. While the media coverage was primarily about the two popes being canonized, I noted that continuing coverage of Pope Francis is still overwhelmingly positive, more than a year after his election.
Much has been written about the so-called “Francis Effect” (see http://saltandlighttv.org/thefranciseffect/). As the Holy Father challenges is to be a church of and for the poor, to reach out to the marginalized, to engage with our culture with love rather than scolding, and to help the world see the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, the world is taking note with approval. While the statistical evidence seems mixed, many of our pastors tell us that people are following the Holy Father’s example, and many who have been away are returning to the practice of their faith.
Several people have asked me if I’m seeing any effect on our vocations efforts and the men who are engaging with us in discernment. While it’s hard to establish a statistical trend, I do believe that I’m seeing men express interest in the Paulist and priesthood who a few years ago might not have considered it. I think the “Francis Effect” is real.
For the Paulist Fathers in particular, many of the inquirers I talk to feel a resonance between the Holy Father’s pastoral approach (emphasized in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium) and the mission of the Paulist Fathers. In particular, our emphasis on evangelization, reconciliation, ecumenism and interfaith dialogue — as well as our engagement with American culture— shows that we Paulists are uniquely positioned to respond to Pope Francis’s desire for a Church that is more in world, willing to take risks to show Christ’s to love to the world.