The Rev. Donald Cozzens, a prominent Catholic priest and scholar who has written several frank and controversial books about challenges facing the priesthood, will speak tonight at St. Theresa's Catholic Church.

In his latest book, "Freeing Celibacy," Cozzens argues that priestly celibacy should be optional because celibacy is a gift or power bestowed by the Holy Spirit and can't be expected of all priests.
Optional celibacy would induce many former priests to return, he said.

"Many, if not most, of the inactive priests would be serving in our parishes if it were not for the law of celibacy," wrote Cozzens, who says that he is celibate.

Cozzens was president of St. Mary's Seminary in Cleveland in 2000 when he wrote "The Changing Face of the Priesthood," a book that caused shock waves throughout the Catholic Church by stating that there were large numbers of gay Catholic priests in the U.S.

He wrote of a growing gay subculture at many Catholic seminaries that was making it difficult for straight seminarians to be comfortable.

"The growing numbers of gay priests and seminarians impact, of course, the priesthood's own self-awareness, even if on a subliminal level of consciousness," Cozzens wrote. "At the same time, it affects the laity's perception of their clergy. How would the laity respond should the priesthood become a heavily homosexual profession?"

Cozzens will be the final speaker in the latest series at St. Theresa's, which has been bringing in big-name scholars and writers for several years.

We have heard in recent months about the shortage of priests. However, there are women, like myself, called to the priesthood; there are men called to the priesthood but not to celibacy. It's like having barns full of grain in a time of famine. The wealth of vocations is there; we need only to open the doors.

Pope Benedict XVI's U.S. visit came at a crucial moment for me, personally. I have completed my coursework for the master of divinity degree at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and will soon graduate. I'm an applicant for ordination with Roman Catholic WomenPriests, an organization that has ordained nearly 100 women worldwide in ceremonies not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. No pastorate waits, however, for any of us.

I've been reluctant to speak out much about women's ordination. It has seemed to me that answering my call means doing the work I'm called to, which is about creating community and building bridges between people, especially between those of us who are comfortable and those who are on the margins in this world homeless people, developmentally disabled people and people in El Salvador and doing the work of ministry out on those margins.

But when you're trying to bring some healing, you get to a place where you have to ask why things are the way they are, and you become aware of structural injustice that makes it hard for people to get out of the situations they are in.

And in the midst of working my various part-time jobs, mostly in ministry, it occurred to me that I'm in a situation of injustice myself, that a person shouldn't need to work five jobs and the reason is sexism.

My seminary colleagues are becoming pastors in their various denominations, while as a Catholic woman, I expect to continue piecing together my ministry and for my sister priests, for male priests not called to celibacy, the situation remains bleak as well. So here's the message for Pope Benedict and all the Roman Catholic hierarchy: We're willing, able and prepared to serve, to use our gifts, our faith and knowledge to build up the people of God and work to heal the world. Employ us. Ordain us. Put us to work. 

Christian theology is a reasoned discourse about what God revealed in
Christ. Otherwise theology turns into as device to accommodate man as being who, not having been crushed by an original Fall, does not stand in need to be redeemed. Redemption was the work of Christ's priesthood, based on his theandric fullness, of which his celibacy was an integral part.
     Christian priesthood sprang forth from Christ's eternal priesthood. It is
in this light that this book deals with the christological and apostolic origins of priestly celibacy and with the unrelenting adherence to it by those who held high that fullness with no failure whatsoever.
     This age of ours, greatly suffering from its obsession with sex, needs
celibate priests fully conscious of theological truths as greatly different from and far superior to fashionable trends in philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Priestly celibacy is not a negotiable option but a theological cogency. This is borne out even by the Eastern Orthodox practice and predicament.
     A contrast is drawn between the views which truly great figures of the
new theology, such as Moehler, Scheeben, and Newman, held on priestly celibacy and views embodied in some latter-day theological rhetoric on it.
     The book concludes on the theme that inasmuch as the priest, in likeness of Christ, is an altar, he is also Christ's witness. What the priest witnesses must therefore have truth for its principal object. In the priest's celibacy this witness of his reaches its existential fullness.

The practice of celibacy is sometimes seen as a rarity in American society, linked to priests, virgins and those individuals who have had one too many sexual partners in the past.

Although these associations may be true, it seems as though the complexities and benefits of celibacy have been overshadowed by the societal stigma placed on it in an era dominated by overt sexuality and scandals. Still, there are some who, for their own justifications, choose to abstain from sex.

Sophomore psychology major Adrienne Glasgow desires more than casual sex out of her relationships, and plans to remain celibate until she finds a relationship worth taking to the next level.

"I'm tired of giving so much of myself to others and not getting anything in return," Glasgow said. "I want to find someone who has my best interests at heart because I don't want to settle for anything or anyone less than what I deserve."

