No caption necessary

Just enjoy. And dream of the future.

Celibacy of priests always greatly esteemed by the Church

In his new book, "Reflections on the Priesthood: Letter to a Young Priest" retired Francis Cardinal Arinze says, "The Church has always had great esteem for the celibacy of priests. Christ lived a virginal life, taught chastity to his disciples, and proposed virginity to those who are willing and able to follow a similar call."

"In priestly life, perpetual celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven expresses and stimulates pastoral charity," he added. "It is a special fount of spiritual fruitfulness in the world. […] It is a testimony that stands out before the world as an efficacious way to follow Christ."

The cardinal said that in today's world, "immersed in an exaggerated preoccupation with sex and the violation of its sacredness […] a presbyter who lives his vow of chastity with joy, fidelity and a positive spirit is a testimony that cannot be ignored."

Through priestly celibacy, the prelate continued, "the presbyter consecrates himself more directly to Christ in the exercise of spiritual paternity." He is more available "as a minister of Christ, spouse of the Church," and he can "truly present himself as a living sign of the future world, which is already present through faith and charity."

For more on the new book, visit Zenit.

(Photo of Francis Cardinal Arinze by Siena.)

"He spoke to us of God and he spoke to God of us."

Father Paul Parkerson explains the vocation of the holy priesthood.

(Photo: Fr Paul Parkerson, left, and Bishop Burbidge, of the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina.)

Emerald Isle "green" with vocations

Irish Turn Corner On Voca­tions:
The Irish Times’ Patsy Mc­Garry reported November 24 that the widely acclaimed “ vocations crisis” in Ireland is now “ a myth,” as Irish seminaries now boast the largest number of future priests in years, and the average age of en­trants is dropping.
The national coordinator of di­ocesan vocations, Fr. Paddy Rushe, told The Irish Times that he expects the number of seminarians to dou­ble and triple in coming years.
McGarry reported: “ Noting that 30 men entered seminaries to train as priests in Ireland last Septem­ber, with 31 having done so in September 2007 and 30 in Sep­tember 2006, [ Rushe] contrasted this with the situation at the be­ginning of the decade when, in 2000 for instance, 13 men entered. Of that number nine were or­dained last year. Of those entering in recent years, he expected that at least 18 would be ordained in each year. ‘ The problem is that when people sign up, it takes six or seven years for them to be ready,’ Fr. Rushe said.
“ This meant that ‘ we are only starting to see people emerge who signed up in 2001, which was a bad year for the Catholic Church as scandals broke and we were at the height of the Celtic Tiger.’ “ Should the numbers of semi­narians continue to rise, he ex­pected an influx of new priests to the Irish Catholic Church by 2014. He forecast that ‘in 2014 we will see twice, if not three times, as many new priests emerging’.”

(As reported by The Wanderer Catholic newspaper.

James Higgins, altarboy

View this video and see the reason for altar boys: to bring young men closer to the priesthood and thus to the one thing necessary, Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist.

Padre Pio, Priest and Victim

"O rex, dona mihi animam meam pro qua rogo et populum meum pro quo obsecro" [O King, let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request] (Esther 7:3).

"Souvenir of my first Mass.

"Jesus, my heart's desire and my life, today as I raise you up in trembling hands, in a mystery of love, may I be, with you, for the world, Way, Truth and Life, and for you a holy priest, a perfect victim." ( P. Pio, Capuchin.13)


Visit "Padre Pio, Priest and Victim" for most highly recommended reading for the Feast of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, Italy.

From Padre Pio, recounting the words of Christ to him in a vision:

"On Friday morning [28 March 1913] while I was still in bed, Jesus appeared to me. He was in a sorry state and quite disfigured. He showed me a great multitude of priests, regular and secular, among whom were several high ecclesiastical dignitaries. Some were celebrating Mass, while others were vesting or taking off the sacred vestments. The sight of Jesus in distress was very painful to me, so I asked him why he was suffering so much. There was no reply, but his gaze turned on those priests. Shortly afterwards, as if terrified and weary of looking at them, he withdrew his gaze. Then he raised his eyes and looked at me and to my great horror I observed two tears coursing down his cheeks. He drew back from that crowd of priests with an expression of great disgust on his face and cried out: "Butchers!" Then turning to me he said: "My son, do not think that my agony lasted three hours. No, on account of the souls who have received most from me, I shall be in agony until the end of the world. During my agony, my son, nobody should sleep. My soul goes in search of a drop of human compassion but alas, I am left alone beneath the weight of indifference. The ingratitude and the sleep of my ministers makes my agony all the more grievous.

"Alas, how little they correspond to my love! What afflicts me most is that they add contempt and unbelief to their indifference. Many times I have been on the point of annihilating them, had I not been held back by the Angels and by souls who are filled with love for me. Write to your (spiritual) father and tell him what you have seen and heard from me this morning. Tell him to show your letter to Father Provincial ...45"

Sacred Heart Church, "rich in vocations" and altar boys

A server takes the place of one who formerly participated in the minor order of the Acolyte. Although this order has been retained while others have been suppressed and primarily relates to the role of distributing Communion and otherwise assisting the Priest-Celebrant, the boy who volunteers for this position in the Church’s Liturgy must realize the religious character of his undertaking. He is offering himself in God’s service and his lifestyle must reflect his closeness to the Sacred Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. His conduct must be as exemplary off the altar as it is while serving.

Any boy in Sacred Heart Parish in the fourth grade or above is eligible to be a server. After a period of training, he will be inducted into the program at a public Mass and begin a two-year period of probation. During the first year, he will wear a white robe. During the second year, he will wear a wooden Cross with his white robe. After that he will be privileged to wear the cassock and surplice, indicating his full membership.

http://www.sacredheartbowie.org/altarservers_manual.php

I think we have some 105 altar boys at Sacred Heart and a parish rich in vocations as we also pray for vocations after the prayer to St Michael after every Mass.

(Thanks to Gerry and wdtprs.com where this post originally appeared.)