The Year of Priesthood
Dear Priests,
The Year of Priesthood, announced by our beloved Pope
Benedict XVI to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the death of the
saintly Curé of Ars, St. John Mary Vianney, is drawing near. It will be
inaugurated by the Holy Father on the 19th June, the feast of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of
Priests. The announcement of the Year of Priesthood has been very warmly
received, especially amongst priests themselves. Everyone wants to commit
themselves with determination, sincerity and fervour so that it may be a year
amply celebrated in the whole world – in the Dioceses, parishes and in every
local community – with the warm participation of our Catholic people who
undoubtedly love their priests and want to see them happy, holy and joyous in their
daily apostolic labours.
It must be a year
that is both positive and forward looking in which the Church says to her
priests above all, but also to all the Faithful and to wider society by means
of the mass media, that she is proud of her priests, loves them, honours them,
admires them and that she recognises with gratitude their pastoral work and the
witness of the their life. Truthfully priests are important not only for what
they do but also for who they are. Sadly, it is true that at the present time
some priest have been shown to have been involved in gravely problematic and unfortunate
situations. It is necessary to investigate these matters, pursue judicial
processes and impose penalties accordingly. However, it is also important to
keep in mind that these pertain to a very small portion of the clergy. The overwhelming majority of priests are
people of great personal integrity, dedicated to the sacred ministry; men of
prayer and of pastoral charity, who invest their entire existence in the fulfilment
of their vocation and mission, often through great personal sacrifice, but
always with an authentic love towards Jesus Christ, the Church and the people,
in solidarity with the poor and the suffering. It is for this reason that the
Church is proud of her priests wherever they may be found.
May this year be an
occasion for a period of intense appreciation of the priestly identity, of the
theology of the Catholic priesthood, and of the extraordinary meaning of the
vocation and mission of priests within the Church and in society. This will
require opportunities for study, days of recollection, spiritual exercises reflecting
on the Priesthood, conferences and theological seminars in our ecclesiastical
faculties, scientific research and respective publications.
The Holy Father, in
announcing the Year in his allocution on the 16th March last to the
Congregation for the Clergy during its Plenary Assembly, said that with this
special year it is intended “to encourage priests in this striving for
spiritual perfection on which, above all, the effectiveness of their ministry
depends”. For this reason it must be, in a very special way, a year of prayer
by priests, with priests and for priests, a year for the renewal of the
spirituality of the presbyterate and of each priest. The Eucharist is, in this
perspective, at the heart of priestly spirituality. Thus Eucharistic adoration
for the sanctification of priests and the spiritual motherhood of religious
women, consecrated and lay women towards priests, as previously proposed some
time ago by the Congregation for the Clergy, could be further developed and
would certainly bear the fruit of sanctification.
May it also be a year in which the concrete circumstances
and the material sustenance of the clergy will be considered, since they live,
at times, in situations of great poverty and hardship in many parts of the
world.
May it be a year as well of religious and of public
celebration which will bring the people – the local Catholic community – to
pray, to reflect, to celebrate, and justly to give honour to their priests. In
the ecclesial community a celebration is a very cordial event which expresses
and nourishes Christian joy, a joy which springs from the certainty that God
loves us and celebrates with us. May it therefore be an opportunity to develop
the communion and friendship between priests and the communities entrusted to
their care.
Many other aspects and initiatives could be mentioned that could
enrich the Year of Priesthood, but here the faithful ingenuity of the local
churches is called for. Thus, it would be good for every Dioceses and each
parish and local community to establish, at the earliest opportunity, an
effective programme for this special year. Clearly it would be important to
begin the Year with some notable event. The local Churches are invited on the
19th June next, the same day on which the Holy Father will
inaugurate the Year of Priesthood in Rome, to participate in the opening of the
Year, ideally by some particular liturgical act and festivity. Let those who
are able most surely come to Rome for the inauguration, to manifest their own
participation in this happy initiative of the Pope.
God will undoubtedly bless with great love this undertaking;
and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Clergy, will pray for each of you,
dear priests.
Cláudio Cardinal Hummes
Archbishop Emeritus of São
Paulo
Prefect, Congregation for the
Clergy.