After ending a seemingly one-sided relationship, Glasgow said she vowed to remain celibate, but broke her vow once in hopes of gaining some personal satisfaction from the situation.

"After I slipped up once, I realized even more that I wanted more out of relationships," she said. "Casual sex is not for me. I'm selective about who I'm with and who I let in my space."

Glasgow has been celibate since November 2007, and is quickly learning about the benefits and hardships of sticking to one's morals.

Read the complete story

A former seminary president who drew national attention to the number of gay Roman Catholic priests tackles mandatory celibacy in a new book, calling it burdensome and unnecessary.
The Rev. Donald Cozzens says the requirement is hurting the church at a time of priest shortages.

"Many, if not most, of the inactive priests would be serving in our parishes if it were not for the law of celibacy," Cozzens writes in Freeing Celibacy.

"Celibacy used to go with priesthood as fish went with Fridays," Cozzens said in an interview. "Over the past 40 to 50 years, I would argue that more and more Catholics are questioning the need to link celibacy with priesthood."

A celibate priest himself, Cozzens has written four other books on issues and problems of the priesthood. In his 2000 book, The Changing Face of the Priesthood, later translated into six languages, he used interviews and studies to contend that the Roman Catholic Church had a disproportionately high percentage of gay priests, nearly half of all seminarians and priests.

Cozzens' previous writings made a valuable contribution to the debate over homosexuality by raising the issue at a time when many priests and bishops were pretending it didn't exist, said the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of the conservative journal First Things, who upholds the Catholic teaching that same-sex attraction is disordered.

"It was that climate of, 'Let's pretend that we don't know about it,' that Cozzens blew the whistle on in a constructive way," Neuhaus said.

Read the complete story

Discover the ancient secrets of the
THE KAMA SUTRA

Drive Your Partner Wild with Kama Sutra Lovemaking Techniques
123 PAGES OF FULL COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS & PHOTOS

This is the full-length Anne Hooper ebook with high resolution, easy to read, well detailed illustrations.

Enjoy the Quality of Tantric Love and bring the spice back into your love life!

The "Kama Sutra" was designed to help lovers explore the height of sensual and erotic pleasure. This ancient masterpiece of erotic literature has now been brought up to date by an acclaimed sex therapist.

*Anne Hooper - author of the popular "Ultimate Sex Book", analyses and re-interprets the teachings of the Kamasutra, to guide today's lovers.

*Paved with provocative information that will bring more variety and excitement to your love life.

*More than 150 colour photographs that clearly demonstrate the classic positions from the original erotic texts.

Chapters include:

Introduction

The original of Kama Sutra text dealt with more than just sex, but in this book it is more concentrated on the information that relates specifically to sexual foreplay and lovemaking

Read the complete story

Desire and intimacy are very much a part of Love, and sex need not be sordid or ugly. On the contrary, between two people very much in love with each other, sex can the most beautiful and natural thing in the universe.

There is so much that two people in love share, and the feeling is beyond compare. If you share of yourself with your love, you will in return, get the blessings of closeness.

When you love someone and want to be in their life, it is a simple but all encompassing feeling.

My dream was always to be a film director. I used to live in Elstree near the BBC Studios and thought the break-through would just happen one day! Nevertheless, I decided to study nursing! At the age of 19 I used to spend most of my time (and money) in the pub with my friends. All day Saturday and Sunday was spent shopping! It all got rather boring…

Then I met a friend who introduced me to Tamezin Club, a youth club run at one of the Opus Dei houses, where I began helping out with all sorts of activities. I loved the young people and found the work I was doing with them very creative and fulfilling. Little by little I became more interested in Opus Dei and received formation in the Catholic Faith which led me to think more deeply about my vocation in life.

Eventually I decided that my vocation was to become a member of Opus Dei. Then I had to make the choice between being a Supernumerary member, which meant I could marry and raise a family or a Numerary member which meant accepting celibacy. It was a big decision for me. I realized I would have to pray about it and follow my conscience. After much prayer, I decided I wanted to be a Numerary member. I asked to join, but they made me wait. I eventually joined in 2004 when I was 20 years old.

Read the complete story

A new Broadway musical called “Spring Awakening“, illustrates the obsession that our culture has with teen sexuality. It somehow views teens as being sexually repressed by a “rigid, hypocritical society that cares only about outward appearances and refuses to deal openly with natural sexual urges“, which can be liberated through masturbation, homosexuality and sadomasochism. The musical focuses on three adolescents who are grappling with emotional turmoil which is triggered by their “sexual awakening“.
The 14- year-old Wendla, for example, futilely begs her mother to tell the truth about how babies are born instead of more fairy tales of storks flying down chimneys (great realistic example on which to build a foundation of truth) . By the end this sort of repression and enforced ignorance lead to suicide, abortion and violence.And we wonder why there is such a sick perversion problem in our culture? Sex is NOT and was never meant to be an obsession with self gratification, but an act of love in which a man and woman give themselves totally to the other. True sexual love can ONLY be attained through grace. Where there is love, there is no need for pornography, sex toys or fantasy for pleasure; these are tools needed by the sexually repressed who rely on lust to satisfy their physical urges. Where there is lust, there can be no spiritual fulfillment of authentic intimacy and love. This musical is evident of a society that has mastered the art of sexual slavery and perversion that mistakes lust for love; what good parent wouldn’t want this for their children?

