What is The Society of Christ’s Priesthood?

The Society of Christ’s Priesthood (SCP) is a Movement within CITI Ministries that embodies a spiritual way of life for CITI priests and those who support their work. As a religious society, SCP provides the legal authority required for CITI priests’ ministries to be recognized in some states.  But more importantly it is the spiritually supportive foundation of CITI.

Its goal is to support resigned and married priests of integrity, united in community, to provide sacramental and spiritual services to all who request them. These services are offered willingly and without any institutional encumbrances.

As a spiritual way of life, SCP finds its inspiration in the life of the Holy Trinity. As a three-fold universal Call to all peoples it encompasses Freedom, Unity & Integrity (F-U-I).

• God the Father – Freedom – To creatively embrace our spiritual journey without limitations which allows us to be able to serve with total generosity of spirit;
• God the Son – Unity – To come together with others to share in Unconditional Love which enables us to love without concern for those who might seek to hinder or otherwise restrain our efforts; and
• God the Holy Spirit – Integrity – To continue to guide and keep us faithful to Christ’s message, which allows us to embrace Freedom and Unity by listening and thus responding to the inspirations which compel us to offer compassionate service to one another, becoming instruments of Love’s universal Call.

In 1 John 4:7-8, we hear that God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. As we participate in the divine life, SCP is imbued with the spirit of Vatican II which promotes the universal priesthood of all God’s People. SCP integrates the calls of Saints Francis of Assisi and Teresa of Avila. St. Francis’ call was to “rebuild the church.” St. Teresa’s mission was to prayerfully support the life and ministry of priests. This supportive mission of prayer extends to the life and ministries of all of God’s priestly People as they exercise their individual contributions to the building of God’s kingdom.

In supporting our divine mandate to “renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30), this Call blesses us with the graces to strive for the spiritual welfare of others by encouraging and enabling F-U-I to be embraced and practiced by all.

The inspiration and driving force behind the SCP Movement is the life’s work of Donna Podobinski, one of the founding Board Members of CITI Ministries. As Sister Gordon Helene, a member of a cloistered Carmelite monastery, she came to realize that the laity longed for more spiritual nourishment from priests; and priests in turn were missing adequate support from the community. From these needs, SCP was conceived for the whole of Christ’s priestly people as a means of providing community and spiritual nourishment for one another.

Living examples of SCP are seen today in Pittsburgh because of the direct efforts of CITI married priest couple, William & Donna Podobinski. For more than 20 years, they have served with the Dignity Pittsburgh Chapter which has grown into a supportive faith family. Their online Centering-Prayer community of 60+ members receives daily Meditations divided into 7 “spiritual snacks” to feed the mind, heart and soul, based on Sarah Young’s book JESUS CALLING.  These are examples of practical expressions of the spirit of SCP.

The SCP seed is planted within CITI Ministries whose members seek to cultivate Christ’s peace and justice by personally embracing a spiritual journey rooted in Freedom, Unity and Integrity. CITI members believe it is the Spirit who guides SCP’s growth as needs present themselves and will remain a faithful presence among God’s people serving, loving, listening, and responding to all.

Click here for a Married Priest’s Reflection on SCP

For more information about ‘Spiritual Snacks’ click here