Who said there is a shortage of priests?

Lo and behold, last Sunday, there were four priests seeking to formally join me in mass at the cathedral.  Three were Vietnamese in town with a group of 40 Vietnamese tourists who were a fun group, being wild on the photo taking front. The other priest was a diocesan priest from Italy who was a French speaking African.  He seemed to be doing his Thailand holiday thing.  So there were five of us together last Sunday.  I was a bit taken aback as were we overdoing the priestly thing at church?  

As I already had three Vietnamese priests joining me for mass, I was internally shocked when another priest, the African from Italy, appeared before me, asking that he join in as well.  It was all too much, all at once, and right before mass.  It was putting me into a theological spin.  Sound a bit dramatic?

For me, what was at play was a theological point of order which reflects on how one sees community at worship.  We are all one community gathered for worship, celebrating together.  No matter who we are, we are all co-celebrants with the one presider, while playing our different and necessary roles.  Each role is important.  So why do some priests feel the need to concelebrate at every mass they attend?  The danger is that, if we overplay one role, specifically the clerical role, what are we saying about the other roles?  Are we engaging in an exercise that is overly clericalizing the Church?

Priests have a specific role and ministry which is at the heart of church.  That said, clericalism, the over playing of the clerical role on the basis of power, is an abuse based on hierarchical position.  This abuse is to be fought and not encouraged.  My questioning is not about the good men who are priests but about an issue of power in the Church which is to be always used for the good of the community.  To use position to highlight one group of the church over the rest is not about Church but about power and its abuse.  This is to be guarded against and avoided.  Hence my caution last Sunday.