Denver Catholic

2 MAY 13-26, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE MAY 13: Priesthood ordination, Cathedral Ba- silica of the Immaculate Conception (10 a.m.) MAY 14: Mass and Confi rmation, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10:30 a.m.) MAY 16: Mass and Confi rmation, Christ on the Mountain Parish, Lakewood (7 p.m.) MAY 17: Mass (bilingual) and Confi rmation, St. Cajetan Parish, Denver (5 p.m.) MAY 18: Mass and Confi rmation, Our Lady Mother of the Church, Commerce City (6 p.m.) MAY 19: Mass and Confi rmation, Christ the King Parish, Denver (7 p.m.) MAY 20: Mass, Catholic Biblical School grad- uation, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10 a.m.) MAY 21: Mass and Confi rmation, St. Jude Parish, Lakewood (11 a.m.) MAY 23: Mass with seminarians and faculty, Redemptoris Mater Seminary chapel, St. John Paul II Center (5:30 p.m.) MAY 24: Mass, Bishop Machebeuf High School (9 a.m.) MAY 25: Mass and Confi rmation (bilingual), Our Lady of Grace Parish, Denver (6 p.m.) Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January. Denver Catholic is printed by Prairie Mountain Publishing, LLC in Boulder. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $50 a year in Colorado; $57 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $57 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $63 air; Canada, $70 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or info@archden.org. General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL A student from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School places a crown of fl owers on the head of the statue of Mary in the school's grotto during the May crowning on Friday, May 5. PHOTO BY ANDREW WRIGHT Priceless priestly gifts T he central task of the priest is "to bring God to men and women," Pope Benedict XVI once told the priests of Rome. Priests are tremendous gifts from Christ to his Church, and on May 13 I will have the joy of ordaining eight men to the priesthood for our archdiocese. As we prepare for this celebration, it is important to realize what a gift priests are for the whole Church. Faithful priests are a blessing from God for his people. God could have chosen to give us his grace in an imper- sonal manner, but just as he chose to become a man, so too, does he call and consecrate men to be his priests and bring his grace to the world. Just as he called the apostles, he still calls today! There is an element of mystery in the call to the priesthood. St. John Paul II noted this in his book "Gift and Mystery," which was born out of his thoughts on 50 years of priestly ministry. "At its deepest level," he said, "every vocation to the priesthood is a great mystery; it is a gift which infi nitely transcends the individual. Every priest experiences this clearly throughout the course of his life. Faced with the greatness of the gift, we sense our own inadequacy. A vocation is a mystery of divine election: 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, fruit that will last ….'" Every Catholic was chosen by Christ at his or her baptism and given the mission of sanctifying the world. With the support of the sacraments and the clergy, you are called to be a saint whose life and charity radiate the Gospel. It bears repeating: Jesus did not intend for you to fulfi ll this mission on your own – he gave the Church priests as his instruments who constantly remind us that Christ is the Head, Shepherd, and Bride- groom of the Church. At the Chrism Mass this year, Pope Francis, reminded priests that the Gospel they proclaim and serve can be described as "Good news. A single word – Gospel – that, even as it is spoken, becomes truth, brimming with joy and mercy." The Holy Father also counseled his fellow priests, "We should never attempt to separate these three graces of the Gospel: its truth, which is non-ne- gotiable; its mercy, which is uncondi- tional and o› ered to all sinners; and its joy, which is per- sonal and open to everyone. Truth, mercy and joy: these three go together." In serv- ing the faithful, priests are entrusted with bringing the "truth, mercy and joy" of Jesus Christ to them. As we celebrate the gift of new priests, let us all renew our e› orts to support all our priests, to pray ever more fervently for vocations to the priesthood, and to appreciate the gift they are to the Church. St. John Vianney has some insight- ful words to o› er. "The priest is not a priest for himself … he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the mis- sionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, 'What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home.' When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attack- ing the priest, because where there is no longer any priest, there is no sacri- fi ce, and where there is no longer any sacrifi ce, there is no religion."¡ The enemies of the Church would like to see the priesthood fi t in with the surrounding culture as it becomes more secular, and their tactics have not changed over the centuries. If the Church is to be faithful to her mission, then the laity and priests alike must renew their commitment to holiness and to supporting one another. We must return to our fi rst love as Pope Francis said to a gathering of priests during the Year of Mercy. "I renew my fi rst love: the memory of that time when the Lord touched my soul and called me to follow him, the memory of the joy of having cast the nets of our life upon the sea of his word." I urge you to pray that the hearts of all priests may be fi lled with the joy of the Gospel and set afl ame with the love of Jesus Christ so that may be shepherds after the heart of Jesus! Priests are a great gift of the Church and serve as a tangible example of Christ's love for us. PHOTO BY DANIEL PETTY At its deepest level, every vocation to the priesthood is a great mystery; it is a gift which infi nitely transcends the individual." ST. JOHN PAUL II " @ArchbishopDen May 7 #SealedandSent 740 young people confi rmed - Loveland region! A great celebration of the #HolySpirit & his gifts! +sja

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