The Potter and His Earthen Vessels

About the Book

There has never been a more vulnerable time for priests in the Catholic Church. Although the Catholic religion continues to play an important role in people’s lives around the world, the role of the priest has become publically scrutinized and questioned. In The Potter and His Earthen Vessels, author Dan Corcoran provides an objective, unadulterated perspective on the history of the role of the priest in the Catholic Church. Beginning with a historical look at the role of church leaders in the early Christian church, Corcoran expands on the characteristics that modern-day priests need to embody in order to effectively lead and minister to their churches—and honor God. The Potter and His Earthen Vessels also explores the inherent humanity of these men of God, all of whom are imperfect—but in whom God has entrusted his Word, endowing them with special gifts and talents. Priests from all time are God’s earthen vessels, and these servants of God can help make a difference in the lives of believers. Even though the priesthood is changing and has experienced difficulties in the past, a fresh and personal perspective on the lives of men who form the priesthood can offer us a way to understand the necessity of the priesthood for God’s kingdom and our eternal salvation.

About the Author

Dan Corcoran lives in Thomaston, Maine, and although his devout interest in Catholicism led him to seminary, an illness landed him in the hospital, where his interest in a certain nurse steered him away from that career. Now married to that nurse and with five children, he would receive his master’s degree at Loyola College in Baltimore and become an elementary school principal with the Maryland school system. Today Dan is retired and works with the Catholic diocese in the parish outreach program, coordinating activities for Catholic charities in local churches. He is active in his local church, writing regularly in the parish bulletin, and The Potter and His Earthen Vessels is the culmination of twenty-five years of his research on the history of the Catholic priesthood.