A Message from our Pastor…
July 12, 2009
Dearest Brothers and Sisters,
Our Gospel reading today (Mark 6:7-13) invites us to reflect deeply on our share in the mission of Jesus and challenges us to look at our own lives on how we can be an integral part of the mission of Christ’s Church. No matter where we come from or what our vocation is in life, it is important for us to acknowledge that God calls each of us and gives us a unique task in his world. We all play an important role as we continue the mission of Jesus today in bringing life to people and to further the reign of God in our world.
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is now calling us to learn more about the priesthood, to recognize and honor priests, and to encourage priestly vocation by declaring June 2009 to June 2010 as the Year for Priests. The Year for Priests is themed “Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests”. This year we celebrate the 150 anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, a 19th century French parish priest who had transformed the lives of villagers in Ars, France through his example of holiness, his celebration of the Mass, his teachings and his ability to touch the people’s souls in the Sacrament of Penance. St. John Vianney described priesthood as “The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer to Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you….The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.”
Also, I would like to share with you an excerpt from the Letter to Priests from Pope John Paul II, written on Holy Thursday, 1990, “The priesthood is not an institution that exists alongside the laity or above it. The priesthood of bishops and priests, as well as the ministry of deacons, is for the laity, and precisely for this reason it possesses a ministerial character, that is to say, one of service.”
During this Year for Priests, we can help fulfill the mission of Jesus by answering God’s call to pray for vocation and to encourage and support our priests.
May God Bless you,
Rev. Fr. Antonio Cacciapuoti
