An this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I celebrate my 22nd anniversary as a priest, the last four and a half years of which have been in the capacity of Bishop of Cheyenne. I have so very much to give thanks for this day. I was up very early this morning so that I could celebrate a Mass before departing (once again) for the airport. Certainly, for every priest, there is no better manner or place to give thanks for the gift of the priesthood than the altar of the Lord.
Since this anniversary falls on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, it is also a day of prayer for the sanctification of priests. I wish to invite the readership of this blog to pray for your priests, that we may be faithful to our promises, and be holy, credible witnesses to Christ, and effectively lead others to Christ. More and more, I realize that a fundamental responsibility of the priest is to work for the salvation of God’s People.
On this day, I pray not only that our priests will grow in holiness, but also, that many other young men will open their hearts to God’s call. The most important thing for any person is to discover God’s will in their life. For life to be lived to the full, it is to be discovered in God, given to God and lived for God. An0ther reason I make this prayer is because my own life as a priest has been so fulfilling and rewarding. And finally, we, the Church, God’s people, need priests.
So, dear friends, please join me in giving thanks to God for all of our priests. Please join in prayer for the sanctification of all priests. Please join me in prayer that God will bless our Church, particularly the Diocese of Cheyenne, with many more holy vocations to the priesthood!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pray for us!
+PDE
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