On the memorial of St. John Mary Vianney, patron saint of priests, I've decided to pull a few passages from a letter to priests that was published by Pope John Paul II on Holy Thursday of 1986. In this letter, the Pope reflected on the Curé D' Ars and the value of his example for priests today.

The depth of his love for Christ and for souls

The Cure of Ars is a model of priestly zeal for all pastors. The secret of his generosity is to be found without doubt in his love for God, lived without limits, in constant response to the love made manifest in Christ crucified. This is where he bases his desire to do everything to save the souls ransomed by Christ at such a great price, and to bring them back to the love of God. Let us recall one of those pithy sayings which he had the knack of uttering: "The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus." In his sermons and catechesis he continually returned to that love: "O my God, I prefer to die loving you than to live a single instant without loving you... I love you, my divine Savior, because you were crucified for us... because you have me crucified for you." For the sake of Christ, he seeks to conform himself exactly to the radical demands that Jesus in the Gospels puts before the disciples whom he sends out: prayer, poverty, humility, self-denial, voluntary penance. And, like Christ, he has a love for his flock that leads him to extreme pastoral commitment and self-sacrifice. Rarely has a pastor been so acutely aware of his responsibilities, so consumed by a desire to wrest his people from the sins of their lukewarmness. "O my God, grant me the conversion of my parish: I consent to suffer whatever you wish, for as long as I live." Dear brother priests, nourished by the Second Vatican Council which has felicitously placed the priest's consecration within the framework of his pastoral mission, let us join Saint John Mary Vianney and seek the dynamism of our pastoral zeal in the Heart of Jesus, in his love for souls. If we do not draw from the same source, our ministry risks bearing little fruit!

The specific ministry of the priest

Saint John Mary Vianney gives an eloquent answer to certain questionings of the priest's identity, which have manifested themselves in the course of the last twenty years; in fact it seems that today a more balanced position is being reached. The priest always, and in an unchangeable way, finds the source of his identity in Christ the Priest. It is not the world which determines his status, as though it depended on changing needs or ideas about social roles. The priest is marked with the seal of the Priesthood of Christ, in order to share in his function as the one Mediator and Redeemer. So, because of this fundamental bond, there opens before the priest the immense field of the service of souls, for their salvation in Christ and in the Church. This service must be completely inspired by love of souls in imitation of Christ who gives his life for them. It is God's wish that all people should be saved, and that none of the little ones should be lost (cf. Mt 18:14). "The priest must always be ready to respond to the needs of souls," said the Cure of Ars. "He is not for himself, he is for you." The priest is for the laity: he animates them and supports them in the exercise of the common priesthood of the baptized—so well illustrated by the Second Vatican Council—which consists in their making their lives a spiritual offering, in witnessing to the Christian spirit in the family, in taking charge of the temporal sphere and sharing in the evangelization of their brethren. But the service of the priest belongs to another order. He is ordained to act in the name of Christ the Head, to bring people into the new life made accessible by Christ, to dispense to them the mysteries—the Word, forgiveness, the Bread of Life—to gather them into his body, to help them to form themselves from within, to live and to act according to the saving plan of God. In a word, our identity as priests is manifested in the "creative" exercise of the love for souls communicated by Christ Jesus. Attempts to make the priest more like the laity are damaging to the Church. This does not mean in any way that the priest can remain remote from the human concerns of the laity: he must be very near to them, as John Mary Vianney was, but as a priest, always in a perspective which is that of their salvation and of the progress of the Kingdom of God. He is the witness and the dispenser of a life other than earthly life (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 3). It is essential to the Church that the identity of the priest be safeguarded, with its vertical dimension. The life and personality of the Cure of Ars are a particularly enlightening and vigorous illustration of this.

His intimate configuration to Christ and his solidarity with sinners

Saint John Mary Vianney did not content himself with the ritual carrying out of the activities of his ministry. It was his heart and his life which he sought to conform to Christ. Prayer was the soul of his life: silent and contemplative prayer, generally in his church at the foot of the tabernacle. Through Christ, his soul opened to the three divine Persons, to whom he would entrust "his poor soul" in his last will and testament. "He kept a constant union with God in the middle of an extremely busy life." And he did not neglect the office or the rosary. He turned spontaneously to the Virgin. His poverty was extraordinary. He literally stripped himself of everything for the poor. And he shunned honors. Chastity shone in his face. He knew the value of purity in order "to rediscover the source of love which is God." Obedience to Christ consisted, for John Mary Vianney, in obedience to the Church and especially to the Bishop. This obedience took the form of accepting the heavy charge of being a parish priest, which often frightened him. But the Gospel insists especially on renouncing self, on accepting the Cross. Many were the crosses which presented themselves to the Cure of Ars in the course of his ministry: calumny on the part of the people, being misunderstood by an assistant priest or other confreres, contradictions, and also a mysterious struggle against the powers of hell, and sometimes even the temptation to despair in the midst of spiritual darkness. Nonetheless he did not content himself with just accepting these trials without complaining; he went beyond them by mortification, imposing on himself continual fasts and many other rugged practices in order to "reduce his body to servitude," as Saint Paul says. But what we must see clearly in this penance, which our age unhappily has little taste for, are his motives: love of God and the conversion of sinners. Thus he asks a discouraged fellow priest: "You have prayed..., you have wept..., but have you fasted, have you kept vigil...?" Here we are close to the warning Jesus gave to the Apostles: "But this kind is cast out only by prayer and fasting" (Mt 17:21). In a word, John Mary Vianney sanctified himself so as to be more able to sanctify others. Of course, conversion remains the secret of hearts, which are free in their actions, and the secret of God's grace. By his ministry, the priest can only enlighten people, guide them in the internal forum and give them the sacraments. The sacraments are of course actions of Christ, and their effectiveness is not diminished by the imperfection or unworthiness of the minister. But the results depend also on the dispositions of those who receive them, and these are greatly assisted by the personal holiness of the priest, by his perceptible witness, as also by the mysterious exchange of merits in the Communion of Saints. Saint Paul said: "In my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church" (Col 1:24). John Mary Vianney in a sense wished to force God to grant these graces of conversion, not only by his prayer but by the sacrifice of his whole life. He wished to love God for those who did not love him, and even to do the penance which they would not do. He was truly a pastor completely at one with his sinful people. Dear brother priests, let us not be afraid of this very personal commitment—marked by asceticism and inspired by love—which God asks of us for the proper exercise of our Priesthood. Let us remember the recent reflections of the Synodal Fathers: "It seems to us that in the difficulties of today God wishes to teach us more deeply the value, importance and central place of the Cross of Jesus Christ." In the priest, Christ relives his Passion, for the sake of souls. Let us give thanks to God who thus permits us to share in the Redemption, in our hearts and in our flesh! For all these reasons, Saint John Mary Vianney never ceases to be a witness, ever living, ever relevant, to the truth about the priestly vocation and service. We recall the convincing way in which he spoke of the greatness of the priest and of the absolute need for him. Those who are already priests, those who are preparing for the Priesthood and those who will be called to it must fix their eyes on his example and follow it. The faithful too will more clearly grasp, thanks to him, the mystery of the Priesthood of their priests. No, the figure of the Cure of Ars does not fade.

(from the Letter of Pope John Paul II To All the Priests of the Church for Holy Thursday 1986)

See also:

Letter of Pope Benedict XVI Proclaiming a Year for Priests - June 16, 2009

Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIII on Saint John Vianney - August 1, 1959

Labels: conversion, John Paul II, mercy, moral life, paschal mystery, pope benedict xvi, priesthood, saints, vocations, Year for Priests

As the Year for Priests begins, I've been giving some thought about what I might be doing on my blog during this time.

It seems to me that there is a good deal of confusion in the culture -- and even in some quarters of the Church -- about who the priest is, what is the relationship between the ordained priesthood and the priesthood of the baptized, etc. -- so I'll be highlighting books, videos, essays and other resources that I think are helpful in understanding priesthood.

I might also begin a series of short glosses / commentaries on Pastores Dabo Vobis, the apostolic exhortation written by Pope John Paul II. I began a similar project a while ago with Veritatis Splendor, which I plan to return to one day.

