In the prayer of ordination of a priest the bishop asks God the Father that “he be a worthy co-worker with our Order (the Order of Bishops), so that by his preaching and through the grace of the Holy Spirit the words of the Gospel may bear fruit in human hearts and reach even to the ends of the earth.”
The priest is ordained for the glory of God and the service of God’s people. There are many areas of ministry in the life of a priest, but most priestly service happens in or around a parish, the faith community that is central to the life of the church.
St. John Mary Vianney, the saint that the Holy Father has proposed as a model and patron for this Year for Priests, was in fact, a parish priest.
As the pope related in his letter to the priests, the young Father Vianney arrived in Ars, a village of 230 souls, warned by his bishop beforehand that there he would find religious practice in a sad state: “There is little love of God in that parish; you will be the one to put it there.”
“As a result, Pope Benedict XVI continues “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 Curé devoted himself completely to his parish’s conversion, setting before all else the Christian education of the people in his care.”
The conversion of the members of his parish was certainly a miracle and the news of the changes spread rapidly, first to the neighboring towns, and then to all of France. His ministry became so popular that thousands of people travel to Ars to meet him, to listen to his daily instructions and especially to go to confession with him.
No doubt that our parishes are certainly different from his parish from the point of view of geography, size and needs but they are, as Ars was, places of grace, prayer, conversion, community and love.
Nowadays the ministry of priests at the parish includes an intense and varied pastoral activity, with the celebration of holy Mass and the sacraments, visits to the homebound, spiritual guidance, community service and many other ministries; at the same time, there are the administrative responsibilities that come with the demands of today’s society.
The ministry of the deacons and the service of members of religious orders, and the laity enrich the life of our communities and help them become what the servant of God, John Paul II, challenged parishes to be during his visit to San Antonio: a “family of families” where everyone finds a place of common acceptance in charity and truth.
In order to accomplish all that must be done in a twenty-first century parish, priests need the support from all the members of the parish, who, faithful to their baptismal mission and the universal call to holiness, work with their pastor in numerous ways. We all know, of course, that an essential part in the life of a parish is the richness of the celebration of the sacraments, priceless gifts from God for our salvation.
The sacraments have been given to us by Jesus himself through the ministry of the priesthood. As St. John Mary Vianney wrote and Pope Benedict quotes in his letter: “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.”
In this Year for Priests, we are encouraged to look at the example of holiness of some priests. Being as human as we all are, and struggling with many of the things that are also challenging for us, they “fought the good fight,” and “won the race,” using the words of St. Paul.
During the month of September we are reminded of several of them: St. Peter Claver, St. Padre Pio, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Jerome. All of them are great examples of good and faithful priests and role models for all of us. Every year on September 27 we celebrate the liturgical memorial of St. Vincent de Paul.
Vincent, an intelligent and ambitious young man who aspired to further his career just to have a comfortable life. However, the deathbed confession of the servant of a countess opened Vincent’s eyes to the terrible spiritual needs of the poor. Thus he became the founder of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as Vincentians.
St. Vincent established confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick of each parish. From these, with the help of St. Louise de Marillac, came the Daughters of Charity. Vincent also became a pioneer of priestly training and was instrumental in establishing several seminaries.
Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of St. John Vianney and all the priest saints for the holiness of our parish priests and for our parishes that they may become a holy and active ‘family of families.’