Advent Group - Supporting Priests & Religious since 1969

Aims of Advent

+ To be a support group for men and women and their partners who have left the active ministry, or religious life. Sadly we are unable to offer any financial support.

+ To offer a safe haven for men and women who are considering change.

+ To be a support for others closely involved with the priest's or religious' decision.

+ To work for change in the Church and its ministry

BBC Radio 4 - Hidden Children of the Church

: Written by: Dan Tierney; Created: 31 March 2020

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000gtnw

For decades, the Catholic Church rarely acknowledged the fact that supposedly ‘celibate’ priests were fathering children. The scale and impact of these secretive births is only now coming to light. The Vatican has admitted for the first time that there could be as many as 10 thousand children of Catholic priests living around the world. Many of them – now adults – describe childhoods separated from their fathers; shrouded in secrecy and shame. Three of them – Vincent Doyle, Michael McGuirk and Sarah Thomas – tell their stories.

Producer: Dan Tierney.

37 mins.

Andy Bebb RIP - One Year On

: Written by: Alex Walker; Created: 02 March 2020

AndyBebb This is a memory Andy Bebb, long time member of Advent wrote this back in 2013 on his blog site and I reproduce it here:

Memories

I offer some personal reflections so I must apologise in advance for the seemingly egocentric nature of this contribution. It is simply offered as a possible source of comfort to those who may be undergoing the bereavement of loss as they move out of the active ministry.

BBC Radio Berkshire Interview 16th Feb 2020

: Written by: Alex Walker; Created: 18 February 2020

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p082340s

Pope Francis decides against allowing married men to become priests

: Written by: Harriet Sherwood; Created: 13 February 2020

Celibacy issue dividing church as it seeks to address shortage of clerics in remote areas

Pope Francis has decided against opening up the Roman Catholic priesthood to married men – a move that will please traditionalists but dismay those who argue that easing the celibacy rule would tackle a shortage of clerics.

Instead, an “apostolic exhortation” from the pontiff has focused on environmental damage after bishops from the Amazon highlighted the destruction of the region’s rainforests and exploitation of Indigenous people at a Vatican summit last year.