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What

is a Priest?

“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus Christ.”
St. John Marie Vianney

Every person is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. At our baptism, we are baptized into the common priesthood of all the faithful as we are called to our universal vocation to holiness. How we will live out that holiness will be different for each person. Some are called to live holiness as single persons, some within the vocation to the married life, some as religious brothers or sisters, and God calls some men to the ministerial priesthood.

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Sacrament of

Holy Orders

“By virtue of the Sacrament of Orders you have become sharers in Christ’s priesthood, so that not only do you represent Christ, not only do you exercise His ministry, but you live Christ. Christ lives in you.”
—Pope Saint Paul VI

“The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons” (Lumen Gentium n. 28). “By ordination, one is enabled to act as a representative of Christ, Head of the Church, in his triple office of priest, prophet, and king” (CCC n. 1581). The Sacrament of Holy Orders places an indelible mark on the soul of the man who is ordained and he is “a priest forever.” Through the grace of the Holy Spirit conferred in this sacrament, the man is configured to Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor.

 

Episcopal Ordination:

The bishops are the successors of the apostles and can trace their ordination through unbroken succession to the apostles who were with Jesus at the Last Supper. Episcopal ordination confers the fullness of Holy Orders. The bishops, in union with the pope, are the authentic teachers of the faith. Each bishop is entrusted with a particular diocese for which he is the pastor. Bishop Thomas J. Tobin was installed as the eighth Bishop of Providence on May 31, 2005.

Ordination of Priests:

The priests are co-workers with the bishops and are consecrated to “preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament” (LG, n. 28). One of the promises that is made both in the rite of ordination to the transitional diaconate and to the priesthood is the promise of obedience. “The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience.” (CCC n. 1567).

Ordination of Deacons:

Deacons are “strengthened by sacramental grace they are dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service (diakonia) of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of charity” (LG, n. 29). The ministry of the deacon is to serve the bishop and the people of God. A man who is in priestly formation will be ordained a transitional deacon at least six months before he is ordained a priest. Deacons are configured to Christ who made himself the servant of all. In addition to assisting the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, deacons dedicate themselves to various ministries of charity.

The Rite of Ordination to the Priesthood Explained:

What Does a

Priest Do All Day?

“Each morning we priests hold in our hands the Christ Who shed Blood from His veins, tears from His Eyes and sweat from His Body to sanctify us. How we should be on fire with that love, that we may enkindle it in others!”
—Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen


The priesthood is not as much about what a priest does but what a priest is. Still, there are many aspects of a priest’s ministry that are common to the priesthood. The priest is ordained to proclaim the Word of God.

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What is

Celibacy

“Priestly celibacy has been guarded by the Church for centuries as a brilliant jewel, and it retains its value undiminished even in our time when the outlook of men and the state of the world have undergone such profound change.”
—Pope Saint Paul VI, Sacerdotalis Caelibatus,


Priestly celibacy is seen as a “brilliant jewel” when we have a good understanding of both the call to celibacy and what it represents as well as a good understanding of ourselves.

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Diocese of Providence

Office of Vocations
485 Mt. Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908

(401) 331-1316

Contact

Rev. Msgr. Albert A. Kenney, S.T.L., Diocesan Administrator, Diocese of Providence

Rev. Ryan J. Simas
Vocations Director

Rev. Ryan W. Connors
Director of Pre-Ordination
Formation

Follow Us

Vocations

Diocese of Providence

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What

is a Priest?

“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus Christ.”
St. John Marie Vianney

Every person is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. At our baptism, we are baptized into the common priesthood of all the faithful as we are called to our universal vocation to holiness. How we will live out that holiness will be different for each person. Some are called to live holiness as single persons, some within the vocation to the married life, some as religious brothers or sisters, and God calls some men to the ministerial priesthood.

Every person is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. At our baptism, we are baptized into the common priesthood of all the faithful as we are called to our universal vocation to holiness. How we will live out that holiness will be different for each person. Some are called to live holiness as single persons, some within the vocation to the married life, some as religious brothers or sisters, and God calls some men to the ministerial priesthood.

Through the Sacrament of Baptism, the man shares in the priesthood of all the faithful; through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest is configured to Christ, the Eternal High Priest. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the common and ministerial priesthood as “two participations in the one priesthood of Christ” and says:

The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate, “each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ.” While being “ordered one to another,” they differ essentially. In what sense? While the common priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace –a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit–, the ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians. The ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads his Church. For this reason it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders. (CCC n. 1547)

Through the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest is an alter Christus, another Christ, in the world. He is uniquely configured to Christ the High Priest and shares in the threefold mission to sanctify, to teach, and to govern. In the pattern of Jesus Christ, the priest ministers as one who “did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). The priest offers his life in service to God and to His Body, the Church.

“The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ – Head of the Church – before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice.” (CCC n. 1552)

What Does a

Priest Do All Day?

