Vocations/Priesthood

[DerryDiocese]

I often refer and quote this line from the Mass and it terms Vocations into a lovely few lines I believe.

’But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light’

Now those are sincere words of strenght indeed and something to encourage the heart.

I think in times of declining numbers both at the Masses and of course studying, then in turn been ordained people like myself need to highlight many areas to encourage, to grow, to learn and to love our Vocational calling and act upon it.

***Your Servant In God

Mark***

 

[Trishie]

You are a priest?.." been ordained people like myself"

Then God bless you, Father, and may the Spirit of God always encourage and bless you!

And if my words encourage, that is good. We people whom you serve do care for and wish to encourage you all too!

Rejoicing in priesthood

Our God, we God thank You for dedicated Priests, Religious and laity throughout the centuries. Behold Your priests and rejoice in our ordination imparted by hand of countless priests since the Apostles. Let Your love and grace in us illuminate Your face to all humankind as we offer worship, thanksgiving and petition as Christ amongst Your people.

Rejoice in Your continuing flow of Christ’s redemption and Sacrament through our ministry as we serve by gift of the Holy Spirit who works miraculously in us with Sacrament and symbol. Through priesthood, You bring numerous souls to birth, nourishment, salvation, and unity.

Rejoice, our God, as waters of Baptism flow from our hands to consecrate human creatures as Your children in kinship with Christ! Rejoice as souls are in Confirmation sealed by Your Holy Spirit, with His gifts, into the fullness of their Baptism!

Rejoice as in the Eucharist, humble bread and wine become divine as we speak Christ’s consecration in continuing celebration of our redemption and unity! Our souls lift in wondering praise, as with hand and spoken word, we are instrument of the miracle of transubstantiation. Thank You for the communion of individuals that You through us bring in Eucharistic sharing of lifted hearts.

Rejoice as in Reconciliation, we bestow absolution on repentant individuals, freeing them from the betrayal that sin is to our selves, to community and to You. Rejoice for peace of reconciliation after sin, when cleansed and healed, souls are restored to fullness of Your life in the Mystical Body!

Rejoice for the joy of encouraging repentance and renewal, and of enlightening others to Your truths. Thank You for times that we perceive the workings of the Spirit in another’s being or that we see Your face in a life truly given to You.

Rejoice, as through Anointing of the sick, souls are restored to health and deeper unity, and dying persons are prepared for Your Kingdom! For all these things, we offer our gratitude, our God!

Be compassionate, as through Matrimony, two individuals become one, needful of lifelong grace. Through their union, children receive life to seek their destiny in loving You above all, others as self.

Rejoice in the love that You bear Jesus, as in Ordination their sons are made sharers in His priesthood. Let this miracle be brought to fulfilment in us so that through our priestly ministry, Christ is made present and brought to reign in every soul. Delight Yourself in this fulfilment of Your Son’s unceasing prayer, and rejoice with each of His redeemed, for all eternity!

Thank You for grace that enables us to bear crosses in service of others. Thank You for grace to overcome natural inclination or allurement that might draw us from You. Thank You for joy of temptation overcome. Thank You for assistance to face inconvenience and others’ insensitivity with patience.

Thank You for alleviating others’ burdens through our compassion and practical assistance. Thank You for the gift of divine love that inspires our actions, and words. Thank You when the lonely, the fearful or the bereaved experience Your love in us. Thank You for all the secret achievements of our apostolate. Thank You for blessing others through us, through our limitations and our failures, as well as through our gifts and successes.

We rejoice in all things that celebrate our everlasting salvation, joy, and communion in You. We rejoice that You ask the sacrifice and sacrament of our lives within Christ, for sake of each person. Thank You that You require everything of us, in self-renunciation, humility, obedience, chastity and love and that You then offer us the necessary graces for administering our priesthood. Rejoice for all blessing that You grant through Your priests.

Bless with abundant fruit their sincere efforts. Let Your saints intercede for the Priests and Christian community of our time and for the future holiness of Your Church. Pentecost 1980

 

[Trishie]

Written on you behalf
Thy kingdom come amongst my people
Our God, please unite me with the good Shepherd who is loving, wise, faithful and vigilant. Make creative use of the person I am and through grace may become. Where I cannot achieve what is required, please supply what is needful. Use me as a human witness of Your living gospel to others. Let Your kingdom of the Spirit come among the souls You entrust to me.

As I minister to Your people, I bring them truths divergent from this world’s logic, so allow Your Holy Spirit to convey Your gospel to them through me. Lead me to best use of modes of communication to convey Your love and truth. Be manifest in my cheerful personality, my wise instructions, my writing, preaching and conversation, through my body language in its subtleties, so that others are always drawn to You through me.

In my strengths and limitations, minister to others through me. Do not let my failures discourage me, for there is much to be done between sowing and reaping, and the harvest depends upon Your nurture. Your warmth and rain blesses my labour and its fruits may manifest only in Heaven!

With each experience and observation, make me a more sensitive instrument of Your love. Left to myself, I can err in countless ways, and even harm, or alienate another person from You.

To those You entrust to my shepherding, please give growing awareness of the ceaseless operation of Your grace. Let them realise that their lives are held continually in Your love. Give them faith that You can heal, purify and make whole (sanctify) each willing person, however ‘lowly’, in the ordinary human realities of life.

Give trust and fidelity to anyone willing to assist me with prayer and support…I ask the intercession of our sisters and brothers in Heaven, and the holy Angels, guardians of humankind! Do not forget us whom God loves and creates for Himself. He seeks to lead us into communion with you also…So profoundly love and cherish us—in guidance, intercession and blessing—that the tide of God in our lives ever swells with your tremendous reservoir of merit and grace, and above all, with the merit of our Redeemer.

Jesus, grant us the graces of Your kingdom brought to reign amongst us! Let Your name be glorified and Your will be completed in us! Meet our spiritual and temporal needs, personal and communal. Forgive us our offences as we forgive others, by giving us Your forgiveness and compassion for each other. Protect us from sin and danger so that we shine as Your living word to all people. This I ask of You in praise and thanksgiving, Jesus, good Shepherd, whose steward I am.

God bless you, Trishie. And God thank you for us, for accepting His call to be priest.

 

[DerryDiocese]

*I would like to point out that whilst it may appear that I’am a Priest, this infact is not the case. Though with this said, the Priesthood is indeed my passion, vision, path term it what you will.

A journey that has taken me from the age of 10 years old/young to this current day and time and now aged 26 years old/young.

I think sometimes when I express to people of whom ask me about my Vocation, firstly it’s not easily explained at the best of times but I do my best and the only way I can associate it or convey my feelings is by stating - ‘The voice inside me isn’t that of a human’

I have a very true, meaningful story to relate in the right surroundings or I guess with the correct situation. Some of the little ‘signs’ have just been nearly surreal, and this I mean with all my heart.

My family, select friends and current work colleagues now would you believe call me Father Mark, and its something that sounds almost so far away but nice in a sense I must say.

However this brilliant Forum together with many other sources, outlets and people are educating me day by day in what can be said as anything God related tends to be a slow process.

However I never loose sight of my strong unbounding inward faith, though there are times when life does become difficult and not so nice, these are times of ‘tested’ faith.

However people that know me and some strangers as such make the comment that my faith apears very strong and of sincere importance in my life and I couldn’t agree more!*
Your True Servant In God,

Mark.