By Fr. Jack Peterson
Special to the HERALD
(From the issue of 6/3/04)

The life of a Catholic priest can be very difficult at times. As a vocation in the Church, the priesthood is a call from God to a man to give himself totally and radically in loving service of his spouse — the Church. That service is principally a response, like every vocation, to the unfathomable love that God has first bestowed upon one of his dear sons. Learning how to respond properly to the love of God and learning how to serve humbly as a priest in holiness, charity and joy is a daunting task. It is important for priests to step back every so often and reflect upon this task. It is important as well for priests to gather and lend support to one another as they struggle to be authentic witnesses of the Risen Christ in our world. In light of the sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Church for the past two years, it is an ever more timely task.

The priests serving in our diocese, both diocesan and religious, had an opportunity to reflect and support one another last week. We gathered for our diocesan priests’ convocation at Carrol Valley Resort in Pennsylvania to ponder the theme: "The Joy of the Priesthood."

Convocations give priests an opportunity to step away from our busy ministries and build priestly fraternity by sharing meals, socializing, praying with one another, celebrating Mass together, and perhaps even playing a round of golf. They provide the chance to spend time with other priests that we do not see often enough because of distance and the many demands of priestly life.

Three of the five conferences were delivered by Father Stephen J. Rossetti, director of St. Luke’s Institute. Father Rossetti’s studies in theology and psychology and his work overseeing the spiritual, emotional and physical healing rendered to priests and religious who are battling with depression, addictions and other brokenness, help provide him with the tools to offer some great reflections to the priests of our diocese.

He laid out a number of clear challenges. Father Rossetti said there is no room for mediocrity in the priesthood. He recommended making a holy hour every day, before the Blessed Sacrament if possible. He encouraged us to find ways to be accountable to one another for our prayer, moral and pastoral life, such as joining Jesu Caritas, a support group for priests who meet regularly to pray, build healthy friendships and encourage one another to seek and follow the way of holiness. He spent a whole conference focusing on the need to grow in gratitude and joyfulness, and how to root our lives in these two graces.

In addition to offering some helpful insights and challenges, Father Rossetti was encouraging. His own zeal for the priesthood, his love for the Church and his dedicated service to help ailing priests were an encouragement. Additionally, he passed on some statistics from national studies, as well as from a recent study of his own, which suggested that, in spite of all of the difficult times the Church has faced in the past two years, most priests are proud to be priests, are happy to be priests, recognize that their lives make a difference in the world, and would do it all over again if they had the chance to become a priest.

Father Mark Mealey, O.S.F.S., episcopal vicar for pastoral services and moderator of the Curia, and Bishop Paul S. Loverde gave the final two conferences. Father Mealey gave a presentation on how Vatican II placed emphasis on seeking consultation from the laity on both the diocesan and parish levels. Bishop Loverde spoke to his priests as a father, addressing a number of issues dear to his heart as chief shepherd of the flock in Arlington. He began with a moving statement that what he wants most from us as his priests is that we become saints.

Overall, these few days in the Catoctin Mountains were a blessing for me and for many of the priests who serve in the Arlington diocese. It was a chance to take a short break from the pressure and demands of ministry, enjoy some priestly fraternity and reflect upon the joy and sanctity of the priesthood.