New Seminarians in the Spotlight

Dear ladies, I will be changing the names of the seminarians in our Seminarian Spotlight every Monday after the first Sunday. Allowing posts for the First Thursday new Priests in Focus & the First Sundays posts to be seen and reflected on by SM viewers.

We will be leaving the new names up for one month in the hope that many prayers will be offered up for each of the men mentioned. Here is our new list shown in the top left side bar.

Daniel who is descerning a vocation to the priesthood.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minnesota.

Seminarians from the diocese of St Paul – Minneapolis.

Peter Boutros

Jack Kazzi

Deacon Justin Darlow, to be ordained to the Diocesan Priesthood on the feast of The Immaculate Conception, Dec 8, 09.

Also, on the same day, Deacon Michael Grace will be ordained for the Diocese of Brisbane.

Br Paul Rowse to the Deaconate.

Matthew Kissig Borromeo Seminary in the Diocese of Cleveland.

Please pray a Glory Be for these young men, who are on their journey toward the greatest call of all, the priesthood.

 The Young men from the Diocese of St Paul & Minneapolis

From Pope Benedict’s address to Seminarians during his six-day trip to the US in 2008:

"The People of God look to you to be holy priests, on a daily journey of conversion, inspiring in others the desire to enter more deeply into the ecclesial life of believers.


I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Talk heart to heart with him. Reject any temptation to ostentation, careerism, or conceit. Strive for a pattern of life truly marked by charity, chastity and humility, in imitation of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, of whom you are to become living icons.


Dear seminarians, I pray for you daily. Remember that what counts before the Lord is to dwell in his love and to make his love shine forth for others".


In this address from Pope Benedict XVI, he mentions the qualities he sees as imperative to a seminarians spiritual and temporal life, for example; a daily journey of conversion, to strive for a pattern of life truly marked by charity, chastity and humility, in imitation of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, of whom you are to become living icons, etc, etc.
This gives us, Spiritual Mothers, a wonderful guide when offering our prayer intentions for seminarians - and priests. No one could have said it better, concise yet profound and beautiful. Let us pray for our Holy Father as well, as he continues to guide us forward in the true Church.

The Assumption and The Year of the Priest

The Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven

At the Holy Father's general audience on Wednesday the 12th of August, he drew two parallels between the Marian feast of The Assumption that we celebrate today and the Year of the Priesthood.

"The Fiat"

The Holy Father said that Mary's "Fiat" or "yes" ushered in the Incarnation, so too, "priests are called to bring Christ's saving love into the world." He went onto say, "Something truly extraordinary occurred: God made himself dependent on the freedom-- on the 'Yes'-- of one of his creatures."

The Almighty continues to ask priests, and all Christians, to carry out the work of his Church, the Pope said.

Pope Benedict reflected on the deep relationship, between the Virgin Mary and the priesthood, as he looked forward to the Solemnity of the Assumption, in this Year for Priests:

"My catechesis today is centred on Mary the Mother of priests. She looks upon them with special affection as her sons. Indeed, their mission is similar to hers; priests are called to bring forth Christ’s saving love into the world. On the cross, Jesus invites all believers, especially his closest disciples, to love and venerate Mary as their mother. Let us pray that all priests will make a special place for the Blessed Virgin in their lives, and seek her assistance daily as they bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus".

"The Curé d'Ars, who we think of this year especially - concluded Pope Benedict - loved to repeat that after Jesus Christ gave us everything he could give, he wanted to make us heirs of what was most precious to him, his holy mother".

Here is a beautiful prayer from Overheard in the Sacristy:

MARIAN PRAYER FOR THE YEAR OF THE PRIEST

O Virgin Mary, we commend to you those who seek to follow your Son as priests.

You know the difficulties, struggles and obstacles they will face. Assist them to utter their "yes" to the Divine Call as you did at the invitation of the Angel.

Draw them near to your heart so they may understand. With you the joy and beauty that awaits when the Lord calls them into His intimacy.

Make them witnesses of His Love. Enable them to inspire the Church with their consecration. May your all powerful intercession touch the hearts of many that they respond to the Lod’s call.
Repeat to them in the depth of their hearts what you said to the waiters at Cana: "Do whatever Jesus asks."

We ask this in your Son’s name.

Amen.

"Pray the Lord Of The Harvest To Send Out Labourers!"

From the booklet: Adoration, Reparartion, Spiritual Motherhood

MEETING WITH THE PRIESTS AND DEACONS IN FREISING, GERMANY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2006

“Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers.” This means that the harvest is ready, but God wishes to enlist helpers to bring it into the storehouse. God needs them. He needs people to say: Yes, I am ready to become your harvest labourer; I am ready to offer help so that this harvest which is ripening in people’s hearts may truly be brought into the storehouses of eternity and become an enduring, divine communion of joy and love.

“Pray the Lord of the harvest” also means that we cannot simply “produce” vocations; they must come from God. Unlike other professions, we cannot simply recruit people by using the right kind of publicity or the correct type of strategy. The call which comes from the heart of God must always find its way into the heart of man. And yet, precisely so that it may reach into hearts, our cooperation is needed.

To pray the Lord of the harvest means above all to ask him for this, to stir his heart and say: “Please do this! Rouse labourers! Enkindle in them enthusiasm and joy for the Gospel! Make them understand that this is a treasure greater than any other, and that whoever has discovered it, must hand it on!”

We stir the heart of God. But our prayer to God does not consist of words alone; the words must lead to action so that from our praying heart a spark of our joy in God and in the Gospel may arise, enkindling in the hearts of others a readiness to say “yes.”

As people of prayer, filled with his light, we reach out to others and bring them into our prayer and into the presence of God, who will not fail to do his part. In this sense we must continue to pray the Lord of the harvest, to stir his heart, and together with God touch the hearts of others through our prayer. And he, according to his purpose, will bring to maturity their “yes,” their readiness to respond: the constancy, in other words, through all this world’s perplexity, through the heat of the day and the darkness of the night, to persevere faithfully in his service.

Hence they will know that their efforts, however arduous, are noble and worthwhile because they lead to what is essential, they ensure that people receive what they hope for: God’s light and God’s love.

BENEDICT XVI

MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE 46th WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS 3 MAY 2009, FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Theme: Faith in the divine initiative - the human response
An Excerpt:

The exhortation of Jesus to his disciples: “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38) has a constant resonance in the Church. Pray! The urgent call of the Lord stresses that prayer for vocations should be continuous and trusting. The Christian community can only really “have ever greater faith and hope in God's providence” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 26) if it is enlivened by prayer/

Dear friends, do not become discouraged in the face of difficulties and doubts; trust in God and follow Jesus faithfully and you will be witnesses of the joy that flows from intimate union with him. Imitating the Virgin Mary whom all generations proclaim as blessed because she believed (Lk 1:48), commit yourselves with every spiritual energy, to realise the heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, cultivating in your heart, like her, the ability to be astonished and to adore him who is mighty and does “great things”, for Holy is his name (Lk 1:49).

From the Vatican, 20 January 2009
BENEDICT XVI

Prayer for the Holy Father

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all Your faithful people, mercifully look upon Your servant Pope Benedict 16th, whom You have chosen as the chief Shepherd to preside over Your Church. We beg You to help him edify, both by word and example, those over whom he has charge, that he may reach everlasting life together with the flock entrusted to him. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.