3-Year-Old Samuel Jaramillo "Celebrates" Mass and Wants to Be a Priest

A three-year-old Colombian boy has garnered attention across the internet for a video in which he dons priestly garments and “celebrates” Mass, reciting the liturgy from memory...

 

His relatives told reporters that last Christmas, Jaramillo did not ask for toys like most kids his age. Instead, he wanted “priest’s clothes” and the objects necessary to “celebrate” Mass.

 

He has learned to recite the Mass from memory with the corresponding pauses, intonations and gestures of an experienced priest...

 

In an interview with RCN television, Jaramillo said he wants to be a priest when he grows up.

 

~ Excerpts from here. ~

 

 

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Why the Church Cannot Change the Priesthood to Allow Women Priests

"In theology we base ourselves not on human expectations, but we base ourselves on the revealed Word of God--on what God has said--and the priesthood is not a natural human social function.  The Catholic priesthood is tied with the unique priesthood of Christ, which means we are not free to invent the priesthood according to our own customs, according to our own expectations.  We interpret the priesthood through Christ, and the Catholic priesthood has been instituted by Christ--not invented by the Church. 

 

"The apostles were not elected.  They were not designated by the crowds.  They didn't propose themselves.  They were chosen by Christ.  He chose men as priests.

 

"At the Incarnation the Son of God became flesh, and became flesh not in a sexless humanity but as a male.  So this is the fundamental reason why the Church cannot change the priesthood, the understanding of the priesthood, allowing for the ordination of women."

 

~ Dominican Father Wojciech Giertych, theologian of the papal household ~

 

 

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Fr. Raymond Nobiletti, M.M.: Maryknoll Priest, 9/11 First Responder and Survivor

"...the phone rang and a neighboring parish priest asked if I could go immediately to the World Trade Center. Priests were needed to minister to the wounded. The office TV then revealed that this was no small plane crash."

"Stunned by the image of the towering inferno, I was in a daze while collecting the Holy Oils, stole, and prayer book needed to administer the Sacraments. This would not be the first time in 30 years of priesthood that I would walk into a disaster such as this. In 1972 in Hong Kong, I was waist deep in the mud of a landslide that took the lives of 72 people. I learned how important it was to be an instrument of God’s presence and am still humbled by that privilege. I knew that the presence of a priest would be important to both survivors and responders that morning at the World Trade Center."

"God’s presence was made visible in the Sacraments of the Church, the ministry of the priesthood, and the compassion shown toward the victims by the first responders. It was spontaneous and unexpected as are so many important and meaningful occasions of God’s presence in the face of evil. God’s grace led me down to the World Trade Center that day. The needs of the people and victims were more important than the risk of being there. I did think that I would see God face-to-face that morning."

"The recognizable presence of a priest who represents the compassion and forgiveness of God should never be underestimated, especially in the midst of sudden crisis or in the face of such evil. The presence of God and the grace of God was and still is tangible at Ground Zero.

What a gift and privilege it was to be an instrument of God’s grace and part of the team of people from all walks of life who made God so present to all on that day. In our own life journey everyday, we continue to experience God’s presence in these people and this place.

 

Father Raymond Nobiletti, M.M., excerpts from his remembrance of 9/11

Chinatown, New York City,

September 2011

Lord, give me comfort, give me strength, give me hope in the face of sorrow. Give me the knowledge that you are beside me today and every tomorrow. Let me be there for others who reach out to me in their time of need. Let me follow the path you set for me, no matter where it may lead.

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI Counsels Seminarians in Madrid During World Youth Day 2011

"To be modeled on Christ, dear seminarians, is to be identified ever more closely with him who, for our sake, became servant, priest and victim. To be modeled on him is in fact the task upon which the priest spends his entire life. We already know that it is beyond us and we will not fully succeed but, as St Paul says, we run towards the goal, hoping to reach it (cf. Phil 3:12-14).

"That said, Christ the High Priest is also the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep, even giving his life for them (cf. Jn 10:11). In order to liken yourselves to the Lord in this as well, your heart must mature while in seminary, remaining completely open to the Master. This openness, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit, inspires the decision to live in celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and, leaving aside the world’s goods, live in austerity of life and sincere obedience, without pretence."

