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2 NOVEMBER 2023 | DENVER CATHOLIC O ne of the great blessings of my ministry as the Archbishop of Denver is the presence of our two seminaries, St. John Vianney Theological Seminary and Redemptoris Mater Seminary. As a spiritual father, I enjoy spending time with the young men in the seminary, sharing meals, and watching them mature and grow into their vocational callings. Admittedly, I am fonder than most of the seminary experience because I had the privilege of helping establish St. John Vianney and was named its founding rector. The goal of the seminary is to prepare men to be ordained holy priests. Holy priests are one of the greatest gifts God can offer his people and the seminary plays a key role in their growth in holiness. The seminary first teaches men to pray, grow, and abide in a personal relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In a letter to priests, Pope Francis wrote, "At the heart of our life is not even the frenzy of activity but remaining in the Lord to bear fruit (Jn 15). He is our refreshment." 1 At St. John Vianney, the first 1 Francis, "Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Priests of the Diocese of Rome," Aug 5, 2023. year is spent building up the spiritual lives of the men to help them grow in charity and discern God's will for their lives. The pursuit of priestly holiness is seen clearly in the life of St. John Vianney himself. As patron of both priests and our specific seminary, St. John Vianney serves as an example to which our formation is directed. It is said that when he was first assigned to Ars, he got lost along the way and was guided by a local shepherd boy to the village. When they arrived at the church, St. John Vianney said to the boy, "Thank you for showing me the way to Ars... I will show you the way to Heaven." Priests are not formed to lord authority over parishes and communities of the faithful, but like Jesus, we have come not to be served but to serve (Mt 20:28). The ministry of a priest, in a unique way, shepherds the faithful to encounter Jesus Christ to reach eternal life in Heaven. We do this through falling in love with the Trinity, then flowing from this relationship, living a life of charity and devotion, through celebrating the In Persona Christi: On the Gift of Holy Priests BY ARCHBISHOP SAMUEL J. AQUILA Follow Archbishop Aquila on Social media: | ARCH B I S H O P ' S CO LU M N