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The Apostles and the Priesthood ~ Part 2 In the last Circular Letter, we began our meditation on the priesthood, giving particular attention to the Apostles upon whom the Church is founded. These great men and their successors serve down through the centuries as our bridge to the living Jesus. Through the Sacraments which they administer to us, Jesus, God-among-us, is made present in His Person and action. It is Jesus working in and through the priest who forgives our sins and nourishes our souls with His Body and Blood. Through the priest, Jesus consoles us with His word...

Rosary Rallies for Priests Give Final Flourish to Their Special Year June 17th, 2010 by Brendan Hickey Have you heard about the Rosary for Priests?  People will be gathering on the steps of Cathedrals in many dioceses on  June 19 at 10am, to offer a Rosary for  priests to commemorate the last day of the Year for Priests. While last Friday was the ceremonial ending, the indulgences are available until June 19. And on top of that, it is Father’s Day weekend — what more fitting time could there be to pray for our spiritual Fathers?This independent and spontaneous prayer...

On the Year for Priests, Year of Fruits "The Priest Is Formed by ChristÂ’s Charity Itself" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 13, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square.* * *Dear brothers and sisters!The Year for Priests concluded a few days ago. Here in Rome we experienced some unforgettable days with the presence of more than 15,000 priests from every part of the world. So, today I would like to give thanks to God for all the good things that have come...

Priests Close Their Year With Successor of Peter Mass and Vigil Give Personal Look at God's Servants By Carmen Elena Villa VATICAN CITY, JUNE 11, 2010 (Zenit.org).- An image of the newly proclaimed patron of all priests was center stage this morning, hanging from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, as Benedict XVI and 15,000 priest-concelebrants closed the Year for Priests with a Mass for the feast of the Sacred Heart. St. Peter's Square was teeming with rows of white-vested priests from every corner of the globe, as well as 80 cardinals and 350 archbishops and bishops. Priests began to file...

Cardinal Offers 2 P's to Face Anti-Priest Attitudes Says Prayer and Purification Are Key ROME, JUNE 11, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Purification and prayer are the answer to a wave of opposition to the priesthood, says the archbishop of Quebec. Cardinal Marc Ouellet affirmed this Thursday when he offered a reflection as part of the closing celebrations of the Year for Priests. The year officially ended today, feast of the Sacred Heart, with a papal Mass at St. Peter's. "Today we are witnessing the eruption of an unprecedented wave of rebellion against the Church and the priesthood, in the wake of the...

Priests Called to Confession as Year Closes Cardinal Says Decline of Sacrament Is Tragedy of 20th Century By Roberta SciamplicottiROME, JUNE 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The first day of the most numerous international meeting of priests in history was marked by the call to conversion and the need to approach the sacrament of reconciliation with God.Addressing some 10,000 priests who had already arrived in the Eternal City on Wednesday to take part in the closing of the Year for Priests, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, affirmed that just as the "Church must always be reformed" (Ecclesia semper reformanda), so...

Cardinal to Priests: Carry On! Affirms There's No Room for Mediocrity ROME, JUNE 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Since Christ is at the base of the priesthood, there is no room for mediocrity in a priest's life, says the prefect of the Vatican's congregation for worship and sacraments.Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera affirmed this Tuesday at a conference called "In the Image of the Good Shepherd," held at the Regina Apostolorum university. The conference was held in the context of the closing of the Year for Priests, which ends Friday."The priest must be like Christ. He must be holy. Priestly holiness is not...

Most Concelebrants in Rome's History Priestly Year's Closing Mass to Highlight Purification VATICAN CITY, JUNE 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- When the 15,000 priests who are in Rome to close the Year for Priests gather for Friday's papal Mass, the Eternal City will witness a first in its history: the Eucharistic celebration with the greatest number of concelebrants.Monsignor Guido Marini, master of papal liturgical ceremonies, noted this when he spoke about the Mass, also reporting that Benedict XVI will use a chalice that belonged to St. John Vianney.A large tapestry with the image of the Curé d'Ars will hang on the central...

Clergy Share Testimonies Onstage Cardinal Recalls Pentecost Meeting of Movements By Carmen Elena VillaVATICAN CITY, JUNE 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- As one part of the celebration closing the Year for Priests, clergy were invited to share their vocational testimonies onstage in Paul VI Hall.Among the presenters in Wednesday's event were priests who discovered and cultivated their vocations in the midst of war, men who left behind a life dedicated to vice, those who discovered their vocations during a crisis of faith due to a secular culture or an illness.The "Priests Today" event was promoted by the clergy of the Focolare...