Today, I'm recommending the following video produced by the Midwest Theological Forum: The Catholic Priest Today. You can watch it online here.

Labels: church, movies, multimedia, priesthood, vocations, Year for Priests

VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2009 (VIS) - The Pope has sent a Letter to the priests of the world for the occasion of the Year for Priests, which has been called to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney.

Tomorrow, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and day of prayer for the sanctification of the clergy, Benedict XVI will inaugurate this Jubilee Year for Priests during Vespers in the Vatican Basilica.

The Letter has been published in Italian, French, Spanish, English, German, Polish and Portuguese. The complete text of the English language version is given below:

Dear Brother Priests,

On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 - a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy - I have decided to inaugurate a "Year for Priests" in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the "dies natalis" of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide. This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today's world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus", the saintly Cure of Ars would often say. This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ's words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life. How can I not pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and hidden service, their universal charity? And how can I not praise the courageous fidelity of so many priests who, even amid difficulties and incomprehension, remain faithful to their vocation as "friends of Christ", whom He has called by name, chosen and sent?

I still treasure the memory of the first parish priest at whose side I exercised my ministry as a young priest: he left me an example of unreserved devotion to his pastoral duties, even to meeting death in the act of bringing viaticum to a gravely ill person. I also recall the countless confreres whom I have met and continue to meet, not least in my pastoral visits to different countries: men generously dedicated to the daily exercise of their priestly ministry. Yet the expression of St. John Mary also makes us think of Christ's pierced Heart and the crown of thorns which surrounds it. I am also led to think, therefore, of the countless situations of suffering endured by many priests, either because they themselves share in the manifold human experience of pain or because they encounter misunderstanding from the very persons to whom they minister. How can we not also think of all those priests who are offended in their dignity, obstructed in their mission and persecuted, even at times to offering the supreme testimony of their own blood?

There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers. Then it is the world which finds grounds for scandal and rejection. What is most helpful to the Church in such cases is not only a frank and complete acknowledgement of the weaknesses of her ministers, but also a joyful and renewed realisation of the greatness of God's gift, embodied in the splendid example of generous pastors, religious afire with love for God and for souls, and insightful, patient spiritual guides. Here the teaching and example of St. John Mary Vianney can serve as a significant point of reference for us all. The Cure of Ars was quite humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people: "A good shepherd, a pastor after God's heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy". He spoke of the priesthood as if incapable of fathoming the grandeur of the gift and task entrusted to a human creature: "O, how great is the priest! ... If he realised what he is, he would die. ... God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host". Explaining to his parishioners the importance of the Sacraments, he would say: "Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put Him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest. ... After God, the priest is everything! ... Only in heaven will he fully realise what he is". These words, welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor, might sound excessive. Yet they reveal the high esteem in which he held the Sacrament of the Priesthood. He seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility: "Were we to fully realise what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love. ... Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth. ... What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods. ... Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshipping the beasts there. ... The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you".

He arrived in Ars, a village of 230 souls, warned by his bishop beforehand that there he would find religious practice in a sorry state: "There is little love of God in that parish; you will be the one to put it there". As a result, he was deeply aware that he needed to go there to embody Christ's presence and to bear witness to His saving mercy: "[Lord,] grant me the conversion of my parish; I am willing to suffer whatever you wish, for my entire life!". With this prayer he entered upon his mission. The Cure devoted himself completely to his parish's conversion, setting before all else the Christian education of the people in his care. Dear brother priests, let us ask the Lord Jesus for the grace to learn for ourselves something of the pastoral plan of St. John Mary Vianney! The first thing we need to learn is the complete identification of the man with his ministry. In Jesus, person and mission tend to coincide: all Christ's saving activity was, and is, an expression of His "filial consciousness" which from all eternity stands before the Father in an attitude of loving submission to His will. In a humble yet genuine way, every priest must aim for a similar identification. Certainly this is not to forget that the efficacy of the ministry is independent of the holiness of the minister; but neither can we overlook the extraordinary fruitfulness of the encounter between the ministry's objective holiness and the subjective holiness of the minister. The Cure of Ars immediately set about this patient and humble task of harmonising his life as a minister with the holiness of the ministry he had received, by deciding to "live", physically, in his parish church: As his first biographer tells us: "Upon his arrival, he chose the church as his home. He entered the church before dawn and did not leave it until after the evening Angelus. There he was to be sought whenever needed".

The pious excess of his devout biographer should not blind us to the fact that the Cure also knew how to "live" actively within the entire territory of his parish: he regularly visited the sick and families, organised popular missions and patronal feasts, collected and managed funds for his charitable and missionary works, embellished and furnished his parish church, cared for the orphans and teachers of the "Providence" (an institute he founded); provided for the education of children; founded confraternities and enlisted lay persons to work at his side.

His example naturally leads me to point out that there are sectors of co-operation which need to be opened ever more fully to the lay faithful. Priests and laity together make up the one priestly people and in virtue of their ministry priests live in the midst of the lay faithful, "that they may lead everyone to the unity of charity, 'loving one another with mutual affection; and outdoing one another in sharing honour'". Here we ought to recall the Vatican Council II's hearty encouragement to priests "to be sincere in their appreciation and promotion of the dignity of the laity and of the special role they have to play in the Church's mission. ... They should be willing to listen to lay people, give brotherly consideration to their wishes, and acknowledge their experience and competence in the different fields of human activity. In this way they will be able together with them to discern the signs of the times".

St. John Mary Vianney taught his parishioners primarily by the witness of his life. It was from his example that they learned to pray, halting frequently before the tabernacle for a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. "One need not say much to pray well" - the Cure explained to them - "We know that Jesus is there in the tabernacle: let us open our hearts to Him, let us rejoice in His sacred presence. That is the best prayer". And he would urge them: "Come to communion, my brothers and sisters, come to Jesus. Come to live from Him in order to live with Him. ... "Of course you are not worthy of him, but you need him!". This way of educating the faithful to the Eucharistic presence and to communion proved most effective when they saw him celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Those present said that "it was not possible to find a finer example of worship. ... He gazed upon the Host with immense love". "All good works, taken together, do not equal the sacrifice of the Mass" - he would say - "since they are human works, while the Holy Mass is the work of God". He was convinced that the fervour of a priest's life depended entirely upon the Mass: "The reason why a priest is lax is that he does not pay attention to the Mass! My God, how we ought to pity a priest who celebrates as if he were engaged in something routine!". He was accustomed, when celebrating, also to offer his own life in sacrifice: "What a good thing it is for a priest each morning to offer himself to God in sacrifice!"

This deep personal identification with the Sacrifice of the Cross led him - by a sole inward movement - from the altar to the confessional. Priests ought never to be resigned to empty confessionals or the apparent indifference of the faithful to this Sacrament. In France, at the time of the Cure of Ars, confession was no more easy or frequent than in our own day, since the upheaval caused by the revolution had long inhibited the practice of religion. Yet he sought in every way, by his preaching and his powers of persuasion, to help his parishioners to rediscover the meaning and beauty of the Sacrament of Penance, presenting it as an inherent demand of the Eucharistic presence. He thus created a "virtuous" circle. By spending long hours in church before the tabernacle, he inspired the faithful to imitate him by coming to visit Jesus with the knowledge that their parish priest would be there, ready to listen and offer forgiveness. Later, the growing numbers of penitents from all over France would keep him in the confessional for up to sixteen hours a day. It was said that Ars had become "a great hospital of souls". His first biographer relates that "the grace he obtained [for the conversion of sinners] was so powerful that it would pursue them, not leaving them a moment of peace!". The saintly Cure reflected something of the same idea when he said: "It is not the sinner who returns to God to beg his forgiveness, but God Himself who runs after the sinner and makes him return to Him". "This good Saviour is so filled with love that He seeks us everywhere".