"Under the guidance of your formators, open your hearts to the light of the Lord, to see if this path which demands courage and authenticity is for you. Approach the priesthood only if you are firmly convinced that God is calling you to be his ministers, and if you are completely determined to exercise it in obedience to the Church’s precepts.

"With this confidence, learn from him who described himself as meek and humble of heart, leaving behind all earthly desire for his sake so that, rather than pursuing your own good, you build up your brothers and sisters by the way you live, as did the patron saint of the diocesan clergy of Spain, St John of Avila. Moved by his example, look above all to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests. She will know how to mould your hearts according to the model of Christ, her divine Son, and she will teach you how to treasure for ever all that he gained on Calvary for the salvation of the world. Amen."

~ Pope Benedict XVI; excerpts from Eucharist with Seminarians Homily, August 20, 2011 ~ 

 

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Abp. Chaput: Priests Needed for the Ongoing Presence of Christ in the World

"No matter how many other things bear good fruit for the Gospel in our day, there is no ongoing presence of Jesus Christ in the world without the Church; there is no Church without the Eucharist; and there is no Eucharist without the priest.

"As a result, in every generation, we always need good priests: well-formed men of hope and courage; men who love Jesus Christ, love the Church and are eager to serve God’s people. And—equally important—we need a community of believers that will encourage these men, and support them as a family in their sacrifices."

~ Archbishop Charles Chaput; excerpt from here. ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena: Priests Are the Anointed of the Lord

"Take caution to see priests only as the dispensers of the Blood of the humble, Immaculate Lamb and overlook the faults you may see in them. A priest is a man and therefore fallible and capable of making mistakes, but this does not prevent him from being the Anointed of the Lord, marked forever with the indelible sign and having the power to consecrate the Body of Christ and administer the sacraments and to preach to the people in the name of God."

~ St. Catherine of Siena ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI: Recollections of 60 Years of Priestly Ministry

"He grants me the almost frightening faculty to do what only he, the Son of God, can legitimately say and do: I forgive you your sins. He wants me – with his authority – to be able to speak, in his name (“I” forgive), words that are not merely words, but an action, changing something at the deepest level of being. I know that behind these words lies his suffering for us and on account of us. I know that forgiveness comes at a price: in his Passion he went deep down into the sordid darkness of our sins. He went down into the night of our guilt, for only thus can it be transformed. And by giving me authority to forgive sins, he lets me look down into the abyss of man, into the immensity of his suffering for us men, and this enables me to sense the immensity of his love. He confides in me: “No longer servants, but friends”. He entrusts to me the words of consecration in the Eucharist. He trusts me to proclaim his word, to explain it aright and to bring it to the people of today. He entrusts himself to me. “You are no longer servants, but friends”: these words bring great inner joy, but at the same time, they are so awe-inspiring that one can feel daunted as the decades go by amid so many experiences of one’s own frailty and his inexhaustible goodness."

"Sixty years of priestly ministry – dear friends, perhaps I have spoken for too long about this. But I felt prompted at this moment to look back upon the things that have left their mark on the last six decades. I felt prompted to address to you, to all priests and bishops and to the faithful of the Church, a word of hope and encouragement; a word that has matured in long experience of how good the Lord is. Above all, though, it is a time of thanksgiving: thanks to the Lord for the friendship that he has bestowed upon me and that he wishes to bestow upon us all. Thanks to the people who have formed and accompanied me. And all this includes the prayer that the Lord will one day welcome us in his goodness and invite us to contemplate his joy."

~ Pope Benedict XVI; excerpts from  Homily 6/29/11 ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI: Significance of the Pallium Bestowed Upon Archbishops

