Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Washington, DC (Agenzia Fides) - In celebration of Pope Benedict XVI's call for the "Year for Priests," Catholic University of America (CUA) will host a symposium on Oct. 6 and 7, 2009, that will explore the mystery of the priesthood in light of the Church's theological and spiritual heritage. This is what Agenzia Fides learned from a statement published by CUA.
The two-day symposium is entitled "Ministerial Priesthood in the Third Millennium: 'Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests'" and will feature talks by priests who are members of the CUA faculty, representatives of the Society of St. Sulpice and other clergy. The event will also include Q-and-A sessions and small-group discussions.
Agenzia Fides briefly interviewed Fr. David Toups, from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, on how the Symposium, an event open to priests, religious, and laity alike, hopes to serve as a response to the needs of the clergy and the Church, especially in this Year for Priests: “The symposium is one of many gatherings during this Year for Priests. Each is an opportunity to come together and grow in our understanding of and appreciation for the ministerial priesthood, a gift that Jesus gave us 2000 years ago. Every Christian must grow in knowledge of the gifts we receive, and the Year for Priests provides a particular opportunity for each Christian to grow in the knowledge of the gift that the priesthood is both for priests themselves and for all of the faithful. A greater appreciation for the priesthood helps us to grow in love for the Church and for our Lord Jesus Christ and His presence in the Eucharist.” In response to what are the main challenges facing the clergy and the Church in the United States, Fr. Toups mentioned the need to “allow Christ to be the center of our lives. We can be so busy, as Pope John Paul II said, doing the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work. For priests, this Year for Priests is a chance to refocus on the Father’s love for us as individuals and to receive that love deeply through prayer and times of silence in our daily life. Our source of strength is daily prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, as well as daily Eucharist...Like other daily appointments, prayer (our appointment with God), needs to be scheduled.This Year for Priests reminds us to do just that, realizing the importance of prayer not only for the sake of our own souls but for the sake of the people entrusted to our care.”
Fr. Toups concluded by reiterating the fact that “it is the responsibility of all the faithful to encourage vocations. Jesus tells us to 'beg the Master of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest.' It is our obligation, as members of the clergy or lay faithful, to encourage vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life both by our prayers and our words of invitation.” The CUA Symposium hopes to allow all the faithful to “grow in our knowledge of the ministerial priesthood during this Year for Priests.” (AR) (Agenzia Fides 5/10/2009)
