Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Secretary for the Congregation for the Clergy, has written to commend the Handbook for Parish Vocations teams produced by Fr Stephen Langridge, our Diocesan Vocations Director (
pictured with Fr Benedict Groeschel.) Archbishop Piacenza writes that the Handbook:
"appears to have struck a healthy balance between the centrality of the universal vocation to holiness by virtue of our baptism and the indispensable vocations to priesthood and the consecrated life by which the Church worships God, proclaims the Gospel, and witnesses to the work of Grace in her members".
He also praises the Handbook's emphasis on Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament:
"Indeed, the volume might serve as a useful resource within the apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration, fostering an awareness of the responsibility of every member of Christ's faithful to pray for and encourage vocations to the priesthood, and to faithfully understand its nature and place within the Church, particularly in view of the Year of the Priesthood recently announced by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI".
Congratulations to Fr Langridge for this recognition of his excellent resources for promoting vocations to the sacred priesthood.
3 comments:
I've met Fr Benedict Groeschel! What a holy man. I was in the Bronx attending the final vows ceremony for several of his monks while visiting with the awesome Sisters of Life. Father was just about to leave when I raced outside to his vehicle and threw myself down onto my knees. "Can I please have your blessing, Father?" I asked.
Father Groeschel looked totally exhausted and he gave me his blessing and then leaned towards me. I leaned towards him... our gazes locked... I readied myself to hear something deep and profound... all around me people were watching keenly...Fr Groeschel cleared his throat and said, "Uh, I need to get going."
I felt like such a dork! I politely removed myself and ran back inside and had the Sisters of Life roaring with laughter as I related what happened.
Something unrelated to the post but more towards the picture... I see that the priest in the cassock is not wearing a clerical cincture. I was just wondering from viewing your blog and others why it seems that so many priests do not seem to wear cassock or their clerical cincture if they are wearing their cassock. Finally why don’t priests seem to wear the biretta anymore? I know there is the “new rite” but where did it say that the biretta had to go?
Geodoc - the cincture (or fascia is it is called in Rome) is not universally worn by secular clergy. Opus Dei priests do not generally wear the fascia, for example.
The question of the cassock is interesting. It was outlawed in England and so the traditional English clerical garb was the frock coat. These are rarely seen nowadays but perhaps they should make a comeback!
Again, the biretta has made something of a comeback among younger clergy. It is no longer compulsory for Mass but I think we are seeing off the idea that it is somehow forbidden.
I find that young people are interested in all of these clerical accoutrements and they can become talking points. I refer to my biretta, for example, as the priest's "teaching hat".
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