Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Year of the Priest



"The Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus."

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On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy –, I have decided to inaugurate a “Year for Priests” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the “dies natalis” of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide.1 This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the saintly Curé of Ars would often say.2 This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. - LETTERA DEL SANTO PADRE BENEDETTO XVI PER LA PROCLAMAZIONE DI UN ANNO SACERDOTALE IN OCCASIONE DEL 150° ANNIVERSARIO DEL DIES NATALIS DEL SANTO CURATO D’ARS

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Fr. Zuhlsdorf also has the full text with insightful commentary here.

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