We priests should feel that the following words, which he put on the lips of Christ, are meant for each of us personally: "I will charge my ministers to proclaim to sinners that I am ever ready to welcome them, that my mercy is infinite". From St. John Mary Vianney we can learn to put our unfailing trust in the Sacrament of Penance, to set it once more at the centre of our pastoral concerns, and to take up the "dialogue of salvation" which it entails. The Cure of Ars dealt with different penitents in different ways. Those who came to his confessional drawn by a deep and humble longing for God's forgiveness found in him the encouragement to plunge into the "flood of divine mercy" which sweeps everything away by its vehemence. If someone was troubled by the thought of his own frailty and inconstancy, and fearful of sinning again, the Cure would unveil the mystery of God's love in these beautiful and touching words: "The good Lord knows everything. Even before you confess, He already knows that you will sin again, yet He still forgives you. How great is the love of our God: He even forces Himself to forget the future, so that He can grant us His forgiveness!". But to those who made a lukewarm and rather indifferent confession of sin, he clearly demonstrated by his own tears of pain how "abominable" this attitude was: "I weep because you don't weep", he would say. "If only the Lord were not so good! But He is so good! One would have to be a brute to treat so good a Father this way!". He awakened repentance in the hearts of the lukewarm by forcing them to see God's own pain at their sins reflected in the face of the priest who was their confessor. To those who, on the other hand, came to him already desirous of and suited to a deeper spiritual life, he flung open the abyss of God's love, explaining the untold beauty of living in union with Him and dwelling in His presence: "Everything in God's sight, everything with God, everything to please God. ... How beautiful it is!". And he taught them to pray: "My God, grant me the grace to love You as much as I possibly can".

In his time the Cure of Ars was able to transform the hearts and the lives of so many people because he enabled them to experience the Lord's merciful love. Our own time urgently needs a similar proclamation and witness to the truth of Love. Thanks to the Word and the Sacraments of Jesus, John Mary Vianney built up his flock, although he often trembled from a conviction of his personal inadequacy, and desired more than once to withdraw from the responsibilities of the parish ministry out of a sense of his unworthiness. Nonetheless, with exemplary obedience he never abandoned his post, consumed as he was by apostolic zeal for the salvation of souls. He sought to remain completely faithful to his own vocation and mission through the practice of an austere asceticism: "The great misfortune for us parish priests - he lamented - is that our souls grow tepid"; meaning by this that a pastor can grow dangerously inured to the state of sin or of indifference in which so many of his flock are living. He himself kept a tight rein on his body, with vigils and fasts, lest it rebel against his priestly soul. Nor did he avoid self-mortification for the good of the souls in his care and as a help to expiating the many sins he heard in confession. To a priestly confrere he explained: "I will tell you my recipe: I give sinners a small penance and the rest I do in their place". Aside from the actual penances which the Cure of Ars practised, the core of his teaching remains valid for each of us: souls have been won at the price of Jesus' own blood, and a priest cannot devote himself to their salvation if he refuses to share personally in the "precious cost" of redemption.

In today's world, as in the troubled times of the Cure of Ars, the lives and activity of priests need to be distinguished by a forceful witness to the Gospel. As Pope Paul VI rightly noted, "modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses". Lest we experience existential emptiness and the effectiveness of our ministry be compromised, we need to ask ourselves ever anew: "Are we truly pervaded by the Word of God? Is that Word truly the nourishment we live by, even more than bread and the things of this world? Do we really know that Word? Do we love it? Are we deeply engaged with this Word to the point that it really leaves a mark on our lives and shapes our thinking?". Just as Jesus called the Twelve to be with Him, and only later sent them forth to preach, so too in our days priests are called to assimilate that "new style of life" which was inaugurated by the Lord Jesus and taken up by the Apostles.

It was complete commitment to this "new style of life" which marked the priestly ministry of the Cure of Ars. Pope John XXIII, in his Encyclical Letter "Sacerdotii nostri primordia", published in 1959 on the first centenary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney, presented his asceticism with special reference to the "three evangelical counsels" which the Pope considered necessary also for priests: "even though priests are not bound to embrace these evangelical counsels by virtue of the clerical state, these counsels nonetheless offer them, as they do all the faithful, the surest road to the desired goal of Christian perfection". The Cure of Ars lived the "evangelical counsels" in a way suited to his priestly state. His poverty was not the poverty of a religious or a monk, but that proper to a priest: while managing much money (since well-to-do pilgrims naturally took an interest in his charitable works), he realised that everything had been donated to his church, his poor, his orphans, the girls of his "Providence", his families of modest means. Consequently, he "was rich in giving to others and very poor for himself". As he would explain: "My secret is simple: give everything away; hold nothing back". When he lacked money, he would say amiably to the poor who knocked at his door: "Today I'm poor just like you, I'm one of you". At the end of his life, he could say with absolute tranquillity: "I no longer have anything. The good Lord can call me whenever he wants!". His chastity, too, was that demanded of a priest for his ministry. It could be said that it was a chastity suited to one who must daily touch the Eucharist, who contemplates it blissfully and with that same bliss offers it to his flock. It was said of him that "he radiated chastity"; the faithful would see this when he turned and gazed at the tabernacle with loving eyes". Finally, Saint John Mary Vianney's obedience found full embodiment in his conscientious fidelity to the daily demands of his ministry. We know how he was tormented by the thought of his inadequacy for parish ministry and by a desire to flee "in order to bewail his poor life, in solitude". Only obedience and a thirst for souls convinced him to remain at his post. As he explained to himself and his flock: "There are no two good ways of serving God. There is only one: serve him as he desires to be served". He considered this the golden rule for a life of obedience: "Do only what can be offered to the good Lord".

In this context of a spirituality nourished by the practice of the evangelical counsels, I would like to invite all priests, during this Year dedicated to them, to welcome the new springtime which the Spirit is now bringing about in the Church, not least through the ecclesial movements and the new communities. "In his gifts the Spirit is multifaceted. ... He breathes where He wills. He does so unexpectedly, in unexpected places, and in ways previously unheard of, ... but he also shows us that He works with a view to the one body and in the unity of the one body". In this regard, the statement of the Decree "Presbyterorum Ordinis" continues to be timely: "While testing the spirits to discover if they be of God, priests must discover with faith, recognise with joy and foster diligently the many and varied charismatic gifts of the laity, whether these be of a humble or more exalted kind". These gifts, which awaken in many people the desire for a deeper spiritual life, can benefit not only the lay faithful but the clergy as well. The communion between ordained and charismatic ministries can provide "a helpful impulse to a renewed commitment by the Church in proclaiming and bearing witness to the Gospel of hope and charity in every corner of the world". I would also like to add, echoing the Apostolic Exhortation "Pastores Dabo Vobis" of Pope John Paul II, that the ordained ministry has a radical "communitarian form" and can be exercised only in the communion of priests with their bishop. This communion between priests and their bishop, grounded in the Sacrament of Holy Orders and made manifest in Eucharistic concelebration, needs to be translated into various concrete expressions of an effective and affective priestly fraternity. Only thus will priests be able to live fully the gift of celibacy and build thriving Christian communities in which the miracles which accompanied the first preaching of the Gospel can be repeated.

The Pauline Year now coming to its close invites us also to look to the Apostle of the Gentiles, who represents a splendid example of a priest entirely devoted to his ministry. "The love of Christ urges us on" - he wrote - "because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died". And he adds: "He died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him Who died and was raised for them". Could a finer programme be proposed to any priest resolved to advance along the path of Christian perfection?

Dear brother priests, the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney (1859) follows upon the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes (1858). In 1959 Blessed Pope John XXIII noted that "shortly before the Cure of Ars completed his long and admirable life, the Immaculate Virgin appeared in another part of France to an innocent and humble girl, and entrusted to her a message of prayer and penance which continues, even a century later, to yield immense spiritual fruits. The life of this holy priest whose centenary we are commemorating in a real way anticipated the great supernatural truths taught to the seer of Massabielle. He was greatly devoted to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin; in 1836 he had dedicated his parish church to Our Lady Conceived without Sin and he greeted the dogmatic definition of this truth in 1854 with deep faith and great joy". The Cure would always remind his faithful that "after giving us all he could, Jesus Christ wishes in addition to bequeath us His most precious possession, His Blessed Mother".

