Priest's
Page
This page is dedicated
to Priests who are such a great blessing to all the faithful and the
whole Church.
Our priests are constantly under attack from the media, our post Christian
culture and most regrettably, the Church's own faithful, at times. We
wish to compensate for the hardship which our beloved priests have undergone
by providing stories, anecdotes and ideas of how we can demonstrate
our great love and appreciation. We hope this page will be a little
refuge for our dear priests to steal away to, in order to refresh themselves
and be encouraged.
SEE BELOW: TEN WAYS TO LOVE YOUR PRIEST
A REFLECTION BY A WOMAN ON THE PRIESTHOOD:
To begin with, I would like to share a short reflection that came to mind while I was thinking about the sacramental priesthood. I was contemplating how I have heard people say that the priesthood is a patriarchal institution drummed up by the Church to keep women under male domination.
I, being a woman, reflected upon these ideas to see if they accurately reflected my own personal experience. The conclusion I came to was the opposite. I looked back at my first contact with a priest which was my baptism. I thought of the great dignity bestowed upon me by the hands of this man of God; giving my soul the divine life of Grace and conferring on me the title of Child of God: priest, prophet and king. Then, I thought of the many times the blessed hands of a priest made the sign of the cross on my infant brow as my mother received holy communion at each Sunday mass.
Did
I pay this priest a single dime for the many hours of study he underwent
to prepare to become a seminarian? Did I provide any home cooked meals
for him as he left home to enter the seminary? What of the many hours
of study, the exams, that he underwent to bring him to the ordination
ceremony which empowered him to grant me so many graces and blessings?
Again, I thought of my first sacramental confession and first holy communion.
All of my sins were washed away at the words of absolution. I received
the body and blood, soul and divinity of My Lord Jesus Christ, at the
hands of a priest, making my union with my Lord and God so intimate
that He became food for me and dwelt in my very self.
How many priests have forgiven me in persona Christi? How many have given me the Holy Eucharist? How many have Blessed me, prayed for me, freed me from the bonds of sin and death in the Name of Jesus Christ? How many have counseled me, encouraged me, loved me. How many have been a spiritual father to me? I tried to count them. I tried to name them. I have even tried to thank them. They have been so numerous that it has been impossible to count them all.
My
conclusion is this: I have been tremendously blessed by Priests, I have
never been oppressed by one. I have been eternally emancipated at and
by their hands. The only adequate response is to thank, pray for and
defend these "other Christs" one at a time, as they come into
my life by our Heavenly Father's divine providence.
If you love Christ... Then love the Priest that brings Him to you.
webmaster of catholicspot.com
TEN WAYS TO LOVE YOUR PRIEST
P ray a novena that ends with a celebration on the anniversary of his ordination.
R emember him on Father's day with a plant, candle, prayer card or homemade picture.
I nclude him in family celebrations as a special member of your family.
E ncourage
him by praising his sermons and often thanking him for being your shepherd.
S peak only of the good in him, for this is Christ present.
T ake
him homemade, healthy, individually frozen meals.
H umbly
offer assistance in the ways you are gifted with no expectations.
O rganize
a party for him on Priest day, August 4, feast of St. John Vianney, patron
of priests.
O ffer
St. Michael & Vocation prayers, masses and rosaries to strengthen
him in his vocation.
D onate
a clerical shirt to him with your family name and blessings on the back
of the white collar.
Used with kind permission of Cynthia Dudfield.
For copies of the whole pamphlet,
please write to Cynthia at:
St. Joseph's Mission House
Box 220
Marshall, Sask.
SOM 1RO
(306) 387-6367
Adopt a Priest
In many parts of the world there are not wanting those willing to leave everything and follow Him in the priesthood. However, the ability to finance one,s goal does not always accompany a vocation. God will not be outdone in generosity and, in fact, He will bless a hundred fold.
Those of us who have been praying for vocations for years have an opportunity to do a work of charity which will most certainly bless us with answers to those prayers. For one dollar a day, families, church organizations, [such as K of C and CWL], Parishes, and Diocese, can adopt a priest. A seminarian who will pray for you daily and correspond with you. A project such as this keeps the interest in vocations at the forefront in our faithlife and will foster the answer to the gentle call to the priesthood in many young hearts.
The seminarian
pays part himself and Don Bosco Missions complete the cost of board, tuition
and other expenses through your donations. Please pray and answer this
call to participate actively in the gift of
vocations.
Reply to Fr. Rafael
Bastidas S.D.B.
c/o Don Bosco Mission Office, Sherbrooke Quebec
at e-mail
sdbsem@interlinx.qc.ca