Year of the Priest
Pope's Document
THE POPE SPEAKS
POPE'S LETTER ON YEAR FOR PRIESTS
"The Priesthood Is the Love of the Heart of Jesus"
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?
The Priesthood
"The Priesthood Is the Love of the Heart of Jesus"
Crafted from the footprints the great Curé d’Ars left behind, Pope Benedict XVI addressed a letter to priests on the theme above; it launched the Year of the Priest on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 19 and gave direction for the event. As simple as touching and inspiring, it unveils the depths of the mystery and the ministry of the priesthood established by Jesus Christ on the eve of His Passion and Death.
St. John, who relates this solemn moment in the Chapter 13 of the Gospel he wrote, gave it a solemnity when he opened this chapter with these sublime words: “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from the world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end” (Jn 13, 1). Two great elements of the ministry – His going to the Father and the love to the end - of Jesus are here highlighted as the motivation of what he was about to institute: the sacrament of His Precious Body and Blood and the Sacrament of Priesthood. No wonder, therefore, that the holy man whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated on this occasion, perceived the priesthood as the love of the Heart of Jesus and the Pope highlighted in this letter, published elsewhere in this issue.
Congregatio Pro Clericis
CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICIS
Vatican City, 3rd April 2009
Prot. N. 20090980
Your Eminence, Your Excellency,
On the 16th March last, during the audience granted to the Members of this Congregation meeting in plenary assembly, the Holy Father Benedict XVI, “in order to encourage the striving for spiritual perfection of priests, on which, above all, the effectiveness of their ministry depends” kindly announced a special “Year of the Priest”, that will last from the 19th of June next, Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, to the same date in 2010. It will be, in fact, the 150th anniversary of the death of Saint John Mary Vianney, the holy Curé of Ars, a true example of a Shepherd at the service of Christ’s flock (cf. Address of the Holy Father).
Initiatives
Year for Priest Initiatives Flood Internet
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 19, 2009 - The Congregation for Clergy is launching a new Web site for the Year for Priests, which begins today according to Zenit. The enthusiasm surrounding this occasion is echoing in initiatives across the globe.
A letter from Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, prefect of the congregation, expressed the hope that "this may be a time of grace that will produce great apostolic fruit, especially of fidelity and intense renewal in the work of the ministry."
He explained that their new site offers spiritual resources and documents for priests and lay people to celebrate the year, in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
The cardinal affirmed that the Year for Priests "has been warmly received throughout the world" and the "positive effects will make themselves felt very quickly."
He invited ordained ministers to "participate in it with every effort and creativity" and to "be unconditional disciples and audacious missionaries" for Christ.
Another initiative was organized by WorldPriest, a group of Catholic communications professionals based on both the United States and Ireland.
National initiatives in England and Wales are available through the new online portal created by the bishops' conference there.
Letter from Cardinal Ivan Dias
YEAR OF THE PRIEST
May 2nd, 2009
My dear Brother Bishops:
On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of St.John Mary Vianney, Curé of Ars, Pope Benedict XVI has decided to celebrate a Year of the Priest, which he will solemnly inaugurate on June 19, 2009. The year is being celebrated, in the Pope’s own words, “to make the role and the mission of the priests in the Church and in contemporary society to be increasingly perceived.”
