Denver Catholic

6 JUNE-JULY 2025 | DENVER CATHOLIC Burning with that pastoral char- ity that inflames the heart of Christ, the priest — and those men called to become priests — serves God's people, the Church, with everything he has. "As fathers, we lay down our lives for our family. We protect them; we provide for them. Obviously, we do that in a bit of a different way than the nuclear family does, but nevertheless, we're still fathers," Father Wallace explained, pointing to the priest's radical availability to provide the sacraments — from Confession to the Eucharist to emergency hospital visits and Anointings of the Sick. "We give ourselves completely so that we can serve the people of God." The lofty call is indeed a tall order, but at its core it is a call to love God, neighbor and Church, to live the virtue of charity, in a radical way. "Charity is at the heart of every- thing we do at the seminary. It is the core essence of spiritual priestly for- mation and the soul of priestly forma- tion in general. It animates or vivifies every other dimension of formation," Father Perez-Lopez continued, high- lighting that the spiritual, intellectual, human and apostolic dimensions of formation all come back to the central virtue. "To love the Church means, first, to become intimate friends with her Bridegroom, namely, with Jesus (see John 3:29). Jesus and the priest become one out of this intimate friendship. And from this union arises a zeal and love for the Bride of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:2)." "To love the Church is to be a man who is captivated by who the Church is in Mary and in the communion of the saints in Christ," added Father Brady Wagner, coordinator of the Propaedeutic Year, the initial year of prayer and discernment, at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver. "Through contemplating the reality of the Church in her saints, he is imbued with hope that what is true in them can be true for all. God loves to share his glory, and the priest wants to see the glory of God shining in the heart of every person." Lest the vocation to the priesthood seem too out of reach for frail human- ity, it is important to remember that God promises his grace to those who seek him, and that through, with and in him, all things are possible (see Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13). "Do not be afraid," Father Perez-Lo- pez said, quoting Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Leo XIV, when asked what advice he would give to those men discerning the lofty call to priesthood. "There is nothing better, nothing more fulfilling than doing God's will." "Do not be afraid to take a risk, to trust God, to give him a little bit of space and allow him the freedom to act in your life," added Father Wagner. "Dare to be generous in your daily life by serving others and developing good friendships. Above all, create the space of silence to hear the Lord's voice when he calls. It is hard work and it demands much from us to learn to rest and be still before the Lord, but it is worth more than all the treasures the world can offer you. It is in the grace of prayer that we hear Jesus call us his friends and share with us everything FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CALLED BY NAME CAMPAIGN, VISIT DENVERVOCATIONS.COM/ CALLEDBYNAME TO SUPPORT VOCATIONS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER, VISIT ARCHDEN.ORG/GIVENOW JOIN US FOR MASS ON THE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SANCTIFICATION OF PRIESTS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 27TH AT SACRED HEART PARISH IN DENVER! ADORATION BEGINS AT 6:00 P.M., FOLLOWED BY A BILINGUAL MASS AT 7:00 P.M. A POTLUCK MEAL WILL FOLLOW MASS. As fathers, we lay down our lives for our family. ... We do that in a bit of a different way than the nuclear family does, but nevertheless, we're still fathers. We give ourselves completely so that we can serve the people of God." FATHER JASON WALLACE ⊲

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