RESOURCES

Vianney is Coming to the Diocese of Phoenix November 9-14, 2009

Leonardo Defilippis's latest one-man stage production, VIANNEY, opens amidst the chaos of the French Revolution, a time which mirrors the secularization, materialism and anti-religious sentiment of our own day. Against this dramatic backdrop, a simple ignorant peasant priest enters the backwater town of Ars, a place where no one cares much about their faith, or sees the Church as particularly relevant. They don't expect much out of John Vianney. But then the impossible begins to happen through this unlikely shepherd - through his example, his love, and his sacrifice, the townspeople begin to change, begin to listen, and begin to pray.

This is a story of perseverance against all odds - the story of a humble pastor with a passion for souls. He'll do anything to save a sinner. "It is my prayer that when people meet John Vianney, they will, just like the people of Ars, be transformed by his life, story and message," says Leonardo Defilippis. "I know that young men looking for a radical way of serving God will be drawn to the priesthood through his example."

Read more about the play at the Vianney Drama website.

Bishop Olmsted's Article on the Year for Priests

When Pope Benedict XVI announced recently that the Church would observe a special Year for Priests, beginning on the 19th of June 2009, the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is notable that he chose the following title for the Year: "The Faithfulness of Christ, The Faithfulness of the Priest."

Our Holy Father, who served for many years as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, knows well that priestly life and ministry can flourish only when marked by fidelity and by a grateful commitment to the truth. Perhaps, too, he had in mind the teaching of Vatican II on the call of priests to holiness through prayer, sacrifice and pastoral charity (Cf. Lumen Gentium, #41). Inspired by saintly pastors and missionaries of the past, the Council told priests (Ibid), "Rather than be held back by perils and hardship in their apostolic labors they should rise to greater holiness, nourishing and fostering their actions with an overflowing contemplation." In order to be faithful in our ministry, we must first be faithful to contemplative prayer, nourishing a deep bond of love with Christ.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, Pope Benedict has proposed St. John Vianney as a shining example for us priests and bishops to follow. Recalling the fidelity of this patron saint of priests, the Holy Father is pointing us in a direction that is countercultural for the sake of the Gospel and at the same time certain to produce good fruit. The Year for Priests can also be a blessing for all members of the Church, including my niece and nephew, who are about to begin their married lives. Indeed, the faithfulness of Christ is the root and fountain for faithfulness in every Christian vocation.

© Copyright 2009 The Catholic Sun Newspaper. Used with permission. Visit www.catholicsun.org.

Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI Announcing the Year for Priests

Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,

I am glad to be able to welcome you at a special Audience on the eve of my departure for Africa, where I am going to present the Instrumentum Laboris of the Second Special Assembly of the Synod for Africa that will be held here in Rome next October. I thank Cardinal Cláudio Hummes for the kind words with which he has interpreted the sentiments you share and I thank you for the beautiful letter you wrote to me. With him, I greet you all, Superiors, Officials and Members of the Congregation, with gratitude for all the work you do at the service of such an important sector of the Church's life.

Prayer Cards

Download a copy of A Priest's Prayer prayer card from the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.

Download a copy of the Peoples' Prayer for Priests prayer card from the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.

Special Indulgence for the Year for Priests

As has been announced, the Holy Father Benedict XVI has decided to establish a special Year for Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of St John Mary Vianney, the holy Curé d'Ars, a shining model of a Pastor totally dedicated to the service of the people of God.

The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Way to Damascus by Caravaggio (1600)

The Inspiration of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio (1602)

The Calling of the Apostes Peter and Andrew by Duccio di Boninsegna

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio (1602)

The Sistine Madonna by Raphael (1514)

Vision of St. Thomas Aquinas by Stefano Di Giovanni Sassetta (1423)

Saint Benedict by Pietro Perugino (1498)


Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God's call.
— Pope Benedict XVI

Every vocation is part of a divine plan… From all eternity, since we began to exist in the plan of the Creator, He also willed us to be 'called.' He prepared in us the gifts and conditions for the personal, conscious and opportune response to the call of Christ and of the Church. It is God Who loves us, Who is Love, Who calls us.
— Pope Benedict XVI