The Holy Father is the first pastor of all priests. On June 18 he wrote a letter to all those who are ordained, announcing the opening of a “Year of the Priest” and placed the observance under the patronage of St. John Vianney (the Curé of Ars), whose 150th anniversary of death is this year. It is a letter for priests, but I want to share some of the pope’s thoughts with those who are not ordained because the reflections are reminders to all of us of our sacramental heritage.
The Holy Father is clear about why he dedicated the next 12 months to the Catholic priesthood: “To deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful witness to the Gospel in today’s world.”
The pope recalls lovingly the memory of his first pastor when he was a newly-ordained priest, a man of “unreserved devotion to his pastoral duties, even to meeting death in the act of bringing Viaticum to a gravely ill person.”
And Pope Benedict reminds us that throughout the course of the centuries, many, many priests have suffered because of persecution from civil government, misunderstanding on the part of parishioners, false judgments of people, etc. But he also reminds us of the “situations never sufficiently deplored of infidelity on the part of some of (the church’s) ministers, (giving) grounds for scandal and rejection.” He is acknowledging the recent sexual abuses, which in the U.S. have constituted the greatest scandal the American church has known. Now especially is the time for priestly renewal in holiness.
The Holy Father spends a good part of his letter writing about St. John Vianney, who died in 1859. St. John was a man of simple talents, never very good with book learning, who because of his scholastic difficulties was ordained only because his pastor assured the bishop that John Vianney was truly a holy person and that counted as much as scholastic knowledge.
The Curé of Ars transformed his little parish of Ars. When the bishop appointed him, he said to him: “There is little love of God in that parish. You must be the one to put it there.” The Curé of Ars preached basic Christian truths, spent hours in church praying and was available for confession and consultation to all who came. He met stiff opposition in the beginning because he railed against work on Sunday, excessive drinking, foul language and dancing. But the grace of God triumphed. Later, visitors to Ars would comment that they heard no more foul language in the streets or in the fields, that all except one of the taverns had closed, that most of the parishioners went to church two or three times on Sundays, and all regarded their pastor as a saint.
John Vianney was a humble man. He remarked once: “Among other priests, I am an idiot.” But people came to hear him preach. He was not a great orator. By no means. But people wanted to hear the simple truths said with utter conviction and love. They wanted to hear: “The good savior is so filled with love that he seeks us everywhere” — “One need not say much in order to pray well” — “Come to Communion. Of course you are not worthy of him but you need him.”
From all over France, people flocked to the Curé of Ars for the sacrament of reconciliation; sometimes he was in the confessional (an uncomfortable box with a hard wooden seat) for 16 hours a day. He once told a fellow priest: “I give sinners a small penance and the rest I do in their place.” His austerities and fasting were legendary.
St. John Vianney also had a deep appreciation of the priesthood. He would remind his parishioners: “Without the sacrament of holy orders, we would not have the Lord.”
Pope Benedict cites the example of St. John Vianney in order to encourage the priest of today to take him as an example, at least in regard to his spirit. And the pope notes that the saint did not blind himself to the need for active ministries in the parish. The Curé of Ars visited the sick, organized missions, collected funds for charitable works, founded an orphanage (which he managed), provided education (especially for girls) and established confraternities.
This was the letter from my pastor. Please pray for me and all priests during this year that we may take seriously the Holy Father’s words.
Father John A. Leies, SM, STD, is president emeritus of St. Mary’s University and also served as the head of the Theology Department there.