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Papal Writings on the Priesthood

Pope Francis

Speech to Priests reflecting on his 52nd Anniversary of Priesthood, February 17, 2022

Letter to Priests for the Feast of St John Vianney, August 4, 2019

Homily for Chrism Mass, March 24, 2016 "Witnesses and Ministers of Mercy"

Homily for Chrism Mass, April 17, 2014 "Anointed with the Oil of Gladness"

Homily for Chrism Mass, March 28, 2013 "The Odor of the Sheep"

Pope Benedict XVI

The Priest - the Believer

The priest must be a believer, one who converses with God. If this is not the case, then all his activities are futile. The most lofty and important thing a priest can do for people is first of all being what he is: a believer. Through faith he lets God, the other, come into the world. And if the other is not at work, our work will never be enough; When people sense that one is there who believes, who lives with God and from God, hope becomes a reality for them as well. Through the faith of the priest, doors open up all around for people: it is really possible to believe, even today. All human believing is a believing-with, and for this reason the one who believes before us is so important. In many ways this person is more exposed in his faith than the others, since their faith depends on his and since, at any given time, he has to withstand the hard-ships of faith for them….

There is a mutual given-and-take in faith in which priests and lay people become mediators of the nearness of God for one another. The priest must also nurture the humility of such receiving in himself ….

The first “task” a priest has to do is to be a believer and to become one ever anew and ever more. Faith is never simply there automatically; it must be lived. It leads us into conversation with God which involves speaking and listening to the same degree. Faith and prayer belong together; they cannot be separated. The time spent by a priest on prayer and listening to Scripture is never time lost to pastoral care or time withheld from others. People sense whether the work and words of their pastor spring from prayer fabricated at his desk.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, from A New Song for the Lord, tr. by Martha M Matesich, NY: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1996.

Pope John Paul II

Letters of Pope Saint John Paul II to Priests for Holy Thursday

Papal and Magisterial Documents on the Priesthood

  • Contact

    Contact

    Rev. Alec Sasse
    Vocations Director

    Phone: 402-310-1708
    Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Rev. Tony Schukei - Assistant Director of Vocations
    Rev. Augustine Reimers - Assistant Director of Vocations

    Rev. James Morin
    St. Gregory the Great Seminary

    Phone: 402-643-4052
    Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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