Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, has written a short and succinct letter to all the priests. In it, he reminds the priests that their vocation and the work they do are not their own work, but a gift from God. In fact, the priest himself is a gift from God, the archbishop writes, and his inherent dignity (bestowed upon him by the Holy Spirit) must be clearly recognisable in the entire person of the priest: his appearance, his actions, his behaviour, his entire existence.
It’s a message that not only impacts the priest, but everyone who interacts with him. In recognising what the priest is, we are led to an appropriate sense of the greater context: the faith, the Church, the sacraments.
The official English translation has been published by Zenit and I took that as the basis for my translation.
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March 6, 2010 at 08:23
Fr. Lwanga Makoboza
I am very appreciative of Archbishop Piacenza’s comments of the dignity of priesthood.
I wish each and every priest would meditate on it. It is very encouraging and makes one value the gift of priesthood.
October 8, 2010 at 12:18
Curial changes continue « In Caelo et in Terra
[...] Their successors were announced on the very same day. Cardinal Hummes, in a relatively unusual move, is succeeded by the secretary of the congregation he headed for four years. Italian Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, 66, is now the prefect. He is generally seen is an intelligent, levelheaded and honest man. As prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy he will be responsible for the affairs concerning diocesan priests, as well as the legal aspects of running parishes. In February he wrote a letter to Archbishop Eijk of Utrecht, clarifying the latter’s right to regulate employment in his cathedral parish. Archbishop Piacenza again made an appearance in my blog with a letter to all the priests. [...]