The Second Vatican Council said in 1965 that, “God gives priests a special grace to be ministers of Christ among the people. They perform the sacred duty of preaching the Gospel, so that the offering of the people can be made acceptable and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” Unfortunately because of the abuse perpetrated by many priests (although a small percentage of all priests), the failures of the leadership of the church to protect the vulnerable, and the culture of silence and cover-up, the perception and credibility of the priesthood has been greatly diminished over the last several decades.

I believe that the Church needs a healthy and vibrant order of the priesthood in order to advance its mission of bringing the world to the faith of Jesus Christ. For those of us who aren’t priests, we can be inclined to think that it is not our place to interfere in what goes on inside the priesthood or in how priests are formed. However, it is essential for all of us, the entire Church, to insist on having leaders and pastors who are well-formed, and oriented to their call as servants. How can we do this?

We can certainly do all of the human things we think of, like advocating for change, making good rational arguments, improving processes, improving formation and education. But most importantly and firstly, we should pray for our priests and seminarians.

We can begin by praying daily for our own seminarian, Rob Lane, who is studying at St. Charles Borromeo in Philadelphia, but is home for the summer. The force of prayer of the entire parish community should be lifting Rob up as he continues on his discernment process of becoming a priest.

We can attend ordination Masses. They are open to everyone in the diocese. Bishop Zarama will ordain two men to the priesthood, David Lawrence Miller and Noe Ramirez de Paz, at a Mass next Saturday, June 8, at 10am at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. If you have never been to a priest ordination, or even if you have, join together with those from around the diocese to pray for David and Noe (you can wave to me, I’ll be up in the loft singing in the choir). At almost the same time in New York, Adam Rosinski, the Jesuit who will be soon joining St. Raphael as a new associate pastor, will be ordained to the priesthood, so we should all keep him in prayer, as he begins his ministry as a priest at our parish.

Finally, pray for Bishop Zarama, Fr. Phil, Fr. Bruce, Fr. Peter, and other priests who you have known. They are doing their best to minister to God’s people in a difficult and changing world, but they can’t do it on their own. They need God’s grace, and that can only be enhanced by our prayers for them.

During the Mass of ordination, the priest candidates prostrate (lie face down on the ground) around the altar while a version of the Litany of Saints (called the Litany of Supplication) is sung. This is a clear symbol of the life of service the candidate is preparing to enter, service to Christ and his Church. Let us pray that the priesthood will be renewed by the Holy Spirit so that all priests are fulfilled in their call to serve.

Submit your liturgical questions or comments to Jeff at liturgyandmusic@saintraphael.org
– Jeff Rice, Pastoral Associate of Liturgy & Music