“Each morning we priests hold in our hands the Christ Who shed Blood from His veins, tears from His Eyes and sweat from His Body to sanctify us. How we should be on fire with that love, that we may enkindle it in others!”
—Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

The priesthood is not as much about what a priest does but what a priest is. Still, there are many aspects of a priest’s ministry that are common to the priesthood. The priest is ordained to proclaim the Word of God. He will do this in a variety of ways. First, the priest proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ through the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Mass. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and the daily celebration of the Eucharist is central to the life of the priest and to his ministry. The priest will also spend time preparing for and celebrating the sacraments of Reconciliation, Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage.

The gifts and talents of each individual priest are used to the benefit of God’s people. While most diocesan priests serve in parish assignments, some may also serve as hospital chaplains, prison ministry, high school or college chaplains, canon lawyers, etc. All of these are important ministries for the Church and the people of God.

There is no “typical” day for the priest. While no two days are exactly alike, each day will include the celebration of Holy Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and personal prayer. What else a priest does during the day will depend on a priest’s particular assignment. Most priests are in parish ministry and will meet with couples who are preparing for marriage, prepare and celebrate funeral Masses, visit parishioners in the hospital or nursing home, anoint the sick, counsel those who are in need, minister to the poor, meet with different parish ministries, as well as parish administration.

The priest may have his day planned out but he will be ready to meet the particular special needs of the people when events arise in their lives. A call to visit someone at the hospital or nursing home; a parishioner who is going through a difficult time with a family member and needs pastoral counseling; an individual who rings the doorbell looking for a priest to hear his confession; the unexpected death of a parishioner’s family member; all of these (and many other such occurrences) are grace-filled moments in the life of the priest and can cause him to adjust his schedule at a moment’s notice.

What is

Celibacy

“Priestly celibacy has been guarded by the Church for centuries as a brilliant jewel, and it retains its value undiminished even in our time when the outlook of men and the state of the world have undergone such profound change.”
—Pope Saint Paul VI, Sacerdotalis Caelibatus,

Priestly celibacy is seen as a “brilliant jewel” when we have a good understanding of both the call to celibacy and what it represents as well as a good understanding of ourselves. The vocation to the priesthood necessarily involves a related call to live a chaste celibate life for the sake of the Kingdom of God (c.f., MT 19:12). In a culture that is increasingly obsessed with immediate gratification, many have difficulty understanding celibacy as a gift and therefore struggle to understand a man’s call to the priesthood. Many in the world look at celibacy as something that must be endured rather than as the gift to be received that it is.

Consecrated celibacy unites the priest more closely with Christ for the priest more perfectly witnesses his love and faithfulness to his bride, the Church. Jesus, who lived a celibate life Himself, offered his total self for His Body, the Church. How beautiful it is for the priest to offer every part of himself, in unity with Jesus Christ the eternal high priest, to the Father for the salvation of souls and the glorification of the Church. In this sense, it is not so much of a “giving up” but a complete love, a “total consecration” to God, His Church, and to the eternal. Rather than a withholding or a self-denial, consecrated celibacy is self-giving to the wonder of the God whom we adore. Pope Paul VI rightly points out that the call to “celibacy is and ought to be a rare and very meaningful example of a life motivated by love” (Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, n. 24).

A celibate life provides the opportunity for solitude. Husbands and wives share a mutual solitude with one another. For the priest, his solitude is filled by his openness to God; when the priest allows God to fill the space of solitude, he is never lonely. He lives a life of love of God and neighbor. The intimacy of his relationship with the Lord who calls him to live and to love as a celibate man is so profound and so personal that it is difficult to express how this call came to be and was heard. Much like the call to the priesthood, the call to live chaste celibacy is the fruit of a personal encounter with the living God. The call is born in the solitude of the encounter with God and, lived faithfully, it allows for and nurtures that solitude and intimacy with God.

From that intimate relationship with the Lord flows a love for the members of His Body, the Church and the pastoral sensitivity to be an alter Christus to all of them.

Walking the Journey

With Your Son

“Every priestly vocation comes from the heart of God but passes through the heart of a mother.”
—Pope St. Pius X

A reflection on walking the journey to the priesthood with your son by Judy Murphy, mother of Rev. Christopher J. Murphy, who was ordained June 23, 2012. Ms. Murphy shared this reflection following his ordination.

“First of all I’d like to thank all of you for joining us in celebrating the ordination to the priesthood of our son Christopher James, now Father Murphy. As you might expect I am very proud of him. Answering the call to the priesthood is not easy in today’s secular world. Material goods, personal happiness and a quest for success often consume more of our thoughts than developing a relationship with God and caring for others. I believe that without God at the center, money, personal fulfillment and career success will not bring lasting joy.

