Gonzaga Witness

Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: Features

For a human to be put in such a position demands the utmost care in the training and formation of the next generation of priests. The Jesuits were great innovators in this regard. In response to the many abuses and problems which prompted the Protestant Reformation, the Jesuits took up the work of Counter-Reformation most particularly through the creation of the seminary system and their remarkable network of schools for the education of priests and laity. Indeed, the list of prominent churchmen, thinkers, and even popes trained by the Jesuits over the many years of their existence is formidable. Gonzaga stands squarely in this tradition through the education it provides both to the average college student and the men of the Bishop White seminary, across the street from campus.
It seems only fitting, then, that GU should make a special effort to commemorate the Year of the Priest, perhaps by honoring the community of Jesuits at GU for their long service through the sacraments and the education of the youth. Perhaps also, the community might take its cue from Benedict's special attachment of the Year to the Jesuit order. Not only have they traditionally taken the lead in priestly formation. They have also been especially active in fostering devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, rendering the alpha and omega days of the Year of the Priest particularly Jesuit feast days. Initiatives on campus for introducing students to devotion to the Sacred Heart may be in order.
The purpose, of course, behind all such efforts, centers on the same goal-bringing the grace of God to the Church and the world for the salvation and the sanctification of souls. To give a model in this regard, the Pope names Saint John Vianney, the Cure d'Ars, in his declaration, and for good reason. The Cure d'Ars was a remarkable man and priest, helping to rescue the Catholic faith of France in the wake of the depredations and anticlericalism of the French Revolution. He spent hours each day in the confessional, freeing countless souls from the bonds of sin and counseling them along the road to new life. Saint John Vianney emphasized the importance of a moral life, as well as devotion to Our Lady and to the Eucharist, in order to walk the road to salvation. The devil fought him physically, so great was his effect on the people of the parish and of France. He won his battles and saved many souls through constant prayer and fasting, offering up his own sufferings as penance on behalf of the penitents who passed through his confessional. He is a model for priests and an example of great sanctity for the laity.
The Year of the Priest has been offered to us as a time to pray for the sanctification of our priests and to give thanks, to them and to God, for the wondrous work that they do. These men, the fathers of our souls, lead us through their true teaching, faithful stewardship of the people of God, and dedicated sacramental ministry along the road walked by Saint John Vianney and so many other holy men and women before us. Staunchly behind their bishops and superiors, faithful to the Holy Father, the priests, our shepherds, show us the way and give us the means to come home.
Other Reading:
Benedict XVI's Letter Proclaiming A Year for Priests
The Cure d'Ars Today by Fr. George Rutler
The Father Brown mysteries by G. K. Chesterton
Father Elijah by Michael O'Brien

Chris Sparks graduated from Gonzaga in 2009.

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