To the Most Holy Virgin I entrust this Year for Priests. I ask her to awaken in the heart of every priest a generous and renewed commitment to the ideal of complete self-oblation to Christ and the Church which inspired the thoughts and actions of the saintly Cure of Ars. It was his fervent prayer life and his impassioned love of Christ Crucified that enabled John Mary Vianney to grow daily in his total self-oblation to God and the Church. May his example lead all priests to offer that witness of unity with their bishop, with one another and with the lay faithful, which today, as ever, is so necessary. Despite all the evil present in our world, the words which Christ spoke to His Apostles in the Upper Room continue to inspire us: "In the world you have tribulation; but take courage, I have overcome the world". Our faith in the Divine Master gives us the strength to look to the future with confidence. Dear priests, Christ is counting on you. In the footsteps of the Cure of Ars, let yourselves be enthralled by Him. In this way you too will be, for the world in our time, heralds of hope, reconciliation and peace!

Labels: church, events, priesthood, vocations, Year for Priests

Each year, on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Church invites us to pray for the sanctification of priests.

The solemnity is celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost and so, this year, we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, June 19.

The celebration takes on a special importance this year because it inaugurates a Year for Priests that was announced by the Pope back in March:

Benedict XVI is proclaiming a Year for Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, the Curé of Ars.

The Pope announced this today during an audience granted to participants in the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Clergy, a Vatican communiqué reported.

The theme for the priestly year is "Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests." The Pope is scheduled to open the year with a celebration of vespers June 19, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the presence of the relic of the Curé of Ars, to be brought to Rome by Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, the press release stated.

The closing ceremony will take place exactly one year later, with a World Meeting of Priests in St. Peter's Square.

During this year, a directory for confessors and spiritual directors will be published, along with a compilation of texts by the Pope on the core issues of the life and mission of priests in the modern times. As well, Benedict XVI will officially proclaim St. Jean Marie Vianney as "patron saint of all the priests of the world."

The congregation will aim in this year to promote initiatives that will "highlight the role and mission of the clergy in the Church and in modern society."

Another goal will be to address "the need to intensify the permanent formation of priests, associating it with that of seminarians."

I've dedicated quite a bit of this blog in the past to discussing the priesthood, and the pattern will certainly continue over the next twelve months: it will be the central theme of my blog for the duration of this special year.

Today, I'll simply close with a prayer that the Congregation for Clergy released last year.

Prayer for Priests

Lord Jesus, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament,
and living perpetually among us through Your Priests,
grant that the words of Your Priests may be only Your words,
that their gestures be only Your gestures,
and that their lives be a true reflection of Your life.

Grant that they may be men who speak to God on behalf of His people,
and speak to His people of God.
Grant that they be courageous in service,
serving the Church as she asks to be served.

Grant that they may be men who witness to eternity in our time,
traveling on the paths of history in Your steps,
and doing good for all.

Grant that they may be faithful to their commitments,
zealous in their vocation and mission,
clear mirrors of their own identity,
and living the joy of the gift they have received.

We pray that Your Holy Mother, Mary,
present throughout Your life,
may be ever present in the life of Your Priests. Amen.

(source)

Labels: church, events, pope benedict xvi, prayer, vocations, Year of the Priest

On Corpus Christi, a trailer from Grassroots Films:



You can order the complete 10-minute film here.

Labels: communion, Eucharist, movies, multimedia, prayer, vocations

The Catholic Spirit has profiles of the three men to be ordained to the priesthood at 10 am today at the Cathedral of Saint Paul: Deacons Douglas Ebert, Allan Paul Eilen, and Michael Johnson. Click on the images below to read about each of them.

    

Come to our help,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God;
you are the source of every honor and dignity,
of all progress and stability.
You watch over the growing family of man
by your gift of wisdom and your pattern of order.
When you had appointed high priests to rule your people,
you chose other men next to them in rank and dignity
to be with them and to help them in their task;
and so there grew up
the ranks of priests and the office of levites,
established by sacred rites.

In the desert
you extended the spirit of Moses to seventy wise men
who helped him to rule the great company of his people.
You shared among the sons of Aaron
the fullness of their father's power,
to provide worthy priests in sufficient number
for the increasing rites of sacrifice and worship.
With the same loving care
your gave companions to your Son's apostles
to help in teaching the faith;
they preached the Gospel to the whole world.

Lord,
grant also to us such fellow workers,
we are weak and our need greater.

Almighty Father,
grant to these servants of yours
the dignity of the priesthood.
Renew within them the Spirit of holiness.
As co-workers with the order of bishops
may they be faithful to the ministry
that they receive from you, Lord God,
and be to others a model of right conduct.

May they be faithful in working with the order of bishops,
so that the words of the Gospel may reach the ends of the earth,
and the family of nations,
made one in Christ,
may become God's one, holy people.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

source: Ordination Rite, Order of Priest, prayers of consecration

Labels: church, communion, events, Holy Spirit, liturgy, prayer, priesthood, vocations

The May 4 issue of America magazine features an article expressing concern about priestly vocations in the United States. A short passage:

Silence and fervent prayer for vocations are no longer adequate responses to the priest shortage in the United States. As the church prepares to observe the Year of the Priest, which begins on June 19, open discussion about how to sustain the church as a eucharistic community of faith and fortify the pastoral life of Catholic congregations has become imperative. For making do within the limits set by present demographic trends presents a double threat to Catholic life: Catholic communities will become only infrequent eucharistic communities, or eucharistic communities will be severed from the pastoral care and public witness of priests.

When I have more time, I would like to do a gloss on the whole article. But for now, I'll just post here what I posted over in the comments box at The Deacon's Bench, where I found the story.

Having been in the seminary in the 1990's (I left in 1997), I've spent a lot of time thinking about vocations. And I've written about it on my blog extensively.

When I read an article like this, I'm reminded of so many articles I've read from the more progressive side of things. While I have no argument with getting creative about promoting vocations, I also feel that there has been little real attention and effort to a back-to-basics approach... sort of what like Chesterton said about Christianity: It hasn't been tried and found wanting... it hasn't been tried.

I think it's hard to deny that certain bishops have been very successful in encouraging vocations -- particularly when they take it upon themselves to be the primary directors of vocations and get to know their seminarians personally. Certainly I saw that to be true in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, when we went from an ordinary who didn't know any of our names, to one who knew each of us personally.

On another note, I haven't seen much traction -- almost none, in fact -- on the Church's request for cenacles of adoration and reparation to pray for vocations in every diocese. I have reservations about doing more without first praying more... it always reminds me of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Ba'al.

I think the question also needs to be asked why other continents are experiencing a surge of vocations, but not the West. I suspect it has to do with affluence and secularism... where sacrifice is not a primary value, how is someone going to faithfully answer a call to any vocation? Is it really the current form of priesthood that is the main problem? I really doubt it.

Seminary formation programs have improved over the past decade, I've been given to understand, but I'm sure there's still room for improvement. The Program for Priestly Formation has been a solid road map for formation for many years, but some seminaries are still lagging behind in implementing its directives. I describe on my blog how, in my own case, I compared the fourth edition of the PPF to my own program of formation and found over seventy areas where the PPF wasn't being implemented at the time.

I hate to say it, but in some quarters, among seminary faculty, the will to do what the Church asks is lacking, and politics takes precedence over forming priesthood candidates according to the mind and heart of the Church.

As I wrote in another post, living in the seminary was like living in a family where the parents are contemplating a divorce. This sort of thing is demoralizing and an anti-witness for young men considering a vocation.

Sorry for rambling on. I just think a more honest and self-critical evaluation of what we are currently doing for vocations... and our attitudes toward the priesthood as understood by the Church... is needed.

Eucharistic famine? I don't think so. Eucharistic bulimia in some quarters? Perhaps.

Labels: church, prayer, priesthood, vocations

The Archdiocese of Saint Louis home page has a number of links.

I don't know Carlson personally, but I have many friends who do, and all speak highly of him. And I certainly am grateful for the way he went to bat for a classmate of mine at the Saint Paul Seminary back in the mid 1990's. I recounted that story here.

Prayers and best wishes for the new chief pastor of Saint Louis.

Labels: church, priesthood, seminary, vocations

What pleases me is
freedom —
the prison key given
to each soul,
an invitation to willing captivity.

