Denver Catholic

2 MAY 9-15, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the fi rst weeks of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature O– set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3215 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Text 'BISHOP' to 313131 to register SAINTS Find out more about the Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation on May 28 during a live Q&A phone call with Archbishop Aquila! ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE May 9: Mass and commencement for Augustine Institute, St. Thomas More Parish, Centennial (10 a.m.) May 10: Mass and confi rmation, Our Lady of the Mountains, Estes Park (10 a.m.) May 11: Mass and confi rmation, Immaculate Conception, Lafayette (7 p.m.) May 12: Mass and confi rmation, Holy Ghost, Denver (7 p.m.) May 13: Mass and confi rmation, St. Theresa, Frederick (7 p.m.) May 16: Priesthood ordination, Cathedral Basili- ca of the Immaculate Conception (10 a.m.) @ArchbishopDen Apr 30 Thank you #mothers, biological & spiritual, for bringing God's tender mercy, creativity & peace into the world! http://ow.ly/ Mm2pd +sja PHOTO OF THE WEEK Seminarians, faculty and sta of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary celebrat- ed the feast of St. Joseph the Worker May 1 with Mass at Christ the King Chapel followed by the annual May crowning and cookout. The bronze statue adorned with fl owers, Our Lady of New Life, was sculpted by Colorado artist Huberto Maesta and dedicated on the seminary grounds in 1999. PHOTO BY ZACHARY BOAZMAN " Without priests the Church would not be able to live that fundamental obedience which is at the very heart of her existence and her mission in his- tory, an obedience in response to the command of Christ: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations' and 'Do this in remembrance of me.'" These words come from the begin- ning of St. John Paul II's 1992 apostolic exhortation on the formation of priests, Pastores Dabo Vobis. The title comes from Jeremiah 3:15, where the Lord tells Israel, "I will give you shepherds after my own heart." The gift of the priesthood is on my mind and heart because this coming Saturday I will ordain fi ve men as priests for the arch- diocese (see related story on Page 10). At the heart of the priesthood is the call to love Jesus Christ and to serve him and his followers in the Church. Every person receives this call with their baptism, but priests in the min- isterial priesthood receive "a sacred power" through holy orders that is "no other than that of Christ" (CCC, no. 1551). I discovered my vocation after falling away from the faith during my college years and then searching for the truth in the Eastern religions. As I worked my way back into Christianity, I was convicted by the fact that Catholics recognized Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist. A deep love for the faith had always been present in me because of my Catholic upbringing and education, but the real presence and a desire to serve others are what brought me back to the Church and then to the seminary. Next weekend I will ordain Deacon Tomasz Strzebonski, a young Polish man who also experienced a call to love Christ by becoming a priest. For him, the journey began with feeling a void in his life while he was studying physics. Soon, it became an unquenchable thirst for deeper purpose and meaning and he enrolled in the diocesan seminary in Poland. But after two years he still felt that God was asking more of him, and he discovered that he was being called to become a missionary priest, here in the Archdiocese of Denver. God has a plan and a particular vocation for each and every one of us that only we can fulfi ll, and when we open ourselves to that plan, we can fi nd true joy, peace and happiness. This is true whether we are called to be a priest, sister, consecrated or married person. The Church teaches that both lay people and those called to the priestly or religious life share in the priesthood of Christ. In the catechism, we read that Jesus "has made of the Church 'a king- dom, priests for his God and Father.' The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king " (CCC, no. 1546). Fathers and mothers, you are called to lead your family in prayer and form them in the faith, thus participating in the priestly ministry of Christ. When you speak the truth in love to your chil- dren, neighbors, fellow parishioners and in the public square, you exercise your prophetic role. And when you justly and mercifully correct your children, structure the life of your family, or participate in bringing order to society, you carry out your kingly oŸ ce. This week I encourage you to give thanks for all those priests who have served you and brought you closer to Christ. Without their generous ded- ication to Christ and his Church, we would have been like sheep without a shepherd. Give thanks, too, for all par- ents who have faithfully lived out their baptismal priesthood. Without their tireless dedication and love, we may not have known Christ. Finally, I ask you to read the section on the sacrament of holy orders in the catechism (nos. 1536- 1600) to understand more fully the gift of holy orders and the ministerial priesthood. May we all commit ourselves anew to living out our call to be men and women after God's own heart! Celebrating priestly gifts ORDINATION 10 a.m. May 16 http://archden.org/livestream

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