 |
|
Dear friends in Christ,
This year the entire Church celebrates a special Year for Priests, as proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. The Holy Father reminds us that the gift of the ordained priesthood flows directly from Christ’s heart. Theirs is a vocation of humble-selfless love, imitating Christ Himself. They are consecrated to serve you, the faithful, with complete fidelity to Christ and His mission, in constant union with Him, inviting you to have a “heart to heart” encounter with Jesus. Each day our priests strive for holiness and each day they pray for you.
Your priests love you and you love the many priests who have had an impact on your daily lives: celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, baptisms, being the merciful minister of reconciliation with God, witnessing marriages, anointing, grieving with you, and burying your loved ones. They have assisted you in hard times and celebrated with you in joyful times, among so many more examples. They indeed serve Christ, His Church, and you, with their entire lives. God Bless Our Priests!
The priests of the Diocese of Madison need your help. As with many retirement plans, the priest retirement plan for the Diocese of Madison is facing unprecedented challenges. With the increasing number of priests nearing retirement, we need your continued support in providing for our senior priests of today and tomorrow, many of whom continue to actively serve you, well after retirement age. Thank God and thank them!
Please, during this Year for Priests, pray for all priests, living and deceased; pray for increased vocations to the priesthood, especially in our diocese, and please consider financially supporting those priests who have faithfully served you over the years, through the Bless Our Priests Retirement Collection.
Thank you for your prayer and faithful collaboration. Thank God for each of our happy, holy, and hard-working priests. May your loving sacrifice support them well into the future.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Bishop Robert C. Morlino, bishop of the Diocese of Madison