A tender soul,
making itself my captive,
captivates me
as it walks into the prison,
locks the door behind it,
eagerly,
and, reaching its arms through the iron bars,
throws the key far out of reach.

The little souls —
some are quite impulsive —
throw their keys with all their might.
They remind me of mother,
which isn’t surprising...
she taught me to throw when I was a child.
From mother,
the great economist of the heart,
I learned that keys are made
to be thrown away.

Of course,
she learned it from Father.
Father was the first to lock himself in,
to throw His key away...
with His back to the door
and a grin on His face,
He launched it over His shoulder.

He was so proud of mother
when she threw away her key.
“That’s my girl,” he said.
“That’s my girl.
Have you ever seen such an arm?” he asked me.
“Where did you get such a mother, anyway?”

This business of throwing keys away —
it wasn’t my idea, really,
though Father and Spirit like to say
that it all began with me.
It’s a conspiracy of praise on their part,
to which I willingly submit.

Father knew what He was doing
when He invented keys,
and when He sent me among men
to show them how to throw.
For men,
throwing away a key
is not such an obvious thing to do.
Having been a man,
I understand this.

Now there are many souls
throwing their keys with eager haste
and I throw with them.
Side by side
we laugh
and throw away the keys.


from a collection of poems entitled Only Say The Word

Labels: poetry, vocations

The Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations has released its summary report of the 2005 visitation of U.S. seminaries on the USCCB website, along with a cover letter written by Cardinal O'Malley to the U.S. bishops.

Here is the text of the cover letter:

Your Eminence/Excellency:

Allow me to take this opportunity at the beginning of the New Year and during National Vocation Awareness Week to extend my fraternal prayers and blessings to you and your priestly ministry. I also take this occasion to convey to you at the request of Cardinal Francis George the attached final report from the Congregation for Catholic Education regarding the Apostolic Visitation of the seminaries and houses of priestly formation in the United States.

It is gratifying to read in the report that our seminaries are generally in a healthy condition that strongly promotes the formation of men for the sacred ministry in this country. This is due in no small part, as the report itself details, to the dedicated service of the rectors and faculties of seminaries, the quality of seminary candidates, and the care and oversight given by individual bishops to their seminaries and seminarians.

As you may recall, and as the report states, the intention of the Visitation was for it to be an act aimed at providing assistance to U.S. Church leaders in our mission of ensuring a sound priestly formation for our candidates to Holy Orders. From the beginning, the Visitation was given a broad focus in its nature and procedure, calling to attention major areas of formation and seminary life: concept of priesthood, governance, admission policies, the four pillars of formation, promotion to Holy Orders, seminarians, etc. At the same time, the Congregation reminds us that the report is a “snapshot” of the general state of the seminaries during the days of visitation, and is to serve as an aid to us who are continually responsible for the seminaries and for the formation that they provide.

The report itself is divided into three parts: 1) a summary of the organization of the Visitation, 2) the conclusions following the outline provided by the Visitation’s Instrumentum laboris, and 3) a short, general conclusion. In what follows I note a few points about the document, which is posted in its entirety on the Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocation page of the USCCB website.

The report highlights the bishops’ genuine interest and support of the seminaries. It strongly commends the rectors and staff of the seminaries and encourages the stability of their tenure. In addition, seminaries and their faculties are encouraged to remain focused on their essential activity and task, namely, the formation of candidates for the priesthood. In like manner, the Congregation emphasizes that “necessary resources” should be available for the seminaries, and that “sufficient numbers of properly qualified faculty members and teachers” should be prepared to staff them. It recommends that an Episcopal Commission be charged with making suitable proposals to our Conference on this matter.

While generally praising the academic standards for both philosophy and theology within the seminaries, the document reports lacunae in some programs, particularly in the areas of Mariology and Patristics, as well as some lack of commitment to sentire cum Ecclesia in the area of moral theology. In regard to overall formation, the Congregation asks that there be continued vigilance toward matters of the internal forum; that there be a greater collaboration between bishops and rectors to ensure consistency of formation for seminarians during times of vacation; that mass be celebrated every day in the seminary, including Sunday; that only priest personnel vote for the advancement of candidates; and that there be a check for irregularities and impediments of candidates at the start of formation.

The general conclusions of the Visitation are positive. The Congregation conveys a sense of satisfaction and gratitude toward the seminary system in the United States: “Let bishops, major superiors and rectors, as well as all who are involved in running the nations’ seminaries and religious houses of formation, take comfort in the notable improvements that have taken place, and spare no effort in ensuring that those generous young men who offer themselves today for the priesthood –whether diocesan or religious—receive a formation that is equal to the generosity they are showing.”

I am sure that all bishops and religious superiors will take seriously the observations and recommendations of the Congregation that will further strengthen our seminaries and houses of formation. We commend the good and holy priests in leadership at our seminaries, and we thank God for the young men who continue to respond generously and courageously to the call of God to the priesthood. May we continue to deepen our love for Jesus Christ, the high priest, and for our own vocation.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Apostolic Visitation, do not hesitate to contact me or Father Jim Steffes, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Clergy Consecrated Life and Vocations.

With an assurance of my prayers for you and those whom you serve, I remain,
Fraternally yours in Christ,
Sean Cardinal O’Malley, OFM Cap
Archbishop of Boston
Chairman

I haven't had a chance to review the report in detail, but I'm very encouraged by the highlights mentioned by Cardinal O'Malley. I look forward to reading the report; I'm very interested in the topic of seminary formation and have written a number of posts about it in the past.

Once I've read the report in full, I'll offer a summary of my thoughts.

Labels: priesthood, vocations

Lately I've been thinking a lot about anniversaries, one of which occurs today: five years since I moved to California.

Back in the summer of 2003, when I decided to move from the Twin Cities to Los Angeles, I chose October 1 as my move date because it was the feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Since she is the patroness of missionaries, I wanted in a particular way to seek her intercession as I moved to the mission fields of Hollywood. She is a great saint to turn to for anyone who would come here, because her "little way" is a perfect antidote to the heady atmosphere of the big, the extraordinary and the exalted.


Five years on, I appreciate her example even more. The experiences I treasure most from these five years have been small and ordinary. The silent moments on the crowded subway... an exhibit of humanity's many faces... living sculptures in still and unstudied poses. The many encounters with people who, though they work in entertainment, will never be seen on any screen. The quiet hikes in the Verdugo and Santa Monica mountains. The mornings of prayer and study in the basement of Family Theater with the RCIA program. The lapping waves and faint gull cries on the shores of Malibu.

St. Thérèse teaches us authenticity: to love the ordinary, to seek out the hidden, and to expose every small movement of the heart to the heart of God. No facade. No exaggeration. No presumption.

I recently re-read the personal statement I wrote as part of my application to the Act One program... to see how my aspirations at the time match up with what I have actually been doing since:

I think that good film will illuminate human and spiritual values. This is no small challenge in the culture in which we live, and requires, I believe, a contemplative point of view. I believe it is my first task as a screenwriter to be immersed in a life of prayer. This is why I have committed myself to formation in Carmelite spirituality. Without a deep, candid and abiding friendship with the Lord, I have very little to offer; everything must stand the test of confrontation with the face of Christ. Pope John Paul II has a passage in The Gospel of Life in which he discusses the importance of contemplation for the world today. I return to this passage often because it grounds the whole effort to be a witness in the modern world. The Pope writes:

We need first of all to foster, in ourselves and in others, a contemplative outlook. Such an outlook arises from faith in the God of life, who has created every individual as a “wonder” (cf. Ps. 139:14). It is the outlook of those who see life in its deeper meaning, who grasp its utter gratuitousness, its beauty and its invitation to freedom and responsibility. It is the outlook of those who do not presume to take possession of reality but instead accept it as a gift, discovering in all things the reflection of the Creator and seeing in every person his living image (cf. Gen 1:27; Ps. 8:5). This outlook does not give in to discouragement when confronted by those who are sick, suffering, outcast or at death’s door. Instead, in all these situations it feels challenged to find meaning, and precisely in these circumstances it is open to perceiving in the face of every person a call to encounter, dialogue and solidarity.

