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| Carol and David Smith with Miles |
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| Daniel and Carol Smith with Max |
By Rachel Watkins
The Year of St. Paul has come and gone and now we are just getting started with the Year for Priests. In announcing this year to the bishops, the Holy Father wrote, “Precisely to encourage priests in this striving for spiritual perfection on which, above all, the effectiveness of their ministry depends, I have decided to establish a special "Year for Priests" that will begin on 19 June and last until 19 June 2010. In fact, it is the 150th anniversary of the death of the Holy Curé d’Ars, John Mary Vianney, a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ’s flock.”
He continues: “It will be the task of your Congregation, in agreement with the diocesan Ordinaries and with the superiors of religious institutes to promote and to coordinate the various spiritual and pastoral initiatives that seem useful for making the importance of the priest’s role and mission in the Church and in contemporary society ever more clearly perceived.”
In love for priests — past, present and future — individual people and organized groups are taking up the challenge with great enthusiasm. There are campaigns to spiritually adopt priests through daily prayer and sacrifice. There are holy hours scheduled for an increase in vocations and more. But, honestly, I have seen a lack of enthusiasm with some friends and acquaintances for this year which I greeted with such joy.
I will readily admit that I love priests. Having a brother who is a diocesean priest, now serving as a military chaplain in the Army, and a son off to the seminary in the fall, my joy may be understood but I also remember it as a part of me from my youth.
Its early roots came from my mother, who is one of those Catholic moms who would invite the parish priest over for dinner regularly. My dad was active in the parish, making sure that the rectory was in working order and that the priest did not have to climb ladders to replace light bulbs in the Church. Both of them saw that priests needed some taking care of and they were there to do what they could.
Now, however, I am not sure that all current priests get such care. We might want to blame the recent scandals, but I think all of us realize that it was a very select few priests guilty of crimes. The majority of priests were and are good men of God doing their best to serve. But, in an increasingly secular society, it can be hard to relate to men willing to forsake all others for God.
This is not to say that all priests are perfect, but neither are we. Some priests are excellent homilists, others good in the confessional while others struggle even making eye contact
Regardless of your current pastor or memories of priests past, the personal qualities of a priest should fade into insignificance compared with the realization that, by the sacrament of Holy Orders, these men have become Christ here on earth for us.
This point came home to me recently when I went to daily Mass at the retirement home for the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. As I sat participating in the Mass, I was overtaken by the profound thought of all that these 20 or so men have done. When the time for consecration came and they all raised their hands and joined their voices in the words of Christ from the Last Supper, I could not stop the tears from flowing. Despite their flaws, despite their age and infirmities, these men were still Christ for me.
On the drive home I began doing some mental math. If each of these men — let us say there were 20 — have been priests for 40 years (at the least) how many sacraments had they been a part of? The numbers staggered me. Consider this: If one priest serving the Church for 40 years performs one marriage a month they would have brought together 480 couples. And, if those same couples brought back even just two babies for baptisms there would be 960 of those. If this same priest occupies the confessional 1 hour a week they would have been offering real forgiveness for 2,080 hours.
The numbers really get amazing when you think of offering Mass. My own pastor shares Mass duties in our parish with both an associate pastor and one or two of the retired Oblates so his commitment to public Mass is on average 6 times a week. So, when he reaches his 40th anniversary he will have brought Christ 12,480 times! How many children received Christ for the first time from these men and how many were brought home to God?
We must all, despite our personal feelings and struggles, admit the gift of the priesthood is astonishing. And, none of these numbers include what they do in those committee meetings, personal counseling, visits to the homebound, comfort and Sacraments in hospitals and prisons – the list goes on and on.
So, without any words of complaint about the old priest you knew who yelled at you in the confessional or the priest who insisted on shaking hands with his sweaty palms, let us find a way to truly celebrate this awesome gift that the priesthood is to the Church as a whole and to us as individuals.
In spite of those who faltered in their faith, we must admit that our own admission to heaven will be the result of some very good priests who lived and died with their vows intact, bringing Christ to us despite the loneliness and lack of understanding. They stood at the altar every weekend; they have faced our wrath on a bad day and our tears on even worse days. They strive to be Christ to us; cannot we try to be Christ to them?
One small way you might want to celebrate this year as a family would be to download the free activity sheet for “The Year of the Priest” from Ecce Homo Press . It was developed for families to find concrete ways to both support priests, encourage vocations and develop a deeper appreciation for the Sacrament of Holy Orders in their homes.
