DIOCESE OF SACRAMENTO
2110 Broadway • Sacramento, California 95818-2541 • 916/733-0258 • 916/733-0224
OFFICE OF PRIESTLY &
RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS
To:
Parish Vocation Committees, Parishes and Schools
From:
Father Brian Atienza, Director of Vocations
Date:
September 30, 2008
Subject: Priesthood Sunday
The following is information on “Priesthood Sunday,” October 26, 2008, which is a nationwide
event coordinated and sponsored by the Serra Club. This day is set aside to honor priesthood
in the United States. For your convenience, a Parish Planning Guide (English/Spanish) issued
by the USA Council of Serra International is included which you may wish to use in the preparation
for the liturgy on this special day.
Although the event is designed to be led by the laity, you might want to share your vocation story
with your parishioners on Priesthood Sunday.
We hope you will find this information helpful.
Celebrate!
PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY
October 26, 2008
What is "Priesthood Sunday"?
Priesthood Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008, is a special day set aside to honor priesthood in the United
States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the
Church as a central one.
This nationwide event is coordinated and sponsored by the USA Council of Serra
International.
What happens on Priesthood Sunday?
The lay faithful of all parishes in the country develop their own special way of marking the
day and honoring their parish priests both at Mass and other parish events, such as social celebrations and school activities.
Priesthood Sunday is designed to be an event led by the laity, but you can ask your parish
priest to participate by talking about how he experienced and answered his own calling and
about priests who have inspired him.
Priesthood Sunday offers an opportunity for priests and their parishioners to build a stronger
working relationship. Together, they can dialogue to take an honest look at the challenges of
the future and how they can collaborate to meet those challenges as a united force.
What is the USA Council of Serra International?
The USA Council of Serra International is an organization of lay men and women whose
mission is to foster and affirm vocations to the ministerial priesthood and vowed religious life
in the USA. More than 12,500 Serrans in over 300 clubs nationwide collaborate with their
bishops, parishes and vocation directors to fulfill this mission. Through this ministry, Serrans
work to further their common Catholic faith. Visit the USA Council at www.serraus.org.
1
PARISH PLANNING GUIDE
PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY
October 26, 2008
STEP ONE: Plan a liturgy
October 26, 2008
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of the day:
READING 1: Exodus 22: 20-26
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 18: 2-4, 47-50
READING 2: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
GOSPEL: Matthew 22: 34-40
For music and other liturgical ideas,
visit www.priestsunday.org
Introduction at Mass
Parishioners and lay leaders may choose to celebrate Mass as
a way to observe this special day. The parish liturgy committee may consider mentioning “Priesthood Sunday” in the
introduction to the liturgy of the day. For example:
God, through baptism, has given us the gift of his Spirit to be
faithful and loving disciples. On this, the Thirtieth Sunday of
Ordinary Time, the Church in the United States observes
"Priesthood Sunday." God blesses the universal Church with
many priests who give of their selves for Christ's people.
Their preaching, teaching and witness calls us to be as Christ
is: loving, just and compassionate. Their service to the community called Church inspires us to continue the mission of
Christ to a world in need.
Suggested Intercessions
The intercessions follow the Creed. After the intercessions,
the blessing prayer is proclaimed by the liturgical assembly
as a whole or by the chair of the pastoral council.
2
Let us offer our prayers of petition to our God, who is
Compassion and Love.
For Benedict our pope, _______________ our bishop and all
priests:May they continue to be faithful loving ministers of
Christ's mission. Let us pray to the Lord.
For nations and their governments:May they work toward
peace, justice and equity between one another and for the
people they serve. Let us pray to the Lord.
For all who have suffered abuse:May they find strength, hope
and peace. Let us pray to the Lord.
For an increase in religious vocations: May men and women
respond to the Holy Spirit's call to serve the church in the
priesthood, diaconate and religious life. Let us pray to the
Lord.
For all who suffer from sickness, depression, hunger or loneliness:May they find in our communities faithful support and
generous kindness. Let us pray to the Lord.