It is time for all of us to adopt this outlook, and with deep religious awe to rediscover the ability to revere and honour every person, as Paul VI invited us to do in one of his first Christmas messages. Inspired by this contemplative outlook, the new people of the redeemed cannot but respond with songs of joy, praise and thanksgiving for the priceless gift of life, for the mystery of every individual’s call to share through Christ in the life of grace and in an existence of unending communion with God our Creator and Father. (John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, paragraph 83)

This is the task of a lifetime. I would be happy to spend my life as a screenwriter adopting this vision according to my state in life.

I had a good laugh reading this, as I still haven't completed my first screenplay. What remains, however, is the desire for contemplation, for discovering God's presence in every corner of life. And St. Thérèse is still showing me the way.

Labels: friendship, hollywood, prayer, respect, saints, vocations

The Catholic News Agency reports a tsunami of interest in priestly vocations in New York following Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit.

Also, check out the excellent vocations website -- NYPRIEST.COM -- created by Grassroots Films, creators of the film Fishers of Men.

Also, the Saint John Vianney college seminary in Saint Paul, MN, has come up with a creative solution to the fact that it is overflowing with seminarians.

Labels: priesthood, vocations

Last month, on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy released this document:

Adoration, Reparation, Spiritual Motherhood for Priests (PDF format)

along with this letter and note:

Letter for the Sanctification of the Clergy

Explanatory note to help the increase in the dioceses of the practice of continual Eucharistic adoration to the benefit of all priests and priestly vocations

At the heart of it, Cardinal Hummes, prefect for the Congregation for Clergy, says it like this:

...Precisely because of the place occupied and the role served by the Most Blessed Virgin in salvation history – we intend in a very particular way to entrust all Priests to Mary, the Mother of the High and Eternal Priest, bringing about in the Church a movement of prayer, placing 24 hour continuous Eucharistic adoration at the center, so that a prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, praise, petition, and reparation, will be raised to God, incessantly and from every corner of the earth, with the primary intention of awakening a sufficient number of holy vocations to the priestly state and, at the same time, spiritually uniting with a certain spiritual maternity – at the level of the Mystical Body – all those who have already been called to the ministerial priesthood and are ontologically conformed to the one High and Eternal priest. This movement will offer better service to Christ and his brothers - those who are at once “inside” the Church and also “at the forefront” of the Church, standing in Christ’s stead and representing Him, as head, shepherd and spouse of the Church (cfr. Pastores Dabo Vobis 16).

We are asking, therefore, all diocesan Ordinaries who apprehend in a particular way the specificity and irreplaceability of the ordained ministry in the life of the Church, together with the urgency of a common action in support of the ministerial priesthood, to take an active role and promote – in the different portions of the People of God entrusted to them - true and proper cenacles in which clerics, religious and lay people - united among themselves in the spirit of true communion – may devote themselves to prayer, in the form of continuous Eucharistic adoration in a spirit of genuine and authentic reparation and purification. For this purpose, we enclose a leaflet that more fully explains the nature of the initiative, as well as a form to fill out and return to this Congregation if there is the intention – as we hope - to adhere to the project presented in this letter in a spirit of faith.

May Mary, Mother of the One, Eternal High Priest, bless this initiative, and may she intercede before God, pleading for an authentic renewal of priestly life, taking as a model the only possible model: Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd!

More coverage here from the Catholic News Agency.

What a beautiful vision for prayer and vocation.

Labels: prayer, priesthood, vocations

Pope Benedict XVI gave an amazing homily on priesthood yesterday as he ordained priests for the diocese of Rome. As soon as full official translation is available, I'll post a link here.

Labels: priesthood, vocations

A few years ago, I wrote a series of articles for a newspaper called The Catholic Servant. Based in Minneapolis, this publication is printed monthly and focuses on topics related to catechesis and evangelization. The publisher, John Sondag, was kind enough to give me permission to reprint one of these articles on my blog. It's about Bishop Aquila, a native of California who is now serving in the prairies of Fargo, North Dakota.

I was especially interested in his involvement in establishing the new seminary in Denver. It sounds like a great program of priestly formation. Maybe one day Pope Benedict XVI will ask him to return to his native land to serve as a bishop in the Los Angeles area. The harvest is ready, but the laborers are few.

* * *

Bishop Samuel Joseph Aquila, a native of Burbank, California, was ordained coadjutor bishop of Fargo, North Dakota, on August 24, 2001, and became the ordinary in March of 2002. Previously, he had served the Archdiocese of Denver as pastor, director of the Office of Liturgy, director of Continuing Education for Priests, secretary of Catholic education, and, most recently, rector of the new Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary. The Catholic Servant interviewed him about his vocation and ministry.


Describe your discernment of a priestly vocation.

Although I had considered a vocation to priesthood as early as the eighth grade, I felt drawn to a career in medicine during my teenage years. After I had done some work in hospitals during my senior year of high school, I decided I wanted to study pre-med. Skiing was also a priority, so I chose the University of Colorado at Boulder.

During my college years, I stopped practicing my faith for a while. I studied other religions – some Hinduism and Buddhism - and also a number of Christian denominations. Then I began to reflect on my faith more profoundly through my involvement with the student center on campus; one day, while attending a communion service with Methodists, I asked them what they believed about the Eucharist. They spoke of it as a meal and as fellowship, but what was missing was an understanding of the Real Presence. That is what really brought me back into the Church. A deep love for the Catholic faith had really always been present, at least in seminal form, from my upbringing and Catholic education.

I always had a strong desire to serve people. I felt torn between two choices: the priesthood and a career in medicine. I spent my summers during college working in hospital emergency rooms. I enjoyed it tremendously, but also recognized that in emergency rooms, the tendency was simply to treat symptoms and move on to the next patient. There was no real spiritual guidance, particularly for people experiencing death within their families. The more I reflected and prayed, the more I believed I needed to spend at least six months in the seminary to discern a vocation. By the end of that time, I had a very strong conviction that priesthood was God’s call for me.


One of your responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Denver was to prepare the liturgies for World Youth Day in 1993. What was that like?

I discovered that Denver had been chosen to host World Youth Day shortly after I was named director of the Office of Liturgy. Planning and coordinating all of the liturgies for the Holy Father was an unforgettable experience. Working so closely with the Pope for those four days was very powerful, particularly seeing the rapport he had with young people. He helped them to know the truth of the Gospel and constantly called them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


You also helped to establish a new diocesan seminary in Denver.

Yes. In the fall of 1994, the Vincentian Fathers notified Archbishop Stafford that they were closing Saint Thomas Seminary. He asked me to begin investigating the possibility of opening a new seminary. The archbishop wanted the seminary to be modeled after the seminary in Paris that Cardinal Lustiger opened in the 1980’s. Lustiger instituted a preliminary spirituality year, designed to help men in their vocational discernment. During this year, the men would read the whole of Sacred Scripture prayerfully, using the lectio divina method. When I went to Paris to visit, many of the men said that prayerful reading of Scripture had led them to a much deeper sense of the person of Jesus Christ and a deeper sense of their vocation. Seeing the enthusiasm of these young men and the depth of their faith, I recognized the validity of the experience. We implemented a similar program in 1998 in Denver. In the fall of 1999, Archbishop Chaput – who had arrived in Denver in 1997 – made the decision to open the Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary, and he named me rector.


What was your reaction when you discovered that the Church was calling you to serve as a bishop?

On May 31, 2001, Archbishop Chaput called me from Las Vegas. He was there for the ordination of Bishop Joseph Pepe. “I need to talk with you,” he said. When we later sat down together, we began by talking about the seminary. When we finished, he looked at me and said, “Now for the real reason I called you over here. The Holy Father has called you to become the coadjutor bishop of Fargo, North Dakota.” I am not usually at a loss for words, but my response was one of total silence. He looked at me and said, “You’re not responding.” And I said, “No.” He said, “I’m serious; I’m not joking.” And I said, “I realize that. That’s why I’m not responding.” The first thing that ran through my mind was that my life has changed forever. The reality of giving my life totally to the Church became even more real. I was going to be taken somewhere I really didn’t know. I sensed a strong call to obedience in a way that I never experienced it before. After prayer, I could see the providence of God in it. In the fall of 2000, I had been the speaker for the clergy days up in Fargo. So at least I had visited North Dakota once prior to being assigned there as bishop! This was God’s way of preparing the way for me.