You are with your partner at a staff function and you see one of his co-workers run her finger down his arm. You can feel your blood pressure rising, you cut off the person you are talking to in mid-sentence, feel tempted to slap her in front of everyone, but end up just finding a stiff drink. There'll be hell to pay in the car on the way home, that's for sure. The phone rings at home and an unfamiliar male voice asks for your girlfriend – they are obviously on first-name terms. Do you hang around listening to every word and then give her the third degree, or do you feel secure enough to assume that it is probably quite innocent and carry on watching TV. After all, if it were anything to worry about, would he phone your home?

What is jealousy and why do we feel it?
Jealousy, according to the dictionary, is an all-consuming envy, suspicious resentment and possessiveness, which we feel when we think our relationship, our status in life, our friendships or our possessions are somehow threatened. It is also felt when we think someone is about to beat us in some rivalry."Jealousy is an entirely natural emotion", says Cape Town psychologist Ilse Terblanche. "People do become very attached to people and things they see as essential for their wellbeing and happiness. This is fully understandable. But it is when this jealousy, especially of a partner, becomes excessive, that problems arise. Ironically, excessive jealousy of a partner, especially if it is unfounded, is often the very thing that drives them away – the exact opposite of what the jealous person wanted to achieve."Sometimes jealousy can be understood, such as when someone had been cheated on by a previous partner, or if their parents were not faithful to each other. This jealousy is then born out of fear of a previous painful event repeating itself, and an inability to separate previous experiences from the current situation."

What causes excessive jealousy?
"Fear, insecurity and low self-esteem," says Terblanche. "It is when someone feels that they do not really deserve their partner that they start looking for signs of desertion. Their relationship is their whole life and they cannot see themselves functioning without it, so their jealous behaviour is actually fuelled by fear of abandonment."

Jealousy a destructive emotion
"Jealousy is really a very destructive emotion. There really is no benefit to feeling this. It isolates the sufferer, who tends to become more and more vigilant, on guard and suspicious of imaginary transgressions. Jealousy turns these thoughts into pure self-destructive torture. It is difficult to have a meaningful relationship with someone who is constantly suspicious of everything you do, hence partners are very often driven away by this very behaviour." "It is not pleasant when you have to be constantly on guard to avoid outbursts. Your friendly smile to the 70-year old butcher is misconstrued, and to avoid an outburst, next time you don't smile. Your wife explodes when you talk to an ex-colleague in the Post Office queue, so next time you just nod."

What to do if you are plagued by jealousy
Take stock of yourself. Do you have a history of troubled relationships characterised by dramas and betrayals? Are you plagued by jealousy and insecurities? If there is a recognizable pattern in your relationships, you might need help in making healthier choices in the future.

Are you plagued by low self-esteem? If you constantly feel that you are not good enough for your partner and that he/she might run away with someone else, you might need to work on how you feel about yourself. Low self-esteem is not an asset in any relationship. Your esteem issues cannot be worked out in the relationship – you have to do it yourself with the help of a therapist.

Do you have no life of your own? If you feel that your entire life is dependent on this relationship and the things you do together, you need to get a life of your own. Develop outside interests, rekindle old friendships and explore new hobbies. Accept that you have an existence outside of the relationship. If you are too dependent on your partner, you will make them feel claustrophobic before long.

Accept that excessive jealousy is unhealthy. Jealousy is merely a symptom of other more serious underlying problems. While mild feelings of jealousy are normal, it is problematic if it becomes obsessive or you start checking up excessively on your partner or following him/her around without reason. This shows a lack of trust and a distinct sense of paranoia on your part. You may need help.

Imagine a new life for yourself. Your present partner may not be the right one for you. Maybe you need some time by yourself to sort through issues. You will not die if you are without this person in your life, even though it may feel like that from where you are now.

My partner's too jealous. This can make your life a living hell. Get into couples therapy and see if something can be sorted out. If you feel yourself becoming more and more isolated, while being watched over jealously by a paranoid partner, you might have to plan an exit. But be careful, it is at this point many jealous people turn violent. Don't break the news without backup support of family members or friends, especially if there is a history of violence in your relationship. Move in with family and alert security at work not to allow your ex in.