Dear friends in Christ,
During the month of July this year, the Holy Father asked that the faithful pray for their priests. It also
happens that as we begin this month of August the 4th of August is the Feast of St. John Vianney, the
patron saint of parish priests. There were two questions that came to my mind as I reflected on this
bulletin article: The Greatest Joy being a priest and the Greatest Challenge of being a priest. I am
comforted when I recall one story from the life of St. John Vianney. Every year a small group of
parishioners would ask St. John to say Mass for a special intention. They would not, however, tell him
the intention itself. He happily complied with their request. However, after a few years, he asked them
again the intention for which they requested this annual Mass. Finally one of the parishioners told him:
The intention was for a new pastor! St. John Vianney smiled. This story reminds me that no matter how
holy and zealous one can be in the ministry there is always someone you’ll never make happy. And that
is an important lesson I’ve learned through the years. We must not be distracted by the negative and
the only One we must please is God Himself. The greatest joy of my ministry, it is unquestionably
celebrating the Eucharist. To stand in the person of Christ and to say the words of consecration that
Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, and to give Christ to his people is the greatest joy of my ministry. When I
celebrate Mass I personally experience the truth that the Second Vatican Council fathers taught, that
the Sunday Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life…” The Eucharist continually feeds
me, challenges me, gives me solace and comfort that Jesus has never abandoned us. St. John Vianney
experienced this truth in his priestly ministry. He wrote: "All the good works in the world are not equal
to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God.
Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the
sacrifice of God for man." Each day when I pray in my chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, I ask the
Lord to give me new vision, courage and deeper faith. I have had through my travels, the opportunity to
visit some countries where people are not free to practice their faith openly. I remember speaking to a
young Catholic couple from Egypt. They had to celebrate Mass in their home in secret every Sunday with
their Catholic friends and family, ministered to by a clandestine priest, because the authorities would
have executed all of them if they were found out. I have seen how deeply important the Eucharist is to
the people who live within a system where religious freedoms is suppressed. Sometimes, I think we take
for granted how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate the Eucharist without fear of being persecuted.
Sometimes, we who live in the "free world" fail to cherish how important the freedoms we have until those freedoms are challenged or taken away. Secondly, is regarding the Greatest Challenge to the
ministry. For me, one of the greatest challenges for the priest is how to inspire faith among a growing
fearful, divisive, and increasingly hostile culture. How do we make the Gospel available to men and
women who are searching for meaning and purpose? I know that only Jesus can satisfy our deepest
desires. How do we invite and propose the Good News in a culture that is so selfish and self-serving,
where apathy abounds and loneliness and alienation seem so evident? How do we do this without
becoming discouraged ourselves? Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote in his pastoral letter, called Evangelization
in the Modern World: “It [discouragement] is all the more serious because it comes from within. It is
manifested in fatigue, disenchantment, compromise, lack of interest and above all lack of joy and
hope. (EN #80)
I know personally, that in the end, I must start with myself. Am I praying? Am I seeking a deeper
relationship with the Lord? Do I see my whole life, my priorities, choices and hopes in the light of Jesus
and His Kingdom? Change must start with me. When I stand at the altar at Mass to say the words of
consecration I always experience a deep moment of peace and oneness with Our Lord. Over these 28
years the Eucharist and my relationship with Jesus has sustained me. I’ve seen many priests leave the
ministry – some of them my own classmates – I’ve known many people who have been deeply affected
the clergy abuse scandal. Some days it seems overwhelming the task before us. But I am filled with hope
and confidence that our Lord will see us through all these challenges. There go I but for the grace of
God. Please pray for your priests and ask the Lord to send more workers into the harvest fields. St. John
Vianney pray for us.
God bless,
Fr. Dennis
During the month of July this year, the Holy Father asked that the faithful pray for their priests. It also
happens that as we begin this month of August the 4th of August is the Feast of St. John Vianney, the
patron saint of parish priests. There were two questions that came to my mind as I reflected on this
bulletin article: The Greatest Joy being a priest and the Greatest Challenge of being a priest. I am
comforted when I recall one story from the life of St. John Vianney. Every year a small group of
parishioners would ask St. John to say Mass for a special intention. They would not, however, tell him
the intention itself. He happily complied with their request. However, after a few years, he asked them
again the intention for which they requested this annual Mass. Finally one of the parishioners told him:
The intention was for a new pastor! St. John Vianney smiled. This story reminds me that no matter how
holy and zealous one can be in the ministry there is always someone you’ll never make happy. And that
is an important lesson I’ve learned through the years. We must not be distracted by the negative and
the only One we must please is God Himself. The greatest joy of my ministry, it is unquestionably
celebrating the Eucharist. To stand in the person of Christ and to say the words of consecration that
Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, and to give Christ to his people is the greatest joy of my ministry. When I
celebrate Mass I personally experience the truth that the Second Vatican Council fathers taught, that
the Sunday Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life…” The Eucharist continually feeds
me, challenges me, gives me solace and comfort that Jesus has never abandoned us. St. John Vianney
experienced this truth in his priestly ministry. He wrote: "All the good works in the world are not equal
to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God.
Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the
sacrifice of God for man." Each day when I pray in my chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, I ask the
Lord to give me new vision, courage and deeper faith. I have had through my travels, the opportunity to
visit some countries where people are not free to practice their faith openly. I remember speaking to a
young Catholic couple from Egypt. They had to celebrate Mass in their home in secret every Sunday with
their Catholic friends and family, ministered to by a clandestine priest, because the authorities would
have executed all of them if they were found out. I have seen how deeply important the Eucharist is to
the people who live within a system where religious freedoms is suppressed. Sometimes, I think we take
for granted how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate the Eucharist without fear of being persecuted.
Sometimes, we who live in the "free world" fail to cherish how important the freedoms we have until those freedoms are challenged or taken away. Secondly, is regarding the Greatest Challenge to the
ministry. For me, one of the greatest challenges for the priest is how to inspire faith among a growing
fearful, divisive, and increasingly hostile culture. How do we make the Gospel available to men and
women who are searching for meaning and purpose? I know that only Jesus can satisfy our deepest
desires. How do we invite and propose the Good News in a culture that is so selfish and self-serving,
where apathy abounds and loneliness and alienation seem so evident? How do we do this without
becoming discouraged ourselves? Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote in his pastoral letter, called Evangelization
in the Modern World: “It [discouragement] is all the more serious because it comes from within. It is
manifested in fatigue, disenchantment, compromise, lack of interest and above all lack of joy and
hope. (EN #80)
I know personally, that in the end, I must start with myself. Am I praying? Am I seeking a deeper
relationship with the Lord? Do I see my whole life, my priorities, choices and hopes in the light of Jesus
and His Kingdom? Change must start with me. When I stand at the altar at Mass to say the words of
consecration I always experience a deep moment of peace and oneness with Our Lord. Over these 28
years the Eucharist and my relationship with Jesus has sustained me. I’ve seen many priests leave the
ministry – some of them my own classmates – I’ve known many people who have been deeply affected
the clergy abuse scandal. Some days it seems overwhelming the task before us. But I am filled with hope
and confidence that our Lord will see us through all these challenges. There go I but for the grace of
God. Please pray for your priests and ask the Lord to send more workers into the harvest fields. St. John
Vianney pray for us.
God bless,
Fr. Dennis
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