Year for Priests...

World Day of Prayer for Priests

In 2002 Pope John Paul II established a World Day of Prayer for Priests to be observed on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year the World Day of Prayer will be observed on June 19, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. This Day of Prayer will also mark the opening of the Year for Priests.

All Catholics are encouraged to remember their priests through prayer, the celebration of the Mass, and Eucharistic adoration on June 19 and throughout the Year for Priests.

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Opening in Rome of Year:

Click to read the Pope's Letter sent to all Priets

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Pastoral Letter – to be read in all Parishes weekend of 20th & 21st June 2009 - A Year for the Priesthood

Let me know that you are on board. I’ll tell you why.

Your priests deserve your love, respect and support. I also believe that in our great Catholic tradition the people of Hexham & Newcastle diocese undoubtedly love their priests and want to see them happy, holy and joyous in their daily apostolic labours. They deserve as much in a demanding, challenging world.

There is another reason for you to show your support. During the coming year all your priests are being asked to renew their gifts of sanctification, teaching and leadership. Good priests yearn for moral and spiritual perfection – and are encouraged to continue their formation as servant-leaders, reaching out to the vulnerable and those on the margins.

The Holy Father intends to publish a collection of thoughts on essential aspects of the life and mission of the modern priest for our times. He emphasised that without priestly ministry, there would be no Eucharist, no mission and even no Church. So, there will be much more news about the Year for the Priesthood. Sufficient today to announce:

  * I am inviting all the priests of the Diocese to join me to celebrate Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on 7th July 2009 at 7.00 pm, which I hope as many of you as possible will join us to formally launch this Year of the Priesthood;
  * A retreat on the Holy Father’s theme for the year of Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests. It will be held in May 2010 at Ushaw College for all our diocesan priests with a special day to include lay people; and
  * An open invitation to people and priests to send me ideas on ways to celebrate the Year in parishes, at deanery festivities and diocesan occasions.

I assure you, every letter and suggestion will be welcome so we can pick the best ideas to make this a wonderful year for priests and new vocations to the priesthood.

Please pray for all of our Priests and support them as we begin this special Year of the Priesthood.

God bless you.

With very best wishes,

+ Rt Rev Séamus Cunningham
Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle Diocese

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Since the priesthood is rooted in Christ..
Since the priesthood is rooted in Christ, it is by its nature in the Church and for the Church. … Likewise, obedience to Christ, who made amends for Adam's disobedience, is in practice expressed in ecclesial obedience, which for the priest in daily life means first and foremost obedience to his Bishop. In the Church, however, obedience is not something formalistic; it is obedience to the one who, in turn, obeys and personifies the obedient Christ. All this neither frustrates nor even attenuates the practical requirements of obedience, but guarantees theological depth and its Catholic tone: in the Bishop we obey Christ and the whole Church which he represents in this place.

Benedict XVI - 13/05/2005

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PRAYER FOR THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS

Lord Jesus,

In Saint John Mary Vianney you have deigned to give the Church a living image of yourself and a personification of your pastoral charity.

Help us during this Year for Priests to live good lives by being close to him and his example.

Grant that we may learn from the saintly Curé of Ars how to rest contentedly before the Holy Eucharist; to know that only your Word enlightens us each day; to know how tender is the love with which you welcome repentant sinners; how consoling is the confident abandonment to the care of the Holy and Immaculate Mother; how necessary is the ever-vigilant battle against Evil.

Grant, O Lord Jesus, that from the example of the holy Curé our young men may once again realise how necessary, humble and glorious is the priestly ministry which you wish to entrust to those who open themselves to your call.

Grant also to our communities - as once your did at Ars - those wonders of grace which you bring about when a priest knows to “make his parish a place of love”.

Grant that our Christian families may find their home to be within the Church – where your ministers may always be found – and that they may enrich the domestic hearth with the beauty of the Church.

Grant that the Charity of our pastors may enliven and enkindle the Charity of all the faithful, so that every vocation and every charism, given by your Holy Spirit, may be welcomed and honoured.

But above all, O Lord Jesus, bestow upon us the ardour and truth of the heart that we may come before your Heavenly Father, making our own the same words that St. John Mary Vianney prayed to Him:

I love You, O my God and my sole desire is to love You until the last breath of my life.

I love You, O infinitely lovable God and I prefer to die loving You than live one instant without loving You.

I love You, O my God, and I do not desire anything but heaven so as to have the joy of loving You perfectly.

I love You, O my God, and I fear hell, because there will not be the sweet consolation of loving You.

O my God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to say it in every beat.

Allow me the grace to suffer loving You, to love you suffering and one day to die loving You and feeling that I love You.

And as I approach my end, I beg you to increase and perfect my love of You.

  AMEN.

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Please click HERE to read the full text of the letter written by Cláudio Cardinal Hummes, Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo and Prefect, Congregation for the Clergy.