How would you describe your goals in North Dakota?

My primary goal is getting to know the people of the diocese I am called to serve. I am very impressed with the depth of their faith and their commitment to the dignity of human life and the family. One can sense in them a great love for the Church.

My priorities include evangelization and encouraging participation in the sacraments – especially the Eucharist and Penance. These two sacraments instill within us a deep sense, that no matter what vocation we are living, each of us is called to holiness and to bring the presence of Christ into the world.

Reprinted with permission of The Catholic Servant

Labels: priesthood, vocations

Is there a spirit of harmony and ecclesial communion among the formation faculty members? Do they show a sincere sentire cum Ecclesia? Do they give a good example of priestly living?

Another million-dollar question, which seems applicable to any Catholic institution of higher learning.

As I look back on my seminary experience, this was perhaps the thing that surprised and saddened me the most. In 1994, when I entered, I was naive, passionate about my faith, and to a large extent unaware of the ways in which acedia, pride and politics could turn the Church into a battleground. I had graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville a year earlier, which, for all its merits, does not prepare one for the experience of entering a house divided against itself.

I've often described the seminary environment as being like the home of a couple contemplating a divorce. One of the spouses is losing patience with the other, and while unready to pack the bags -- for all sorts of reasons -- remains on the fringes of the relationship in an attitude of resentment, and the children become pawns in a subtextual battle that is played out on every front. To be a seminarian in the community of the seminary was like being a child in a dysfunctional family, with Rome as one parent and the American Catholic Church as the other.

I often wished that the faculty could put aside their agendas when they stepped into the classroom or when they sat down to write an evaluation of the seminarians, but it really seemed beyond the capacity of some of them. I never found myself, to my knowledge, on the receiving end of hostility from the faculty, which I guess indicates that it was possible to avoid conflict by careful diplomacy. Others were less fortunate, receiving written evaluations with reservations because of things such as a desire to receive Communion on the tongue. One faculty member actually took the evaluation of a classmate as an opportunity to launch a visceral attack on the pastor of the seminarian's home parish. (To his credit, when notified about this, Archbishop Flynn required the faculty member to make an apology to the pastor).

At any rate, when seminarians feel the need to walk on eggshells, one can't help the impression that the Gospel mandate of charity has been left on the sidelines. During my leave of absence, I wrote the rector of the seminary and gave him a copy of a book by Cardinal Ratzinger which I felt really spoke to the situation: Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today. I thought that an essay at the end of the book, which was a homily delivered by Ratzinger at the seminary in Philadelphia, would be a great centerpiece for a seminary retreat.

Labels: priesthood, seminary, vocations

The governance of the seminary is another topic to be addressed in the current apostolic visitation. Among the particular questions asked in the Instrumentum Laboris, four seem especially significant from my seminary experience:

• How does the Bishop/Major Superior exercise effectively his authority over the seminary?


• Is there a spirit of harmony and ecclesial communion among the formation faculty members? Do they show a sincere sentire cum Ecclesia? Do they give a good example of priestly living?


• Is there an appropriate demarcation of the seminary area and program, so that it is clearly an institution set apart for the formation of candidates to the priesthood?


• Is there a clear process for removing from the seminary faculty members who dissent from the authoritative teaching of the Church or whose conduct does not provide good example to future priests?

In this post, I'm only going to talk about the first question -- about the bishop's authority over the seminary. I assume that this issue has more or less been taken care of with the recent appointment of a new rector of Saint Paul Seminary. But things were a bit dicey back when I was there. Of course, I was never a member of the faculty, so my perspective has always been an outsider's view. But the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of a classmate of mine from the seminary led me to believe that the relation between the faculty and the Archbishop has been a challenging one. Here is how I remember my classmate describing the proceedings: in his third year of formation, Saint Paul Seminary did not recommend him for continuance; archbishop did recommend him for continuance; the seminary refused; the archbishop sent him to a seminary in Florida to complete studies; things were going well there until he was suddenly called to rector's office for more of same difficulties; Bishop Robert Carlson invited him to study for Sioux Falls, and he was subsequently ordained for that diocese.

The idea of the faculty of a seminary refusing a bishop's request is amazing to me. Again, I don't imagine such a situation would arise anymore. But some of the faculty members who were not fond of this seminarian -- for reasons that seemed to me quite unjust -- remain on staff. One does not: the professor of moral theology at the time has since left the seminary and the priesthood, and now teaches at the College of Saint Catherine and writes articles such as this recent offering in Commonweal.

Labels: priesthood, seminary, vocations

One of the insights that John Paul II developed with great beauty and depth was the idea of the priest as spouse of the Church. This understanding has the potential to put into proper perspective a number of dimensions of priestly life, especially celibacy. It's one of the reasons I hope that the Saint Paul Seminary will begin to incorporate some of these insights into its curriculum. I have heard that the seminary in Denver already does this. Other seminaries may be doing this as well; I don't know.

I do know I would have benefited from learning about the Theology of the Body during my seminary formation, particularly the sections on the resurrection of the body, virginity for the sake of the Kingdom, and the sacramentality of marriage.

I posted a short article back in December about Fr. Roger Landry's application of these themes to the ordained priesthood. After reading this, I cannot help but see the following sections of the Program for Priestly Formation from the point-of-view of a spousal theology of priestly life:

spouses have unique and complementary roles

[The disciples] were to minister in a special way to those with whom they were united in the body of Christ, a body in which “all members have not the same function” (Romans 12:3; Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2). Thus while all the baptized participate in the priesthood of Christ, some are called and ordained to minister to all of the faithful. In the sacrament of orders, priests are especially configured to Christ to act in his person as head and pastor of the Church and in the name of the whole people of God (Lumen Gentium, 10; Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2; cf. Pastores Dabo Vobis, 15). (PPF, 30)

husband and wife each provide an indispensable contribution to the mission of Christ in the world

“Though they differ essentially and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless ordered one to another; each in its own proper way shares in the one priesthood of Christ.” (Lumen Gentium, 10) (PPF, 32)

husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the Church

“The ministry of the priest is entirely on behalf of the Church; it aims at promoting the exercise of the common priesthood of the entire people of God.” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 16) (PPF, 32)

the life of a spouse is a life lived for the sake of the other

Although committed to a great diversity of individual ministries, priests are united in the common goal of building up the body of Christ through ordained priestly service. (PPF, 35)

spousal love as mutual subjection

From the waters of baptism and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, priests and laity share a sacramental origin and a common purpose as disciples of Christ. These bonds imply a continuing relationship of collaboration and mutual respect. (PPF, 39)

Labels: priesthood, seminary, theology of the body, vocations

From many points of view, clear priestly identity and sound priestly formation are necessary correlates. (PPF, 10)

Amen, amen, and amen.

celibate today, dating tomorrow

A couple of incidents from my first year of seminary are good illustrations of this statement. I think of my very first meeting with my Teaching Parish supervisor. We went out to lunch to get acquainted. The man who was my supervisor, an associate priest in a suburban parish, made this comment as we drove back to the parish after lunch. "If the Church decided to drop the requirement of priestly celibacy, I would be dating tomorrow." Not exactly the sort of comment that edifies a new seminarian.

Now, to be fair to the seminary, this guy (who had only been ordained for two years) was not one of the designated Teaching Parish supervisors. I had been assigned to the pastor, but the pastor decided he was too busy for this and delegated the responsibility to the associate. The seminary knew about it, and initially did nothing about it. However, as additional stories came back via some of the "pastoral incidents" (ministerial reflections that seminarians are required to produce about their Teaching Parish experiences), the director of the Teaching Parish program apologized and, after my leave-of-absence from the seminary, offered to assign me to a new Teaching Parish, which was a great improvement.

