Dear Brothers and Sisters

On this fourth Sunday of Easter I send you Easter greetings! As I write, I have a picture of you in my mind – families, those of you on your own, and those of you carrying the cross – all gathered to praise God.

It is Good Shepherd Sunday. Our focus is praying for vocations to the priesthood. Where do priests come from? They come from among you. They come from among a community striving to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd in their lives.

It is God who calls men to be priests through the Church. His choices are not our choices. More often than not, he chooses the weak to confound the strong.

For me a reasonable base line for looking at potential vocations is that a man is healthy in mind and body, reasonably intelligent, and loves God and the Church. As the men currently in training will testify, we all need a period of support and gentle discernment. That continues once the formal training for the priesthood begins.

Where should someone begin when the thought of the priesthood keeps popping up? A conversation with the parish priest could lead to a connection with the Diocesan Vocations’ Director. Then, through the year, there are occasional weekends for people to meet and learn more about the priesthood.

After that comes the decision to make a formal application and undergo the selection process. Depending on the outcome of all of that, I would invite the individual to begin formal training for the priesthood. It is a wonderful vocation. As we heard in the Preface of the Chrism Mass, “With a brother’s love Christ chooses men to become sharers of his sacred ministry.” The priest renews in Christ’s name the sacrifice of our redemption as he celebrates Mass. He is called to lead you, God’s holy people, in charity, and to nourish you with the Word and strengthen you with the Sacraments.

It is from among you, the community of faith, that God calls priests. And priests are essential to the community of faith in our Diocese. It is they who will lead us in the key themes I want to explore as the Year of Faith approaches, and as we move on Walking Humbly with our God. After Pentecost, resources will be available in the parishes to help us. I want us to understand our Faith more deeply, to celebrate our Faith more richly, and to live our Faith with hope more vibrantly.

That is only possible with our good priests now and in the future. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, please pray with me for our priests, for those training for the priesthood, and for those whom God is calling to the priesthood. With Easter blessings  

Peter, Bishop of Northampton