"The metropolitan archbishops appointed since the feast of Saints Peter and Paul last year are now going to receive the pallium. What does this mean? It may remind us in the first instance of Christ’s easy yoke that is laid upon us (cf. Mt 11:29f.). Christ’s yoke is identical with his friendship. It is a yoke of friendship and therefore “a sweet yoke”, but as such it is also a demanding yoke, one that forms us. It is the yoke of his will, which is a will of truth and love. For us, then, it is first and foremost the yoke of leading others to friendship with Christ and being available to others, caring for them as shepherds. This brings us to a further meaning of the pallium: it is woven from the wool of lambs blessed on the feast of Saint Agnes. Thus it reminds us of the Shepherd who himself became a lamb, out of love for us. It reminds us of Christ, who set out through the mountains and the deserts, in which his lamb, humanity, had strayed. It reminds us of him who took the lamb – humanity – me – upon his shoulders, in order to carry me home. It thus reminds us that we too, as shepherds in his service, are to carry others with us, taking them as it were upon our shoulders and bringing them to Christ. It reminds us that we are called to be shepherds of his flock, which always remains his and does not become ours. Finally the pallium also means quite concretely the communion of the shepherds of the Church with Peter and with his successors – it means that we must be shepherds for unity and in unity, and that it is only in the unity represented by Peter that we truly lead people to Christ."

~ Pope Benedict XVI; excerpt from Homily on 6/29/11 ~

~ Related posts about the pallium and about the wool used for the palliums here ~

Archbishop José Horacio Gómez from Los Angeles received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI during a ceremony in the Vatican. Other three American archbishops also received the pallium: Archbishop James Peter Sartain from Seattle; Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley from Oklahoma City; and Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, from San Antonio.

Among the 40 new archbishops, also Gerard Cyprien Lacroix, from Québec (Canada) received the pallium. The pallium is a garment used by archbishops as a sign of communion with the Pope.

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

The Mystery of Christ Made Present in the Hands of His Priests

"...in God's plan, Christ's gift of himself is made present in the Eucharist through that potestas sacra, which the sacrament of Orders confers upon you priests. When we celebrate Holy Mass we hold in our hands the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of God, which is Christ, the grain that breaks open in order to increase and to become the true food of life for the world. It is something that cannot but fill you with deep wonder, lively joy and immense gratitude: love and the gift of the Crucified and Glorious Christ now pass through your hands, your voice, your heart! It is an ever new experience of wonder to see that the Lord brings about this mystery of his Presence in my hands, in my voice!"

~ Pope Benedict XVI, homily at priestly ordination ~ 

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Our Lady of Good Success Prophecies: Persecution of Priests; St. John Vianney

“The Sacred Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed and despised, for in this Sacrament, the Church of God and even God Himself is scorned and despised since He is represented in His priests. The demon will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way;  he will labor with cruel and subtle astuteness to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, will make the hatred of  bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church  fall upon all priests. This apparent triumph of Satan will bring enormous sufferings to the good Pastors of the Church, the many good priests…"

"How beloved are the priests of my Most Holy Son and myself.  I am the tender Mother of priests, whom I venerate for their sublime mission and love most tenderly!"

"From the 19th century onward, priests should love with all their soul John Baptist Marie Vianney, a servant of mine whom Divine Goodness is preparing for those centuries as a exemplary model of the humble priest.  He will not be from a noble family, so that the world will know and understand that in the eyes of God all that matters is profound virtue.

"This servant of mine, who will come to the world at the end of the 18th century, will love me with all his heart. By his words and deeds he will honor me and teach his companions to know and love me." 

[Mother Marianna (1563-1635),  St. John Vianney (1786-1859)]

~ Our Lady of Good Success to Venerable Mariana de Jesus Torres;

excerpts from The Admirable Life of Mother Marianna, Volume II by Fr. Manuel Sousa Pereira  ~

~ Excellent DVD about Our Lady of Good Success available from ProMultis Media ~

~ Much more information about Our Lady of Good Success found here and here. ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Bishop Rene Gracida: Golden Jubilee Homily

"As the date, May 23, 2009, approached I was under increasing pressure from friends to permit them to organize a big celebration in observance of the 50th Anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Believe it or not, I am a shy person. Actually, I am an introvert. My Myers-Briggs personality profile is INFJ. It is only by the grace of God, given to me by the Holy Spirit, that I am able to summon the courage to speak before large gatherings. I nearly died of stage fright when, at Cardinal Deardon’s invitation, I gave the homily at the Mass for Youth in 1976 before 10,000 people just a few years after my Episcopal ordination.