The point of the story is that this newly-ordained man did not seem well equipped to handle the commitment to celibacy. And, not surprisingly, he left the priesthood a couple of years ago. Without an integral commitment to celibacy, the priestly life is bound to be a pretty unhappy one.

clear about the discipline, but not the motivations

The seminary program that I attended was quite clear about the fact that no change to the Church's requirement of priestly celibacy should be expected anytime soon. But apparently a number of guys entertained that illusion. And, as I remember it, although we were told not to expect any change in this regard, there was very little in the way of presentations that highlighted the beauty and prophetic witness of celibacy. I clearly remember a rector's conference about priestly vocations in which we spent more than a half hour examining the statistics about the decreasing number of vocations in the U.S. and about how, with the number of priests reaching retirement age, even with a recent upswing in the number of newly ordained men, the Church would still be facing a growing deficit. After painting this grim picture, the rector gave a brief presentation about priestly celibacy, in which he basically just read the canonical requirement that men in the Latin rite are expected to embrace the discipline of priestly celibacy. Not a word about motivations, not a word of encouragement... just a statement of the facts. And then the conference ended. The only really positive, compelling presentation about priestly celibacy that I remember from my days in seminary -- and it was an excellent one -- was delivered by Archbishop Harry Flynn himself. His talk was not just a pious, spiritual conference, either... he also talked realistically about the challenges and the various real and legitimate human needs that need to be met to live celibacy well. Part of what made the presentation compelling was the integrity of it -- Archbishop Flynn clearly loves his priestly vocation and has a great esteem for priestly celibacy. I wish there had been more presentations -- and more witnesses -- like this. I'll discuss this more when I get around to discussing the human and spiritual dimensions of priestly formation.

a temporary call to celibacy?

Another memorable incident from my first year of seminary was a session with my seminary-assigned spiritual director about priestly identity. We were having a discussion about celibacy and vocational discernment. In the course of the conversation, this priest told me that he believed that some men in the priesthood had a temporary vocation (to celibacy). I raised an objection, and his response was something to this effect: "Well, then, how do you explain all of my friends and classmates who got ordained and then later left the priesthood to get married?" I was not prepared to respond to this, and frankly, I was pretty upset. The forum of spiritual direction was not the place, I thought, for the directee to have to make a defense of Church discipline, or to come to the defense of men who had decided to leave the priesthood. Without bringing up the particulars of this incident, I went to the director of the spiritual formation program at the time, asking for a new spiritual director. I simply said that things "weren't working out" and that I would like to try another director. My request was denied. During a visit with the Archbishop, I mentioned my situation and he advised me that, in addition to seeing the seminary-appointed director, I had his permission to go across the street to see a priest at the college seminary who had been my director before entering SPS. I was grateful to Archbishop Flynn for this allowance. I might have done it on my own, but to have his blessing meant a great deal to me. I didn't want to treat the formation program in a cavalier way, but sometimes things were so crazy that as a seminarian, I felt required to make a choice between compliance with the seminary's wishes and acquiring the kind of formation the Church was asking for.

Some might think that I'm simply airing my personal grievances, but that is not my point. My point is that the PPF is making a great observation that sound priestly formation is an important aid to clear priestly identity. Of course, it's very possible for a man to have a clear priestly identity without sound formation... the number of good, healthy priests coming out of the Saint Paul Seminary over the past ten years are an eloquent testimony to this. But I'm not sure if I would credit the seminary for this phenomenon. Trial by fire is not the only way to grow in a sense of one's vocation.

Labels: priesthood, seminary, vocations

The uniqueness of the priestly role in the Church calls for specialized programs of learning and formation. Because of the important emphasis placed upon personal and spiritual formation, diocesan seminarians are usually educated in a seminary community whose clear focus is priestly formation (PPF, 12).

Although this paragraph from the PPF may seem like stating the obvious, it drives home an important point: seminaries are primarily for training candidates for ordination.

Seminaries are, in many places in the U.S., combined with programs of formation for lay people. This can be a good and natural arrangement. Lay people who are catechists and who serve in other apostolates need a rigorous theological training just as much as priests do... so why not share the same resources? And there can be a healthy exchange between lay students and candidates for priesthood when they share the same classroom. If the seminary environment is one in which there is a solid understanding of the complementary and distinct roles of lay people and ordained ministers, a "mixed" educational environment could work very well. This is a big "if".

a confusion of roles

If, instead, there is confusion about the role of the ordained priesthood vis-à-vis the role of the priesthood of all the baptized, things can get quite weird and political. That was my experience at the Saint Paul Seminary. A strident spirit of political correctness was evident among some of the staff; some bent over backwards to reassure lay people that they were "full members" of the community... and, by their continual reference to this fact, all but ensured that lay people would become self-conscious about their presence in the seminary. Take, for instance, the full name of the institution I attended: "The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of Saint Thomas" or SPSSODUST for short. The politically correct shorthand was not "Saint Paul Seminary" but "School of Divinity." Lay students were commonly referred to as "commuter students", as if to imply that the distinction to be made was between those who lived on the premises and those who lived off campus.

All of this may seem like splitting hairs, but they are small indicators of some pervasive attitudes in the seminary environment at the time. In the late fall of 1997, shortly after the Vatican released the instruction On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest, MA in Theology students in an elective course on ministry got an earful from an instructor about this document. I suppose the parenthetical in the following passage may have been fueling his fire:

In accordance with the norms of particular law, [laypeople] should perfect their knowledge particularly by attending, in so far as possible, those formation courses organized for them by the competent ecclesiastical Authority in the particular Churches, (in environments other than that of the Seminary, as this is reserved solely for those preparing for the priesthood).

One of my fellow seminarians who participated in the class reported that the document was treated with derision by the faculty member leading the session -- a faculty member who played a key role in the lay formation program at the time. And later, when a priest on staff raised the topic of the document’s distinction between "ministry" and "lay apostolate" for discussion, he was treated with ridicule. Why? I can't say for sure, but I think it was due to a fear that making such distinctions was divisive and petty. But Rome had some reason for publishing the document… dismissing it seems a little too easy.

a fear of distinctions

I think that this fear of making distinctions is connected to an atmosphere of unredeemed feminism that makes itself felt in certain quarters of the Archdiocese... and certainly was simmering in the administrative offices of the seminary, just below the surface. (If you have read Donna Stiechen's Ungodly Rage, you get a sense of the flavor of feminism in the Upper Midwest.)I'm speaking about the way some wanted to blur the fundamental distinction between the male and female ways of being human. The only way to protect the dignity of women, according to this view, was to treat them not only as equal to men, but as identical to men. This is actually nothing more than another face of chauvinism. Similarly, some seemed to believe that the way to encourage the laity was to treat lay people like ordained ministers. But this is really just another face of clericalism.

For example, "commuter students" were encouraged to take more and more "active" roles as "liturgical ministers." Lay people were always encouraged to serve as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, when clearly there was no need for such a thing with several priests in attendance and a congregation of, at most, several hundred people at the largest events. As if to make a political statement, in the fall of 1996, at the seminary's Mass for the installation of acolytes, those who planned the liturgy made a point of arranging for several lay people to distribute the Eucharist, while several concelebrating priests stood by. It seemed to me like one of the efforts to push the buttons of the more conservative seminarians in the hopes of "flushing" a few into view.

On a related note, I always wondered if the program of lay formation clearly and positively presented the role of the ordained priest in the life of the Church. I think in particular of an alumnus of the MDiv program who was the DRE of my home parish. She went on record in a Minnesota Monthly article saying how painful it was for her to be visiting the sick in the hospital and not to be able to perform the anointing of the sick, simply because she was a woman. After all, she had the same degree as the priests of the archdiocese. This was the same woman who invited an ex-priest to give a four-week adult education series about "Refounding the Church" -- including a "re-evaluation" of contraception, homosexuality and the ordination of women. When I confronted her about the program in the presence of the pastor, just months before entering the seminary, she condescendingly reassured me that once I had been through a couple years of the MDiv program, I’d understand where she was coming from theologically. Later on, she offered to write one of my letters of recommendation for admission to the seminary. Naturally, I declined the offer.

All by way of saying, if a clear focus on priestly formation is a goal, then a related goal in "mixed" seminaries like the Saint Paul Seminary ought to be a healthy, positive understanding of the complementary roles of laity and clergy in the Church.

Labels: priesthood, seminary, vocations