During a March 16 plenary assembly with members of the Congregation for the Clergy, the Pope called for the event to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, and for the “spiritual perfection” of the Church’s priests.
St. John Vianney died on Aug. 4, 1859.
“The missionary dimension of a priest arises from his sacramental configuration to Christ the head,” said the Pope, highlighting the “indispensable struggle for moral perfection which must dwell in every truly priestly heart.”
“The ecclesial, communional, hierarchical and doctrinal dimension is absolutely indispensible for any authentic mission, and this alone guarantees its spiritual effectiveness,” said Pope Benedict, adding that priests must be “present, identifiable and recognizable — for their judgment of faith, personal virtues and attire — in the fields of culture and of charity, which have always been at the heart of the Church’s mission.”
Official Inauguration of "The Year of Priesthood" in Diocese of Kanjirapally
Kottayam Metropolitan Archbishop Mar Mathew Moolakkatt Inaugurated the Celebrations for the "The Year of Priesthood" on June 19, 2009
