July 6th Pastor's Message
- Communications AllSaints
- Jul 5
- 2 min read
Read this week's message from Father Don
Dear friends,
“Let us not lose sight of Jesus.” For my priestly ordination 39 years ago, this was the inspirational motto selected by myself and the two other ordinandi. Taken from the Letter to the Hebrews, this beautiful quotation has continued to inspire and challenge me throughout my years of priestly ministry.
The priesthood can only be understood in relation to Jesus Christ the saviour. It is He who gathered together a community of followers and appointed a small number of men to leadership within that community.
These men, his priests, were to faithfully share with the people the revealed truth about Christ and make him available to them through the sacraments. Like Christ, the priests were to shepherd the people entrusted to their care - to encourage, protect, and guide them on their journey toward fullness of life in Christ
Like marriage, priesthood is a beautiful vocation lived out in the joys and sorrows of ordinary life. As parents must grow in love within the messy reality of child-rearing, financial uncertainty and challenging conversations, so it is with the priesthood. Wonderful liturgies, sorrowful parishioners, secular culture and physical weariness, these are the bread and butter of priestly life.
This week I attended an ordination anniversary dinner with a small group of priests. You may imagine us sitting around the table sharing reflections on the spiritual life but, if you did, you would be wrong. The actual conversation featured countless stories of crazy experiences the men had had during their years of ministry…
There was the agile woman who somehow climbed into the cathedral rectory and emerged shortly afterward wearing multiple priestly vestments, one on top of the other. There was the disgruntled priest who muttered “Heretic!” over and over again throughout an ecumenical prayer service.
But at the dinner there was also the heartfelt gratitude a young priest expressed to his older mentor whose simple spiritual advice had deeply impacted his own ministry.
I am deeply grateful for my priesthood. It has shaped my life. Please remember to pray for the priests who labour diligently so that none of us might lose sight of Jesus.
Comments