For nations ravaged by natural disasters: May the love of
Christ embrace the affected and the afflicted. Let us pray to
the Lord.
For all of us gathered in this holy place: May God continue
to teach us to be bearers of God's love to a world in need. Let
us pray to the Lord.
Loving and True God, hear the prayer of your people. In
your merciful love, inspire our priests to faith-filled and loving service. Answer the prayers of all who believe in you.We
ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.*
If the blessing prayer is used the above prayer* is omitted and
the following blessing is used. The assembly may be invited
to extend both hands over the priest.
In your loving kindness, O good and gracious God, you sent
your Son to be our shepherd and guide. Father ________ continues Christ's ministry of working in the vineyard by sustaining and guiding your holy people. Bless Father ________.
Let your Spirit uphold him always in his service to the people
of this parish. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The above blessing is adapted from "Blessing of Those Who
Exercise Pastoral Service" from the Book of Blessing
(Washington, D.C.: ICEL, 1987), p. 689.
Blessing of the Parish Priest(s)
A member of the parish council or other parish leadership
organization, or a deacon may invite the members of the
assembly to join in a blessing over the parish priest(s). This
blessing may take place after the prayer after communion.
This blessing is an alternate to the blessing following the
General Intercessions.
more we are open to God's offer of God's self through Jesus,
the more we are able to love God and neighbor. The basic
response of faith-filled disciples is to be open to God's love
and to love God's created, that is, human persons. By loving
God and one another, we are able to be true and faithful servants. As we know, priests are Christian disciples as well.
Their role in the Church is to teach, preach, and to witness
to the God of Jesus Christ's call to holiness. By their faithful
teaching, preaching and witness, the whole Church community grows in its mission to the God of Love in the world.
Their service to our parishes is a sacrifice. By sacrifice, we
mean, priests give their very selves in order that the whole
Church might continue to further Christ's mission left to the
Church. The intercessions follow the Creed. After the intercessions, the blessing prayer is proclaimed by the liturgical
assembly as a whole or by the chair of the pastoral council.
Concluding Prayer
You are the giver of every good gift,O God of abundant
goodness and mercy.Hear the prayer of your people,and
bring us into closer union with your Son,Jesus Christ our
Promise of Hope, in whose name we offer this prayer.He is
Lord forever and ever.
The ministries of the Church are many and varied, but God
shows God's goodness by sending priests to care for the people of God. Today we ask God to bless Father ________,
who faithfully builds up the body of Christ.
Reflection
Jesus tells the Pharisees, in today's Gospel reading, that the
greatest two commandments are to love God and love one's
neighbor. "The whole law and the prophets depend on these
two commandments" says Jesus. Jesus knew, as we do, that
the law is more than simply not "breaking the rules." Rather,
love is the foundation for being faithful disciples. The oldest
name for God is Love (see the first letter of John). In the
Exodus reading, God says, "I am compassionate." The fifth
century theologian from North Africa, Saint Augustine,
described the Trinitarian God as follows: God the Father is
the Lover, Jesus Christ is the Beloved - the one who receives
God's Love, and that love between Father and Son is the
Holy Spirit. Divine Love is perfect self-giving love. As
humans, we are created in God's image, an image of love.
Just as God continuously gives God's self to us, so too are
we called to give our love, our lives, over to one another. In
the person of Jesus the Christ, the bonds of sin were broken.
Sin, as Saint Augustine defined it, is to be curled in on one's
self. In other words, we become selfish, and when we are
selfish, we cannot love God nor another human person. The
STEP TWO: Set up a dialogue
How well do your parishioners and priests
know each other? Start a dialogue to
exchange concerns and ideas.
Use Priesthood Sunday as a starting point for opening parish
communications. Set up an informal parish meeting with
your priests. The purpose of this meeting is to give parishioners a chance to listen to priests talk about their everyday
lives and need for support, and for the priests to hear the
laity’s concerns, needs and ideas for mutual support with
priests. This meeting requires a little planning:
Consult with your priest(s) to select a date for the meeting.