"So, in 2009 I resisted all efforts to make my Jubilee an occasion of some big public show such as a banquet or even a Mass. Yet, I did want to give thanks to God in a celebration of a public Mass. So, on Saturday, May 23, 2009, I called the Rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral and asked him if he would permit me to celebrate the regular 9:30 parish Mass the next morning. He readily agreed and so I did appear unannounced and celebrated that Mass as my Jubilee Mass. The YouTube video shows the homily of the Mass. I have written this so that you will understand the bewilderment of the congregation when I announced in my homily that it was my Jubilee Mass."

~ Bishop Gracida, from his blog ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Rite of Ordination to the Catholic Priesthood

"Nothing means more to me or gives me greater joy than to celebrate Mass each day

and to serve God's people in the Church.

That has been true ever since the day of my ordination as a priest.

Nothing has ever changed this, not even becoming Pope."

~ Blessed Pope John Paul II ~

"Priest of God, celebrate this Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass."

~ Sign on the sacristy wall of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Basilica in Emmitsburg, Md. ~

~ Rite of Ordination to the Priesthood--explanation and pictures ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Fr. Robert Barron: It's a Great Time to Be a Priest

"This is the time, I think, for all of us involved with the Church to be part of the solution;

and that's an exciting time."

~ Fr. Robert Barron ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Bishop Alexander Sample: In the Wake of Scandal--Transformation and Renewal

"A lot of young men looked at what was happening to the priesthood through the scandals, looked at what was happening to the Church, and somehow felt a deep call to come forward and to be part of a transformation, a renewal, bringing about a completely new age for the Church, a new Pentecost."

~ Bishop Alexander Sample ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

St. Alphonsus Liguori: "Like Pastor, Like Parish"

"The good morals and salvation of the people depend on good pastors.

If there is a good priest in charge of the parish,

you will soon see devotion flourishing,

people frequenting the Sacraments,

and honoring the practice of mental prayer.
Hence the proverb:

'Like pastor, like parish': Qualis pastor, talis parochia.

According to this word of Ecclesiasticus (x:2)

Those who dwell in the state, take after their ruler.'

Qualis est rector civitatis tales et in habitantes in ea."

~ St. Alphonsus Liguori ~

Please pray for the sanctification of priests. 

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Pope St. Pius X: Fruitful Ministry of Holy Priests

There is, indeed, only one thing that unites man to God, one thing that makes him pleasing to God and a not unworthy dispenser of his mercy; and that one thing is holiness of life and conduct. If this holiness, which is the true supereminent knowledge of Jesus Christ, is wanting in the priest, then everything is wanting. Without this, even the resources of profound learning (which we strive to promote among the clergy), or exceptional competence in practical affairs, though they may bring some benefit to the Church or to individuals, are not infrequently the cause of deplorable damage to them.

On the other hand, there is abundant evidence from every age that even the humblest priest, provided his life has the adornment of overflowing sanctity, can undertake and accomplish marvelous works for the spiritual welfare of the people of God; an outstanding example in recent times is John Baptist Vianney, a model pastor of souls, to whom we are happy to have decreed the honors of the Blessed in heaven.[37]

Sanctity alone makes us what our divine vocation demands, men crucified to the world and to whom the world has been crucified, men walking in newness of life who, in the words of St. Paul, show themselves as ministers of God in labors, in vigils, in fasting, in chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere charity, in the word of truth;[38] men who seek only heavenly things and strive by every means to lead others to them.

~ Pope St. Pius X; excerpt from Haerent Animo ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen. 

Pope John Paul II & Fr. Arellano: Priest Penitents and Ministers of Penance

"...The priest's celebration of the eucharist and administration of the other sacraments, his pastoral zeal, his relationship with the faithful his communion with his brother priests, his collaboration with his bishop, his life of prayer-in a word, the whole of his priestly existence, suffers an inexorable decline if by negligence or for some other reason he fails to receive the sacrament of penance at regular intervals and in a spirit of genuine faith and devotion. If a priest were no longer to go to confession or properly confess his sins, his priestly being and his priestly action would feel its effects very soon and this would also be noticed by the community of which he was the pastor.