Worldwide Rosary Relay to Offer Prayer for Priests NEW YORK, JUNE 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Next week, a worldwide rosary relay event will unite participants around the globe to pray for priests.The June 19 event, sponsored by Worldpriest, will begin in Brisbane, Australia, and will continue at Marian shrines through Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, the Levant and the Middle East, South Africa, Bosnia, Italy, Poland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Wales, England, Mexico, Argentina, Canada and the United States.The faithful are invited to participate by praying a decade of the rosary for priests at a scheduled...

Pope to World: Close Year for Priests With Prayer VATICAN CITY, JUNE 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI today noted that the Year for Priests is drawing to a close this Friday. He invited the faithful of the world to spiritually join in the closing ceremonies. The events to end the Year for Priests are attracting thousands of priests to Rome this week -- every priest of the world was invited by the Vatican. An initial registration deadline had to be extended because of the quantity of requests to participate. "The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we celebrate...

Cardinal to Priests: Feel the Urgency of Mission International Convention for Priests Begins in Rome VATICAN CITY, JUNE 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Church's Year for Priests was intended as an occasion to renew in priests the awareness of the Church's evangelizing mission, according to Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy. The cardinal said this today during the Mass in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which marks the beginning of the closing ceremonies of the year that will conclude on Friday. Benedict XVI launched the yearlong celebration of the priesthood last June 19, which has had as...

Year for Priests Closes This Week in Rome City Gathers Priests From Around the World VATICAN CITY, JUNE 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Priests from around the world are gathering in Rome this week for the official closing of their year. The Year for Priests, called by Benedict XVI, draws to a close with a Wednesday through Friday program of events. All the priests of the world have been invited to the celebration, which is being promoted by the Congregation for the Clergy and has as its theme: "Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests." The program's first day, Wednesday, will take priests...

On the Church’s Birthday, Let’s Pray for Our Priests May 22nd, 2010 by Archbishop Charles Chaput Ten years ago, as St. John Vianney Theological Seminary opened its doors for the first time, I wrote the following words to the people of our local Church:“The Church is not just a collection of individuals convened around a sacred text. She is a community — a community rooted both in God’s Word and in sacrament. No matter how many other things bear good fruit for the Gospel in our day, there is no on-going presence of Jesus Christ in the world without the...

Living Icons of Christ Priest's do more than just "say Mass." They become agents of transformation. Called to mediate the presence of Christ in the world, priests are set apart to serve the church in every way: as reconciler, as healer, as teacher, and as friend. This is a demanding and often thankless calling. It is also a calling that would be impossible without the grace they receive from the Lord—especially the grace that comes from celebrating the Eucharist. We believe that when a priest follows Jesus’ command to “do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19), he is...

On the Priest's Mission to Sanctify "Be Conscious of the Great Gift That Priests Are for the Church" VATICAN CITY, MAY 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Last Sunday, in my pastoral visit to Turin, I had the joy of pausing in prayer before the Holy Shroud, joining the more than 2 million pilgrims that during the solemn exposition of these days, have been able to contemplate it. This sacred Cloth can nourish faith and reinvigorate Christian piety,...

Registration Extended for Close of Priests' Year ROME, MAY 6, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Priests and others interested in attending the official close of the Year for Priests now have until May 17 to register. The Congregation for the Clergy announced in a communiqué that the registration period for the June 9-11 events has been extended because of the numerous requests being received. The closing ceremonies culminate with a Mass celebrated by Benedict XVI on June 11, feast of the Sacred Heart. In addition to the priests of the world, all faithful who wish to show their support for priests are encouraged...

The Conclusion of the Year for Priests By Father Mark on April 19, 2010 8:19 AM | Dear Priests,The Year for Priests brings great joy to the Church and she thanks the Lord for having inspired the Holy Father to announce it. All the information which is presented here in Rome concerning the numerous initiatives taken by the local Churches throughout the world, in order to put this special year into effect, are proof of how this Year has been so well received and - we can add - how it has responded to a true and deep longing of...

Pope's "Lectio Divina" to Roman Priests (Part 2) "Being a Servant of the Eucharist Is ... a Depth of the Priestly Mystery" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 25, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is Part 2 of the "lectio divina" delivered by Benedict XVI to the parish priests of Rome upon receiving them in audience at the Vatican on Feb. 18. Part 1 appeared Wednesday. * * * We say, rightly, that Jesus did not offer God some thing. Rather, he offered himself and made this offering of himself with the very compassion that transforms the suffering of the world into prayer and into...

Pope's "Lectio Divina" to Roman Priests (Part 1) "The Priest's Mission Is to Be a Mediator, a Bridge That Connects" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 24, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is Part 1 of the "lectio divina" delivered by Benedict XVI to the parish priests of Rome upon receiving them in audience at the Vatican on Feb. 18.Part 2 will appear Thursday. * * * Your Eminence,Dear Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood, It is always a very joyful as well as an important tradition for me to be able to begin Lent with my Presbyterium, the Priests of Rome. Thus,...