st. john vianney
St. Richard of Chichester Church
St. John Vianney Stained Glass Window

Schedule of Events
Prayers & Devotions
Lecture Series
Web Resources

year of the priest logo
The Catholic Church
Celebrates the
Year of the Priest


Introduction

Pope Benedict XVI has announced that beginning June 19, 2009, the Catholic Church would celebrate a special year dedicated to the priesthood - The Year of the Priest. The Pope's letter can be found here. There will be many events, liturgies, special seminars, and publications devoted to the priesthood occurring throughout the Church, especially within our own Archdiocese. The festivities will continue through June 19, 2010. All Catholics are encouraged to not only pray for priests and vocations, but to learn more about the priestly ministry and the role of the faithful in the common priesthood.

There are numerous events and happening taken place within and around the Archdiocese of Philadelphia this year. Here at St. Richard Parish, we will be providing various resources pertaining to the priesthood over the next year, including online resources, prayers and devotions, and adult seminars. This special WebPage will be your key to celebrating the Year of the Priest. So check back frequently for updates and new information as it becomes available!

Schedule of Events for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

  • Year of the Priest opens on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart - June 19
  • June 20/21 - Formal announcement from Cardinal Rigali to be read in every parish announcing the Year of the Priest to the people and inviting them to participate prayerfully.
  • Veneration of the Relic of Saint John Vianney, Patron of Priests. The relic will travel to all parishes of the Archdiocese during the year.
  • A Novena of Holy Hours for Priests - First Friday of each month.
  • Celebration of the Feast of Saint Peter Claver - September 9 at the Saint Peter Claver Center, celebrating the service of Priests in our Archdiocese for the African-American Catholic Community.
  • Feast of the Holy Rosary - October 7. The Rosary will be recited in every parish and every school for Priests and Priestly vocations and for Cardinal Rigali on the 6th Anniversary of his installation as our Archbishop.
  • Live dramatic presentations on the life of Saint John Vianney, Cure of Ars. Five presentations during the First Week of Advent - time and date to be announced.
  • Day of Sanctification for Priests - December 9 at St. Charles Seminary
  • John Cardinal Krol Chair Lecture Series on the Priesthood beginning February 2010.
  • Eight weeks catechesis on the Priesthood in the Catholic Standard and Times during Spring 2010

Prayers for Priests, the Priesthood, and Vocations

A Novena of Holy Hours for Priests

A Novena of Holy Hours for Priests will be held throughout various sites within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on the First Friday of every month beginning September 2009 through June 2010. All of the faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are encouraged to participate in these Holy Hours. Each Holy Hour will be held from 3:00 to 4:00 PM unless otherwise noted.

DatePlace
September 4St. Charles Seminary
Immaculate Conception Chapel
October 2St. Matthias Church
Bala Cynwyd
November 5Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Philadelphia
December 4St. Charles Borromeo Church
Bensalem
February 5Our Lady of Fatima Church
Secane
March 5Our Lady of the Assumption Church
Strafford
May 7Mother of Divine Grace Church
Philadelphia
June 4Villa St. Joseph
Darby
June 11Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
Holy Hours in Each Vicariate
following 24 hours of Adoration
for both Priests and People
Places and Times TBA

Prayers for Priests, the Priesthood, and Vocations

Archdiocesan Prayer for Priests

Ever-living god and Father of us all,
you give to your Church the Priesthood of your Son, Jesus,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit,
you provide holy priests for a holy people.

We pray for all our priests, who announce the Word of God
and celebrate the Sacraments,
for those who are young and those who are old,
for those who serve in difficult and trying circumstances,
for those who are faithful and those who are faltering,
and for those who have died.

We entrust all our priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
that they may persevere with fidelity to you and to your Church.
With Saint John Vianney, patron of priests,
we pray that our priests may never fail to lead us to you.

Prayer for Priests

O Jesus, our great High Priest,
Hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priest, Father [N].
Give him a deep faith
a bright and firm hope
and a burning love
which will ever increase
in the course of his priestly life.
In his loneliness, comfort him
In his sorrows, strengthen him
In his frustrations, point out to him
that it is through suffering that the soul is purified,
and show him that he is needed by the Church,
he is needed by souls,
he is needed for the work of redemption.

O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests,
take to your heart your son who is close to you
because of his priestly ordination,
and because of the power which he has received
to carry on the work of Christ
in a world which needs him so much.
Be his comfort, be his joy, be his strength,
and especially help him
to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy. Amen.

--John Joseph, Cardinal Carberry

John Cardinal Krol Chair Lecture Series

This special lecture series entitled, Faithful in Christ: The Ministry and Life of the Catholic Priest, will be held at St. Charles Seminary in Vianney Hall Auditorium beginning at 7:00 PM on the nights listed below. More information regarding registration will be made available at a later date.

  • Men of Prayer: Priests and Holiness
    Msgr. Michael Magee - Presenter
    Thursday, February 18, 2010
  • Men of the World: Priests and Scripture
    Fr. Patrick Brady - Presenter
    Tuesday, February 23, 2010
  • Men of Faith: Priests and Church Teaching
    Fr. Robert Pesarchick - Presenter
    Tuesday, March 2, 2010
  • Men of Compassion: Priests and Forgiveness
    Fr. Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R - Presenter
    Tuesday, March 9, 2010
  • Men of Service: Priests and Pastoral Life
    Fr. Anthony J. Costa - Presenter
    Tuesday, March 16, 2010
  • Men of Vision: Priests and Leadership
    Fr. David Diamond
    Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Catechesis on the Priesthood
in the Catholic Standard and Times

The Catholic Standard and Times, the Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will publish an 8-week catechesis on the Priesthood beginning in February 2010. Each week a different article on the Priesthood will appear. The content of the articles is listed below for your convenience. If the articles are made available on the Archdiocesan website, we will provide hyperlinks to the articles here on our website for your convenience.

  • Week 1 - What is the difference and relationship between the ministerial priesthood and the baptismal priesthood?
  • Week 2 - Why does the priest have to be a man?
  • Week 3 - Why is the priest celibate?
  • Week 4 - Spiritual fatherhood
  • Week 5 - Priest as preacher and teacher
  • Week 6 - Priest as healer and consoler: The role of the priest in sacraments of healing and as consolers in times of grief and loss
  • Week 7 - What is the difference between a diocesan priest and a religious priest?
  • Week 8 - The necessity of the priesthood and the role of all the faithful in the promotion of vocations

Web Resources on the Year of the Priest

Pope Benedict XVI's Letter

Cardinal Rigali's Letter

Archdiocesan Website for the Year of the Priest

Archdiocese of Philadelphia Vocations Office for the Diocesan Priesthood

Vocations.com
A comprehensive site dealing with Priestly and Religious Vocations