A report from St Peter's Square as the Pope launches the Year for Priests

Southwark priest Fr James Clark was in St Peter's Square as Pope Benedict launched the Year for Priests. This is his report from the Vatican.

At the close of World Youth Day in Sydney 2008 the Holy Father encouraged all the young people gathered in their thousands to “strive for holiness”. It would appear to me that the Year for Priests is a similar message to us priests - why else would it begin on the Feast of the Sacred Heart the day of sanctification of priests?

The holiness of the priest, whether he is in parish ministry or in some form of chaplaincy ministry, clearly affects the holiness of the people placed in his care. The priest is not simply the shepherd of the flock, he is also a role model for the whole of his people and therefore we need holy priests not just ordained men working in the Lord’s vineyard.

When I first heard of this personal initiative of Pope Benedict XVI, I was immediately struck by his clear love and fatherly care for us priests and so I wanted to show my support and gratitude to him by attending the opening of this important year in the life of the whole Church.

St Peter's - alive with young priests, religious, seminarians and families

I arrived in Rome the day before the opening ceremony (my day off!) so as to be able to catch up with brother priests and seminary student friends for an evening meal during which we discussed, among other things, the Friday evening gathering with the Holy Father and the relic of St John Vianney which would be processed during the opening ceremony. The next day we met at the Obelisk in St Peter’s Square an hour before it was all due to begin and joined the very long queue into the Basilica itself.

St Peter’s was not simply alive with young priests, religious and seminary students but also young local families who had come to pray alongside Pope Benedict for their priests and future priests. It was the Feast of the Sacred Heart - another clear message from the Holy Father that the heart of all priests ought to be modelled on that of the Lord’s to burn with compassion for souls. In fact during his sermon His Holiness said:

“Dear brothers and sisters, let us pause together to contemplate the pierced Heart of the Crucified One. We have heard again, just now, in the brief Reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians, that 'God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ... and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus' (Eph 2: 4-6). To be in Jesus Christ, is to be already seated in heaven.” Quote taken from Zenit.org.

Consecrated to serve humbly and authoritatively the common priesthood of the faithful

The words of the Holy Father clearly grasped everyone’s attention as you could sense everyone listening to his every word. Pope Benedict then went on to address all the priests present, including himself, about St John Vianney the patron saint of all priests:

“If it is true that Jesus' invitation to 'abide in my love' (cf. Jn 15: 9) is addressed to every baptized person, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Day for priestly sanctification, this invitation resounds more powerfully for we priests, particularly this evening at the solemn inauguration of the Year for Priests, which I wanted to be celebrated on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Holy Curé d'Ars.

"One of his beautiful and moving sayings, cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, immediately springs to my mind: 'The Priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus' (n. 1589).

"How is it possible not to remember with emotion that the gift of our priestly ministry flowed directly from this Heart? How can we forget that we priests were consecrated to serve humbly and authoritatively the common priesthood of the faithful?

"Ours is an indispensable mission, for the Church and for the world, which demands full fidelity to Christ and in unceasing union with him this to remain in his love means that we must constantly strive for holiness, this union, as did St John Mary Vianney.” Zenit.org

The Holy Father's words were personal it was like listening to a parent giving advice and encouragement to their own child. A warm message to keep doing the good work that we are doing but to remember the need to grow in our love for Christ and his people by coming ever closer to the Lord through a daily heart to heart with him especially through Eucharistic adoration.

Praying for those going through difficulties and those in moments of tremendous joy in their ministry

The full text of his sermon is truly worth reading and meditating upon alongside that of his Letter for the Year for Priests. Before he concluded his sermon Pope Benedict added if you like a final reminder to what the Year for Priests is all about; “The Church needs holy priests; ministers who can help the faithful to experience the merciful love of the Lord and who are his convinced witnesses... May the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, accompany us during the Year for Priests which we are beginning today, so that we are able to be sound and enlightened guides for the faithful whom the Lord entrusts to our pastoral care. Amen!”

It is a wonderful gesture of the Holy Father to request that the Church, the body of Christ (local and universal) pray for priests, to pray for those going through difficulties and those in moments of tremendous joy in their ministry. I hope and pray that this “Year” will not only bring a closer bond between priests and their people but also awaken in the hearts and minds of young men a strong desire to offer themselves to God in response to his call to the sacred priesthood.

At the end of Evening prayer and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament we dispersed out into St Peter’s Square and I met many young seminary students and brother priests who were all filled with joy and happiness to have been encouraged by the Holy Father in doing the Lord’s work.

An hour later crowds of us gathered once again around the famous Obelisk and one of the Cardinals led us in the rosary for the Holy Father as a gesture of our love and support to him. By 11.30pm the evening was over and everyone started to make their way back to their homes, seminarys, convents etc.

The streets were filling up with people carrying lighted candles, whilst others remained in the Square singing hymns and meeting old friends.

Fr James Clark is a priest of the Southwark Diocese and is chaplain to St John’s Catholic Comprehensive school, Gravesend, chaplain to Medway Maritime Hospital and chaplain to the two Young Offenders' Institutes in Rochester.