Draw up a meeting agenda.
Select a volunteer parishioner to record the highlights of
the meeting’s discussion.
Decide on a start and end time for the meeting.
If you need a second meeting, repeat the steps above.
3
One afternoon, I was waiting for Mass to start at St. John’s and there
was no priest. Some nuns were visiting from New York and they said
they didn’t have a priest in all their parishes anymore, and that
Eucharistic services were common.
I thought, “What would it be like if there were no priests?” And I asked
myself, “What are you doing about it?”
Elizabeth Shrier, Serra Club of Omaha, NE
STEP THREE: Celebrate!
There are many ways to celebrate
Priesthood Sunday with the whole parish.
Here are some ideas:
Parish pot luck dinner to celebrate “Father’s Day”
Coffee cake reception following Masses
School essay, poster or poetry contest
Banner in front of church
Send press releases and photos to local press
Photo on cover of parish bulletin along with biography
Check the www.priestsunday.org “Share Ideas” section
to find out what other parishes and institutions are
doing to celebrate the event
Celebration planning:
Form a celebration committee
Select dates for the committee to meet
What parish groups would like to participate?
Select a date for the celebration
NEED HELP?
Visit www.priestsunday.org!
Expanded versions of materials in this guide are
available at the website. You may also download
graphics for parish mailings, bulletin notices, and
ads for other print materials.
Prayer of Affirmation and Strengthening
in Holiness for Priests
This composition is an arrangement of phrases from ancient
ordination liturgies (cf. Bradshaw, Ordination Rites of the
Ancient Churches of the East and West) that emphasize the
call to holiness. Ordinations always began with a Rite of
Election. The proclamation which begins this prayer was at
the end of that rite and invited the people to affirm the calling by prayer that the person would be strengthened in holiness to conform to their calling, recognizing that both calling and holiness come from God.
Divine Grace, which always heals that which is infirm and
supplies that which is lacking has called our beloved brothers to sacred ministry. Let us pray that they be confirmed
and strengthened with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Fill
them with grace and counsel, that they may love you with
all their hearts, all their minds, and all their strength. Grant
them irreproachable conduct, steadfast faith, and good
works so that they may help and guide your people with
unselfish motivation. Grant them wisdom, let their minds
be sober and watchful, so that they may be filled with works
of healing and words of instruction. May they teach your
people in meekness and serve you in holiness with a undivided mind and a willing soul. May they be the light of
your only begotten Son that the word of your gospel may be
spread and your name may be glorified in every creature.
May they serve at your holy altar with pure hearts and good
consciences. Grant that they may prosper in all your commandments and the keeping of your laws, so that they may
be able to minister joyfully on the day of your coming.
www.priestsunday.org
Sacerdocio Domingo liturgia ideas -
Sugerencias
para la Liturgia de Planificación para el sacerdocio domingo, 26 de
octubre de 2008, Trigésimo Domingo en tiempo ordinario
Introducción a la Liturgia del Día
Los feligreses y líderes laicos pueden elegir la celebración de la Santa Misa como una
manera de observar este día especial. El comité parroquial para la liturgia puede incluir
una mención sobre el “Domingo del Sacerdocio,” en la introducción de la liturgia de ese
día.
Por ejemplo:
Dios, a través del bautismo, nos ha dado el don de su Espíritu, para que seamos
discípulos fieles y amorosos. Hoy, en este trigésimo domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, la
Iglesia de Estados Unidos observa el “Domingo del Sacerdocio.” Dios bendice la iglesia
universal con muchos sacerdotes que se entregan a sí mismos por el pueblo de Cristo.
Su predicación, enseñanzas y testimonio nos hace un llamado a ser como Cristo es:
amoroso, justo y compasivo. Su servicio a la comunidad llamada Iglesia, nos inspira
para que continuemos la misión de Cristo a un mundo necesitado.
