Yesterday in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Archbishop Rino Fischella’s, Pro-Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelisation, was the keynote speaker who addressed an audience of over 100 people committed to vocations to the diocesan priesthood, including seminarians, clergy, mothers, fathers and other members of the lay faithful. The theme of the conference was ‘Evangelisation and Vocation’ and it was hosted by the National Vocations Office of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.
In his address entitled, Priesthood in a Synodal Church, Archbishop Fisichella said, “The encounter with Christ must be personal: the Master’s eyes must be on mine, and only then does the encounter become a vocation. A good priest is always a miracle of grace … Let us not forget the sacramental grace of the priestly office. It helps one to break out of one’s self … let us pray for priests.” Archbishop Rino continued, “Jesus proclaims ‘good news’ that consists of the ‘nearness’ of God – that God is ‘in our midst’. The use of the term ‘news’ should not be overlooked; it is of paramount importance. Without the mission, there is no Church; we will always have to be very radical about this.” For the full text of the address by Archbishop Fisichella, click here.
The entire conference was livestreamed on YouTube by iCatholic and can be watched here: Part 1 and Part 2.
ENDS
