I love my priest!

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I love all the Priests & Deacons of my Parish. We are very blessed to have them in service to us. Go bless them all.
 
Thank you for starting this thread, JTTW! Our parish priest is humble and warm-hearted and such a great priest! Last week, during a talk in church, someone’s baby got away from them and crawled through the pews and into the center aisle. Fr. S. joyfully reached down and scooped up the baby for a cuddle before the happy baby was returned to his parents and it was a reminder as to how much priests must sacrifice when they choose priesthood! Thank God for these wonderful men!
 
We currently have two priests, with a third who was recently transferred to another parish not far from here. I love all my priests for all the reasons you stated. They are a real blessing to our parish, and my friend and I went to Mass a couple times where the third priest now is.
 
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I love my priest, too. For those who don’t, here is a suggestion.
The Perfect Priest
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The results of a computerized survey indicate the perfect priest preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sins but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also a janitor. He makes $50 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about $50 weekly to the poor. He is 28 years old and has preached 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with senior citizens.

The perfect priest smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls daily on parish families, shut-ins and the hospitalized, and is always in his office when needed.

If your priest does not measure up, simply send this letter to six other churches that are tired of their priest, too. Then bundle up your priest and send him to the church on the top of the list. In one week, you will receive 1,643 priests and one of them will be perfect. Have faith in this procedure.

One parish broke the chain and got its old priest back in less than three weeks.
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Our parish priest of 7 years moved to a new parish on Tuesday. So I was blessed to meet him on the Monday for a private farewell (as private as it can be with the removal men shifting furniture). I was saying farewell to a man who always made time to listen, was encouraging, patient (even though I sanctified him) and is a friend. He is a man of few words but those words are precisely to the point and very timely. He put up with me running screaming to the hills and forgave me when I reached a balance of faith and reason. He is a man that is often not appreciated by people, but very loved by those of us who got to know him and by our school. I will miss him very much. Now is the time of mourning which will end when our new priest arrives and I start to get to know him and adjust.
 
Our priest is a convert from Anglicans. He is so wonderful and humble. It really gets to me when he gives his homily and tries to describe the faith that we cradle Catholics have had all this time and didn’t appreciate–the Eucharist, Reconciliation, etc…not that all of us are cradle Catholics. That’s just my opinion when I listen to him and I think to myself, "YES, LORD! Late have we loved Thee!!! He relates so well to the whole community. He brings a tremendous wealth from his background to ours and the people appreciate it, the ones who know his background… My area isn’t Catholic so much but it seems to be growing…
 
Avila123 said:
He is a man that is often not appreciated by people, but very loved by those of us who got to know him
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This is how I would describe my own pastor. I endured years of him yelling at me for small infractions, imaginary mistakes, and errors committed by other people before I finally gained his trust (not that those events have completely gone away, but hey, the world ain’t perfect).

Despite his, um, challenging character, Father is still a wonderful priest who gives 110% for the parish. God bless him for his decades of service. ✝️
 
Here is something one of the assistant sacristans gave me that may be of benefit when we are tempted to criticize our pastors and vicars. Translated from French:
Oration of a Lay Person for the Pastors

First of all, Lord, we thank you that these men have accepted being our pastors and vicars. If by chance they would have preferred a nice pair of slippers, a wife and a home, we would be in a tough spot. And if it were like this everywhere? Thank you, my God, for having given them the courage to make this sacrifice. Thanks to them, we can be fed by the Bread of Life, build solid homes, reclaim our souls and die in peace.

Thank you, Lord, for the faults of our pastors. Perfect people have difficulty dealing with weakness. Those who are always in good health despise the sickly. Lord, you see this better than we do!

Our pastors are phenomenal. They must be teachers for our children, marriage counselors for newlyweds, psychologists for the young, masters of science and kindness in the confessional. They need to handle Church problems as theologians and open the Gospel as exegetes. With cultured people, they should be able to discuss the latest book that “everyone has read” or risk being seen as oafs. With non-Catholics, they must be wise philosophers and historians. And that’s not all!

I forget that they must respond to all greetings they receive while walking down the street. They must smile warmly even if they’re half-dead with fatigue.

I also forget that every Sunday they must be orators, cantors and sometimes even organists, and during the week they often need to be electricians, carpenters, painters, cooks, etc…

Lord, help us to judge these “universal specialists” with the indulgence required by this inhuman schedule. Help us to be satisfied if among fourteen different specialties our priest succeeds at half of them, or even a fourth.