Reflexión
Jesús les dice a los fariseos en la lectura del Evangelio de hoy, que los dos
mandamientos más grandes son amar a Dios y a nuestro prójimo. “Toda la Ley y los
Profetas se fundamentan en estos dos mandamientos” dice Jesús. Jesús sabía, como
nosotros también sabemos, que la ley es algo más que simplemente no “romper las
reglas.” Más bien, es el amor el fundamento para ser discípulos fieles. El nombre más
antiguo de de Dios es Amor (ver la primera carta de Juan). En la lectura del libro del
Éxodo, Dios dice, “Soy compasivo.” El gran teólogo del siglo quinto, del Norte de África,
San Agustín, describió al Dios Trinitario de la siguiente manera: Dios Padre es el
Amante, Jesucristo es el Amado – el que recibe el amor de Dios, y ese amor entre el
Padre y el Hijo es el Espíritu Santo. El Amor Divino es amor perfecto de entrega de uno
mismo. Como seres humanos, somos creados a imagen de Dios, una imagen de amor.
De la misma manera en que Dios se da continuamente a nosotros, también así hemos
sido llamados a entregar nuestro amor y nuestras vidas por completo unos a otros. En
la persona de Jesús el Cristo, las ataduras del pecado se rompieron. El pecado, como lo
definiera San Agustín, se arraiga en nuestro interior. En otras palabras, nos hacemos
egoístas, y cuando somos egoístas, no podemos amar a Dios ni a ningún otro ser
humano. Mientras más abiertos estemos al ofrecimiento de Dios, de entregarse por
completo a través de Jesús, más nos será posible amar a Dios y al prójimo. La
respuesta fundamental como discípulos plenos en la fe, es el de permanecer abiertos al
amor de Dios y amar lo creado por Dios, a saber, los seres humanos. Al amar a Dios y
amarnos unos a otros, somos capaces de ser siervos fieles y verdaderos.
Como todos sabemos, los sacerdotes también son discípulos Cristianos, su papel
dentro de la Iglesia es el de enseñar, predicar y dar testimonio del llamado del Dios de
Jesucristo a la santidad. Por medio de su enseñanza, predicación y testimonio fiel, toda
la comunidad de la Iglesia crece en su misión con el Dios de Amor en el mundo. Su
servicio a nuestras parroquias es un sacrificio. Por medio del sacrificio, queremos decir
que los sacerdotes se entregan a sí mismos para que toda la Iglesia pueda continuar
promoviendo la misión que le dejara Cristo a la Iglesia.
Las intercesiones generales siguen después del credo. Después de las intercesiones,
se proclama la oración para la bendición, ya sea toda la asamblea litúrgica o el
presidente del consejo pastoral.
Intercesiones Generales (opcionales)
Introducción:
Ofrezcamos nuestras oraciones y peticiones a nuestro Dios de
Compasión y Amor.
Por nuestro Papa Benedicto, _____________________ nuestro obispo y todos los
sacerdotes:
Para que continúen siendo ministros amorosos y fieles a la misión de Cristo. Oremos al
Señor.
Por las naciones y sus gobiernos:
Para que trabajen por la paz, justicia e igualdad entre unos y otros y por los pueblos a
los que sirven. Oremos al Señor
Por todos aquellos que han sufrido alguna forma de abuso:
Para que encuentren fortaleza, esperanza y paz. Oremos al Señor.
Por el aumento de las vocaciones religiosas:
Para que hombres y mujeres respondan al llamado del Espíritu Santo de servir a la
Iglesia por medio del sacerdocio, diaconado y vida religiosa. Oremos al Señor
Por todos aquellos que sufren enfermedades, depresión, hambre ó soledad.
Para que encuentren en nuestras comunidades verdadero apoyo y compasión
generosa. Oremos al Señor.
Por aquellas naciones devastadas por desastres naturales:
Para que el amor de Cristo abrace a los afectados y a los afligidos. Oremos al Señor
Por todos nosotros reunidos en este santo lugar:
Para que Dios continúe enseñándonos a ser portadores del amor de Dios a un mundo
necesitado. Oremos al Señor
Dios de la verdad y del amor, escucha la oración de tu pueblo.
