Celebrating priests

On Friday evening of this week, the Holy Father will inaugurate a special year dedicated to priests. The details of how this year will pan out are still in the works, but I'm sure that information about the diverse ways of marking this momentous occasion will come to light in a matter of time.

The Holy Father announced this special year of prayer for priests in March of this year, asking the Congregation for Clergy to organize the efforts which will be focused on building fraternity among priests and restoring the dignity of priests among the people in the pews.

In recent years, it has become more and more challenging to be a priest, but the trials which have brought pain and suffering to many in the Church will no doubt result in a renewed commitment to the leadership born out of service that we are all called to.

Celebrating priesthood can and will take on a number of various formats. Priests in the Atlantic region of Canada are finalizing plans for a Regional Gathering of clergy which will take place in Halifax this Fall, and the National Federation of Presbyteral Councils will host an International Meeting of Clergy in September in Niagara Falls.

Regional and diocesan celebrations of various kinds are also being planned and will be made public in the coming weeks. The Year for Priests, which coincides with the 150th anniversary of the death of Saint John Mary Vianney, will be observed from June 19, 2009 (Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Preists) to June 19, 2010.