Grant, Lord, that I may forgive him for his impatience or his mistakes. May I understand well that I only have one pastor to put up with while he has all the parishioners on his back.

Finally, grant, Lord, that I might show him that he isn’t engulfed in indifference. Help me persevere in prayer for priests and their vocations. That would be, without a doubt, the best of all.
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My priest is a big fan of St Thomas Aquinas and Caravaggio and has made it his mission this RCIA to impart his passion for them to us. He really helped me this Thursday gone, to understand the qualities humans possess that make us unique in creation. It was very encouraging.
 
Probably the best prayer ever posted int he history of CAF.
Should be made a STICKY on the Traditional Catholicism Forum. :+1:t2:
 
Hooray, for once I’ve posted something useful. 😇

God bless all of you and your priests!
 
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I’m glad there are such kind, easy-going, personable and wise priests out there. We are indeed blessed. :+1:t4:

I would simply remind those with cranky, awkward, standoffish priests that they need our love too. Had I not persevered in service with my own, I would never have gotten to know what a wonderful priest he really is. It’s a shame one needs an ax to get through the tough exterior, but I’m sure I’m no bed of roses for him to deal with either. 😊
 
I think I am going to love our new priest (I will still love and pray for our priest who moved to another parish). Our new priest is friendly and very approachable and I was pleasantly surprised to see people actually welcoming him. Wow, our congregation actually welcoming a priest instead of giving him a stiff ignoring!!
 
Our Canon is wonderful, and now we are blessed with two since our Deacon was ordained in July and assigned to stay with us as Vicar… We’re approaching the one year anniversary of the ICKSP coming to our parish, and it has brought us new life and renewal. The size of our parish has tripled (at least) and become the center of religious life for the TLM community in Detroit and surrounding areas. Mass, confession, sacraments every single day, hospital visits, rebuilding our beautiful historic building, regular devotional schedules, a series on Aquinas soon to start, regular parish social outings, classical music concerts, talent shows, children’s catechism and soon a young adult group… It’s wonderful. Many of us travel from miles away, and none begrudge it.
 
Everything about my late priest was a blessing to me. He was so natural. You could see the Holy Spirit in him. He went that extra mile. The greatest blessing for me was seeing his signature on my mother’s certificate when she converted from Protestantism to becoming Catholic. I remember one time when he was giving us Holy Communion. I went up first while my mother was coming up with her walker. This was a Daily Mass, her first since getting out of rehab after hip surgery and I didn’t want him to not let Mama receive the Eucharist because she wasn’t up quickly enough. So it got to be my turn and he was about to say to me, “The Body of Christ” and he saw her and went running over to where she was and she was able to receive Him first. I had happy tears in my eyes at his kindness and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When he returned to me, I was able to receive with my heart soaring.

He would also call us if the weather was too bad to get out. The ice and snow gets real bad at our parish and he didn’t want anyone falling. He knew Mama and I both have mobility problems. So if it was real bad out, he’d tell us not to come to Mass because he didn’t want us getting hurt or falling.

He’d do things to surprise us. Like I’d always go to Mass on Ash Wednesday to get my ashes. And if he wasn’t the one to give them to me, he’d come up behind me as I was getting ready to leave, flip up my bangs and quip, “Just wanted to make sure you got your ashes.”

He was so full of fun. The Irish in him, I guess. Mama and I both miss him terribly. We’ve had 3 priests since his retirement and subsequent passing seven months later. All have been good in their own ways. But none are held in the same high esteem we hold Fr Philip Breen. He’s been a tough act to follow.
 
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Just been to RCIA, where the session was led by a seminarian who is with the parish for a five month placement. He spoke on the Incarnation and it was fabulous - admittedly one of my favourite topics - he spoke clearly and bravely addressed some tricky questions. I think he’s going to make a great priest. Praying for future priests!
 
Yes! I love both priests in my parish! They are so different from each other, but compliment each other well. I feel very blessed to know them both. The associate is the youth minister, and he is setting our youth on fire with his energy and knowledge of the faith. My son and I pray for our priests every day.
 
Saw my seminarian again yesterday at my work place (I work in a greetings card shop). I was in a lot of pain due to some persistent ill health, but was thoroughly lifted by him making a point of coming to speak to me and ask me how my day was going.
 
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