12 MARCH 1954, Page 17

NO PRIESTS FOR BRITAIN

Slit:— Two simple facts seem to have been canoed so far from this correspondence. (1) The churches mainly want young men for raining ine immediately their education and National Service is finished. At that age that men of today have very seldom reached t "lar Point of mental and spiritual development at which they would be prepared to offer themselves. That point does not seem to be Peached nowadays till much later in lift. By en the potential ordination candidate is in the middle of another career. (2) When he reaches this point in his development, he Very often feels (even if he does not think it out) i tn) that the Spirit is today more active among „e laity than among the clergy; and that, if were to join the ranks of the latter, he ',ant feel himself constricted by institutional Policy that sometimes even seems to be quenching the Spirit.'—Yours faithfully,

H. G. MULLENS

Lord 14/illimm., Grammar School, Theme.

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