Posted on 06/14/2009 5:42:16 AM PDT by NYer
This Friday, June 19th, begins the Year of the Priest, as announced by Pope Benedict XVI back in March. That means that for 10 days, between June 19 and 29, the Church is celebrating both the Year of St. Paul and the Year of the Priest.
What’s planned for the Year of the Priest? Many dioceses and seminaries are planning special events and activities to highlight the year. Here are some examples.
Because it’s the 150th anniversary of the patron of diocesan priests, St. John Vianney, many dioceses are planning events centered around his example.
The Archdiocese of Denver is kicking off the Year of the Priest with a special Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Charles Chaput, on June 21 at the Cathedral at 6:30 p.m. For that Mass, the archdiocese has taken an image of a statue of St. John Vianney from Denver’s St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, which they’ll put on display along with a relic of the saint. They’re also creating a special holy card with the image and a prayer for priests that will be distributed throughout the diocese.
According to Archdiocese of Denver Auxiliary Bishop James Conley, the most important thing the archdiocese is doing is organizing holy hours in all of the deaneries of the diocese and inviting all the priests, and the faithful, in each deanery to come pray before the Holy Eucharist.
“For priests, the most important act that he does every day is offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,” said Bishop Conley. “Without the Eucharist, there is no Church, and without the priest there is no Eucharist.”
The Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis plans to place special emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a trademark of St. John Vianney.
Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary will be hosting a symposium in honor of the Year of the Priest, on October 3, from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Knott Auditorium at Mt. St. Mary’s. The symposium will feature speakers on various themes on priestly spirituality. At 4 p.m., the public is invited to “Vianney” - the one-man play by Leonardo Defilippis.
“The priests, especially in this country need a shot in the arm, both spiritually and emotionally,” said Monsignor Steven Rohlfs, rector at Mt. St. Mary’s. “We’ve taken it on the chin for a number of years and it’s time that we spend the year reinvigorating ourselves spiritually and reenergizing ourselves to be prooud of who and what we are.”
For further information on the Year of the Priest, visit the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ special web page.
I sure wish you had designated this thread “Catholic Caucus.”
Let your light so shine before men that, seeing your good works, they may glorify your Father in Heaven.
-- Matthew 5:16
Icon of the Priesthood (Monsignor Anthony La Femina)
Monsignor Anthony LaFemina, who created the icon of the Priesthood, tells us that the Diocese of Charleston has copies of the icon.
For information, write or call the Charleston chancery office:
Andrea Crawford, Administrative Assistant,
119 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29402.
Phone: (843) 853-2130Year for Priests - June 19, 2009-2010
Cool.
Gotta let the priests marry. I would think that would improve recruitung about 1000%. Female priests too. Don’t know what they’re waiting for.
Sacred Tradition to be revoked?
There are married priests in the eastern rites, just not the Latin. And females - no, we have a different, but no less important, place. This is Sacred Tradition, what has been passed down from Christ, through His Apostles and Apostolic Succession.
Actually, in places, like here, where the seminary is good and orthodox and they do things as Tradition handed it down, we're ordaining plenty.
Thinking in human/worldly ways will not promote God’s plan one iota.
Sigh. What do I do to attract these types?
Times change my friend. Sorry you think my opinion is BS. My father entered the seminary at Boston College in the the 60’s. He was discouraged by the overwhelming amount of homosexuals he encountered and thank god for me made his choice to leave.
I’m not bashing the church, I just don’t see the harm in ordaining women and more married men. Explain to me how it “harms” the church. Don’t just say it’s tradition and can’t be changed. Slavery was tradition for a long time. Women not being able to vote was a tradition for a long time. Polygamy, etc etc etc.
Question: If the church allowed more married men and women to be ordained, would this encourage more people to join the Catholic church or cause people to leave?
IMHO I think it’s the former.
You seem to have some weird ideas about Catholic priests. Are you a Catholic?
Celibacy will survive; in fact it is flourishing. And there won’t be any woman priests either. Those who did false ordinations or those women who were ordained have been excommunicated as far as I know.
Me too!
Noooooooo, not at all.
There is no such thing as “women priests”, just like there is no such thing as “men priestesses”. The theological arguments aside, female clergy in the Catholic Church would be priestesses, just like the men are priests. A woman who calls herself “a woman priest” does so for wacky feminist reasons as far as I can figure, because it really is just as weird as a man calling himself a priestess. Also, the word “priestess” has bad connotations of various pagan religions in the western mind, and these women are worried about folks associating them with that, which is pretty wimpy in my opinion if you truly think women can be clergy in the Church.
Liberalism has hurt the Church more than not letting married men become priests in the latin rite, or not having priestesses. Can you point me to one woman who wants to call herself a “woman priest” in the Church who isn’t a wacky lib on issues such as gay marriage and abortion? Theology aside, allowing priestesses would only compound the problems of the Church by making it more liberal because there would be more liberal clergy.
Freegards
I’m convinced that - at least in the Baptist and (silent women, no instruments) Church of Christ that the men drive any woman who attempts to follow the Holy Ghost’s lead in prophecy and teaching.
On the other hand, because of my “raising,” I’m still very uncomfortable with any woman who calls herself a preacher.
“I’m convinced that - at least in the Baptist and (silent women, no instruments) Church of Christ that the men drive any woman who attempts to follow the Holy Ghost’s lead in prophecy and teaching.”
I’m not sure what you mean here. Did you mean to say “drive away any woman...”?
Well, I know in my church nothing would get done without the women. And women sure do teach, although not as clergy, but in rel.ed classes and such. Sometimes that’s a good thing and sometimes not I reckon.
All I know is that every Catholic woman who wants to be clergy in the Catholic Church or that thinks women clergy should be allowed is a lib it seems like. I think it is different for non-Catholics who think priestesses should be allowed, I reckon they might see it as simple justice without realizing what kind of wackos want to be “women priests”.
Freegards
Yes I’m Catholic. I see no harm in questioning some of the churches policies. I’m not banging down doors and protesting, just stating my opinion.
How have I bashed the church? Is it not a fact that the Catholic church has a problem with homosexual priests? I just stated my opinion as to how the church could try some new things. I conveyed a true story of how someone in many family was turned off the church because of the strong presence of gays in the seminary. Yes, this is an uncomfortable truth. The church remains a powerful force for good, but you’re kidding yourself if you think these problems don’t exist.
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