The Year of Priest may not seem as accessible as the Year of St. Paul, but it will have a direct affect on the priests you pray and sacrifice for and on you and your family. For if this year is, in part, celebrating priests yet to come, how better to introduce the priesthood to some young boy in your life than by actively participating in it.
| Mark 9: 2 - 10 | |
| 2 | And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, |
| 3 | and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. |
| 4 | And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. |
| 5 | And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah." |
| 6 | For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. |
| 7 | And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." |
| 8 | And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only. |
| 9 | And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. |
| 10 | So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. |
Today is a very special day.From the thirteenth to the sixteeenth century, the devotion was practiced as a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. In the sixteenth century, the devotion took an onward step and passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was constituted an objective devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises of which the value was extolled and practice commended.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart developed further during the seventeenth century. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Alvarez de Paz, Luis de la Puente, Saint-Jure and Nouet and Father Druzbicki, small work "Meta Cordium, Cor Jesu".
The devotion was greatly increased by the visions Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a French Visitandine nun at the convent of Paray-le-Monial. She had a vision of Christ's Heart on the feast of Saint John that was similiar to that of Saint Gertrude. Jesus permitted her to rest her head upon His Heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of His love, telling her that He desired to make this known to mankind and to diffuse the treasures of His goodness, and that He had chosen her for this work, (probably 1673, Dec. 27). In June or July o f 1674, Sister Margaret Mary said, Jesus asked to be honored under the figure of His Heart of Flesh and asked for a devotion of expiatory love -- frequent Communion, Communion on the first Friday of each month and the observance of Holy Hours.
In another vision, on the feast of Corpus Christi 1675, Sister Margaret Mary reported that Jesus told her, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men...instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude..." Jesus then asked for a feast of reparation on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. bidding her to consult Father de la Colombiére, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. He recognized the action of the Spirit of God and consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed Sister Margaret Mary to write down her account and to circulate it throughout France and England. Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque was canonized in the 20th century.
Litany to the Sacred HeartLord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, Response: have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, ..
God the Holy Spirit,...
Holy Trinity, one God, ...
Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, ...
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb, ...
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, ...
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, ...
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, ...
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, ...
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, ...
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, ...
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, ...
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, ...
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, ...
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, ...
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, ...
Heart of Jesus, wherein are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, ...
Heart of Jesus, wherein dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, ...
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, ...
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, ...
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, ...
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, ...
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all who call upon You, ...
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, ...
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses, ...
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches, ...
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities, ...
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death, ...
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, ...
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, ...
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, ...
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, ...
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, ...
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, ...
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, ...
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints, ...
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
R. Make our hearts like unto Thy Heart.
Let us pray, Almighty everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy dearly beloved Son, and upon the praise and satisfaction He offers Thee in the name of sinners and for those who seek Thy mercy. Be appeased, and grant us pardon in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee forever and ever. Amen.
St. John Vianney, Priest (Patron of priests) Feast day - August 4 Universally known as the "Cure of Ars)," St. John Mary Vianney was ordained a priest in 1815. Three years later he was made parish priest of Ars, a remote French hamlet, where his reputation as a confessor and director of souls made him known throughout the Christian world. His life was one of extreme mortification.
Accustomed to the most severe austerities, beleaguered by swarms of penitents, and besieged by the devil, this great mystic manifested a imperturbable patience. He was a wonderworker loved by the crowds, but he retained a childlike simplicity, and he remains to this day the living image of the priest after the heart of Christ.
He heard confessions of people from all over the world for the sixteen hours each day. His life was filled with works of charity and love. It is recorded that even the staunchest of sinners were converted at his mere word. He died August 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925.
Pope Benedict XVI has declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father on June 19, 2010.
With the announcement of this Year for Priests, the Pope has declared St. John Vianney the Universal Patron of Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé d’Ars.
On this website you will find a number of resources to aid your parish’s celebration of the year for priests. There is also information regarding events for priests that will occur throughout the Year for Priests.
Please pray for our priests that they might always be faithful to their sacred calling.
Visit the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website for more about this special year!
Explanation of the icon of Christ the Great High Priest
Iconographer Marek Czarnecki of Seraphic Restorations in Meriden, Connecticut, has graciously given the USCCB the rights to use the icon of Christ the Great High Priest during the Year for Priests. Any parish or diocese that would like to use the image in conjunction with this special year is also permitted to do so.
This icon (egg tempera and gold leaf on wood panel, 28” x 22”) is “based on a fifteenth century Greek prototype; here Christ is shown in Latin Rite vestments with a gold pelican over His heart, the ancient symbol of self-sacrifice. The borders contain a windig grapevine and altar prepared for the celebration of the liturgy of the Mass; in the borders are smaller icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.” Incidentally, it is St. John Vianney whom Pope Benedict XVI, with the announcement of this special year, has declared the Universal Patron of Priests.
Czarnecki explains: “I wrote the icon about seven years ago [for seminarians and priests] to be able to see Christ in themselves, and themselves in Christ. We often hear that the icon is called a window; in this case, it’s also meant to be a mirror.” The Good Shepherd reminds the priest that he is to “lay down his life for his sheep.” (www.seraphicrestorations.com)