Inspira a nuestros sacerdotes, con tu misericordioso amor, a un servicio lleno de fe y
amor.
Escucha las oraciones de todos los que creen en Ti.
Te lo pedimos por Cristo nuestro Señor, Amen.*
Bendición del (los) Sacerdote(s) de la Parroquia
Un miembro del consejo parroquial u otra organización líder de la parroquia o un
diacono, puede invitar a los miembros de la asamblea a unirse a la bendición del (los)
sacerdote(s) de la parroquia. Esta bendición puede llevarse a cabo en seguida de la
oración después de la comunión. Esta bendición puede usarse en vez de la bendición
después de las intercesiones Generales.
Los ministros de la Iglesia son muchos y diversos, pero Dios muestra su bondad al
enviar sacerdotes para cuidar del pueblo de Dios. Hoy le pedimos a Dios que bendiga al
Padre ____________, quien fielmente construye el cuerpo Cristo.
Si se usa la oración para la bendición, la oración anterior se omite* y se usa la siguiente
bendición. Se invita a la asamblea a que extienda las manos sobre el sacerdote.
En tu amorosa bondad, Dios bueno y amable, enviaste a tu Hijo a ser nuestro pastor y
guía. Padre ___________ continúa el ministerio de Cristo de trabajar en el viñedo
sosteniendo y guiando a tu santo pueblo. Bendice al Padre _____________. Permite
que tu espíritu lo sostenga siempre en su servicio para la gente de esta parroquia. Te lo
pedimos por Cristo nuestro Señor, Amén.
La Bendición anterior es una adaptación de la “Bendición por Aquellos que Ejercen
Servicio Pastoral” del Libro de Bendiciones (Washington, D.C.: ICEL, 1987), Pág. 689.
Oración Final:
Tú eres el dador de todo don bueno,
Dios de abundante bondad y misericordia.
Escucha la oración de tu pueblo,
y condúcenos a una unión más cercana con tu
Hijo,
en cuyo nombre te ofrecemos esta oración.
El es Dios por los siglos de los
siglos.
Oración Para La Reafirmación Y Fortalecimiento De Los
Sacerdotes En La Santidad:
Esta composición es un arreglo de una serie de frases tomadas de liturgias antiguas
para la ordenación, (véase: Bradshaw, Ritos de Ordenación de las Iglesias Antiguas de
Oriente y Occidente), que enfatizan el llamado a la santidad (integridad, pureza). Las
Ordenaciones siempre comienzan con el Rito de Elección. La proclamación que da
comienzo a esta oración se encontraba al final de este rito e invitaba al pueblo a
reafirmar este llamado por medio de oración, pidiendo que la persona fuese fortalecida
en la santidad en conformidad con su llamado, reconociendo que ambos, el llamado y la
santidad, provienen de Dios.
Divina Gracia, quien siempre sanas aquello que está enfermo y provees aquello que
hace falta, haz llamado a nuestros amados hermanos a un ministerio sagrado. Oremos
para que sean confirmados y fortalecidos con la gracia del Espíritu Santo.
Llénalos
de gracia y consuelo, para que te amen con todo su Corazón, toda su mente y toda su
fuerza. Concédeles una conducta irreprochable, una fe firme, y buenas obras, para que
puedan ayudar y guiar a tu pueblo con generoso entusiasmo.
Concédeles sabiduría, permite que sus mentes sean mesuradas y atentas, para que
puedan llenarse de obras de sanación y palabras de conocimiento. Permíteles que
instruyan a tu pueblo en la mansedumbre y que te sirvan con toda santidad con una
mente y un espíritu deseoso.
Concédeles ser la luz de tu único Hijo que procede del Padre, para que la palabra de tu
evangelio sea propagada y tu nombre sea glorificado en toda creatura.
Permíteles
servir en tu santo altar con corazones puros y conciencias limpias. Concédeles
prosperar en todos tus mandamientos y en el cumplimiento de tus leyes, para que
puedan servir gozosamente en su ministerio el día de tu venida.