“For me, walking along this journey to the priesthood with Chris has brought me closer to God. Despite some tribulations along the way, knowing that God is always there with me has helped me to survive and thrive. I’ve loved praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Chris. These readings have helped me to really appreciate the love that God has for us. Men like Chris, Ryan, Frank and all of the other fine seminarians I met in Rome and at Saint John’s seminary who answered God’s call, give me such hope for the Church in these turbulent times. I have no doubt that with God’s help, Chris and the two other new priests will touch the minds, hearts and souls of many in the years ahead.

“My pride and joy in Chris is not limited to Chris alone. There is no greater joy for a mother than to see her children find their passion and pursue it relentlessly. I have been truly blessed by God in my children who have all been called to serve Him in
different ways…I am so proud of all three. I am humbled by the gifts I have been given by God in Gerald, Christopher and Alicyn. I thank God every day for the blessings and joys I’ve experienced in my family.

“So I will end like I began. I’d like to thank all of you again. Just as Chris has touched others, you have greatly touched him and our family. Each of you has contributed in some way to Chris’ strength in his vocation. Your prayers, encouragement, questions, and joy have shown us the beauty and connectedness of our Church community. Without a doubt there is no greater beauty than the love that God has for his people.”

Parenting A

Vocation

“The world looks to the priest, because it looks to Jesus! No one can see Christ; but everyone sees the priest, and through him they wish to catch a glimpse of the Lord! Immense is the grandeur of the Lord!
Immense is the grandeur and dignity of the priest!”
—Pope St. John Paul II

Parenting a Vocation to the Priesthood
by Rev. Carl Fisette, Pastor of St. Joseph, Woonsocket

“Children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward” (Ps 127:3). Parents are filled with such joy and at the birth of their child and rightfully so since children are “a gift from the Lord.” You want the best for them. You care for them and help them to grow and mature as human persons and as Christians. You are their first catechist.

Recognizing that parents are the first teachers of the faith, Blessed John Paul II noted that parents and extended families have a significant role in fostering vocations to the priesthood. He stated:

A very special responsibility falls upon the Christian family, which by virtue of the sacrament of matrimony shares in its own unique way in the educational mission of the Church – teacher and mother. As the synod fathers wrote: “The Christian family, which is truly a ‘domestic Church’ (Lumen Gentium, 11), has always offered and continues to offer favorable conditions for the birth of vocations…Families themselves, generously accepting the gift of human life, may be ‘as it were, a first seminary’ (Optatam Totius, 2) in which children can acquire from the beginning an awareness of piety and prayer and love for the Church. (Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 41)

Along with this unique responsibility that parents have in fostering vocations can come conflicting emotions and concerns about encouraging their own son to consider and respond to a call to the priesthood. It is only natural because you have questions and you want what is best for your son. Children are such a precious gift from the Lord and all the varying emotions and reactions that parents experience are based on their love for their child. Some parents will be enthusiastic and will wish that their son could be ordained tomorrow; other parents actively discourage a vocation to the priesthood, fearing that their son will be lonely or will not achieve success in the eyes of the world; and most parents’ reaction will fall somewhere in between. Even the saints faced the gamut of reactions from their own families.

Will your son make sacrifices if he is ordained a priest? Yes—but a greater sacrifice for him would be to ignore God’s call since the vocation to which God is calling us is where we will find our greatest joy and fulfillment. There are sacrifices in each and every Christian vocation just as there are blessings.

Husbands and wives make sacrifices for one another and the good of their marriage; parents make sacrifices (great and small) throughout their children’s lives. Our society often views chaste celibacy as a great sacrifice; priests and religious see chaste celibacy as a great gift which allows us to freely love God and neighbor because this is how God is calling us to live.

Will you, as a parent, make sacrifices if your son is ordained a priest? Perhaps. You may not have grandchildren or someone to carry on the family name (there is also no guarantee that you will have these things if your son is not a priest), you may be concerned about who will care for you as you get older or if you will see your son as often. These are reasonable and valid questions and concerns. Will you receive blessings if your son follows his vocation to the priesthood? Yes! Jesus assures His disciples that they will receive much more than they sacrifice in order to follow His will. This promise applies to all His disciples—not only those who are called to a religious vocation. Recall Jesus words, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive [back] an overabundant return in this present age and eternal life in the age to come” (Luke 18:29-30, emphasis added).

Pray

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” he depth of our hearts.”
—St. Teresa of Calcutta

What is Prayer

Prayer is our response to God who is already speaking or, better yet, revealing Himself to us. Therefore, prayer is not merely an exchange of words, but it engages the whole person in a relationship with God the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit . Prayer in the Life of One Discerning a Call to the Priesthood.

As prayer is fundamental in the life of the priest, so is it also central in the life of one who is discerning God’s call to the priesthood. Each priest is a man who is called by God to serve Him in the particular vocation of the ministerial priesthood. But we can only hear a call if we are listening and praying, that conversation with God is the way in which we listen to His voice.

Not everyone prays the same way and there is no one specific way to pray. The first step is always to do it! Make the time to pray and find a quiet place, perhaps in a church or adoration chapel or follow Jesus’ command to “go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” Mt 6:6-7