"But I also add that even in order to be a good and effective minister of penance the priest needs to have recourse to the source of grace and holiness present in this sacrament. We priests, on the basis of our personal experience, can certainly say that the more careful we are to receive the sacrament of penance and to approach it frequently and with good dispositions, the better we fulfill our own ministry as confessors and ensure that our penitents benefit from it. And on the other hand, this ministry would lose much of its effectiveness if in some way we were to stop being good penitents. Such is the internal logic of this great sacrament. It invites all of us priests of Christ to pay renewed attention to our personal confession.

"Personal experience in its turn becomes and must become today an incentive for the diligent, regular, patient and fervent exercise of the sacred ministry of penance, to which we are committed by the very fact of our priesthood and our vocation as pastors and servants of our brothers and sisters. Also with this present exhortation I therefore address an earnest invitation to all the priests of the world, especially to my brothers in the episcopacy and to pastors of souls, an invitation to make every effort to encourage the faithful to make use of this sacrament. I urge them to use all possible and suitable means to ensure that the greatest possible number of our brothers and sisters receive the "grace that has been given to us" through penance for the reconciliation of every soul and of the whole world with God in Christ." 

~ Pope John Paul II; excerpt from Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, December 2, 1984 ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

The Consecrated and Holy Hands of Catholic Priests

“O wonderful dignity of the priests,” cries out St. Augustine;

 “in their hands, as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.”

~ From The Dignity and Duties of the Priest by St. Alphonsus Liguori ~

~ Related post:  The Beautiful Hands of a Priest ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Falsely Accused Priests: Diabolical Attacks Against Jesus Christ and His Church

“When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest,

 because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice,

and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.”

~ St. Jean Vianney, Patron Saint of  Priests ~

"An accusation leveled at a priest is a horrible thing, because it is nearly impossible today for a priest to have a fair hearing. There is no perfect justice or charity in this world, but these days falsely-accused priests don’t get anything like even the world’s “justice”. But even when priests are guilty of that by which they are accused, it doesn’t surprise me that priests are sinners or in the worst cases commit bad crimes. Yes, priests and bishops should be held to high standards. After all, even the devil holds them to high standards. The devil hates priests and works tirelessly to trip them. Holy Orders doesn’t make a man less human. Should I be surprised that priests are sinners? I am a sinner.

"The bottom line is that you cannot depend on the personal holiness of priests or bishops for your own personal holiness. The only true Holy One is the Lord."

~ Fr. John Zuhlsdorf , excerpt from here ~

~ Father Corapi,  A Call for Prayer ~

~ Father Corapi:  Convicted Already? Updated! ~

"As God is my witness, I swear as I swore on a Bible before the diocesan officials, these allegations are totally and completely untrue. My mind and my soul are bruised, beaten and trampled down. My parishioners are most supportive but I am not permitted to visit them and I cannot afford to call them by telephone. My health is not good and I had avoided many appointments with my doctors. This past Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were the worst emotionally devastating events I have ever had to endure. I was close to suicide. I suffer panic attacks, acute anxiety and severe depression. Worst of all, there is nobody that can really understand or share this onerous burden that I bear."

~ Father 'John' (not true identity), excerpt from Was Priest Falsely Accused? ~

~ Media Coverage of Opus Bono Sacerdotii ~

~ When Priests are Falsely Accused by Fr. Gordon MacRae ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.

Saint John Eudes: Characteristics of a Worthy Priest

"The worthy priest is an angel of purity in mind and body,

a cherub of light and knowledge,

a seraph of love and Charity,

an apostle of zeal in work and sanctity,

 a little god on earth in power and authority, in patience and benignity.

He is the living image of Christ in this world,

of Christ watching, praying, preaching, catechizing, working, weeping,

going from town to town, from village to village,

suffering, agonizing,

sacrificing Himself and dying for the souls created to His image and likeness...

He is the light of those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

 He is the destroyer of error, schisms and heresies,

 the converter of sinners,

the sanctifier of the just,

 the strength of the weak,

the consolation of the afflicted,

the treasure of the poor.

He is the confusion of hell,

the glory of heaven,

 the terror of demons,

the joy of angels,

the ruin of Satan's kingdom,

the establishment of Christ's empire,

the ornament of the Church..."

~ Saint John Eudes ~

~ Saint John Eudes, pray for priests and pray for the souls entrusted to their care. ~

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests.  Amen.