An Unstable Clergy, by Frank DeVito

By Frank DeVito, Crisis Magazine, June 9, 2026

Frank DeVito is an attorney currently serving as counsel at the Napa Legal Institute. His work has previously been published in several publications, including The American Conservative, The Federalist, First Things, and Public Discourse. He lives in eastern Pennsylvania with his wife and children. The views expressed in his articles are those of the author and not necessarily his employer.

If bishops and priests were treated like rooted, stable shepherds of one particular flock, rather than middle management who may be promoted for good behavior, perhaps we would see a serious shift in saintly, courageous behavior.

From the days of the early Church, Catholicism has always emphasized stability as a means of holiness, particularly for monastics and the clergy. In the first chapter of the sixth-century Rule of St. Benedict, the holy father of Western monasticism warns of the danger of physical instability. He warns of a certain type of monk, those who are constantly uprooting and moving, “who spend their entire lives drifting from region to region…Always on the move, they never settle down.”

Later in the Rule, St. Benedict emphasizes the necessity of “stability in the community.” This stability is so important to Benedictine spirituality that the monks take a vow of stability, a vow to live their vocation in one particular monastery for the rest of their lives. Extraordinary situations are possible, such as being sent to found a new monastery or being consecrated a bishop. But the ordinary course of holiness includes living out one’s vocation in a stable external environment, so that the excitements and distractions of moving around are eliminated. …

Continue reading >>>>>>>>>>>

An Unstable Clergy, by Frank DeVito

Msgr. Jason Gray: Sheen Beatification Calls Catholics Back to the Eucharist

Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations: The Salt of the Earth and Light of the World

By Frank DeVito, Crisis Magazine, June 9, 2026

If bishops and priests were treated like rooted, stable shepherds of one particular flock, rather than middle management who may be promoted for good behavior, perhaps we would see a serious shift in saintly, courageous behavior.