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30 CatholicOutlook August 2010
Year for Priests:
Pilgrims gather in Rome
National Vocations Awareness Week
8 August - 15 August 2010
In June this year, four priests from the
Diocese of Parramatta journeyed to Rome
for the closing of the Year for Priests
celebrations with Pope Benedict XVI.
Rev Luis Fernando Montano Rodriguez
MG, Parish Priest of St Monica’s in North
Parramatta, made the pilgrimage with fellow
Parramatta priests Rev Edmund Kenny, Rev
Gerry Nworie, and Rev George O’Mara.
Fr Fernando’s journal reveals a
journey of faith, love and inspiration:
I am so happy to be home after
my short pilgrimage to Europe for
the closing ceremony of the Year
for Priests in St Peter’s Square.
The pilgrimage was mainly to three
places: Paray le Monial, Ars and
Rome. Our group consisted of a dozen
priests from Sydney and Parramatta,
with Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian
Porteous our group leader.
After a long flight, we arrive in Paray le
Monial for the first stop in our pilgrimage.
Paray le Monial is the site of the apparitions
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St Margaret
Mary Alacoque in the 17th Century.
One of the main spiritual insights I will
keep from this place are the words that the
Sacred Heart said to St Margaret during
the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675.
This is when the vision known as
the ‘great apparition’ reportedly took
place, where Jesus said: “Behold the
Heart that has so loved men … instead
of gratitude I receive from the greater
part (of mankind) only ingratitude …”
The second stop in our journey was
Ars, the little village where St John
Baptist Marie Vianney lived in the
1800s. Known as the Cure of Ars, John
Vianney is the patron saint of priests.
It is still a very small place, its main
feature the Basilica of St John Vianney.
During our time there, we prayed for our
parish communities, for our ministry,
for the people who asked for our prayers
in these holy places, for seminarians
in formation, for priests in doubt or
troubles. It was an inspiring moment.
Full of energy and enthusiasm, we
arrived in Rome! The congress was set
to be a memorable occasion as more
than 10,000 priests were registered.
On the Thursday evening, we had a vigil
with the Holy Father. Spirits rose as the
time drew closer to see the Pope. He finally
came out in the Popemobile and made the
traditional round of St Peter’s Square …
with all the media and the bad publicity
priests had received in the past few months,
it was the time for us to show our love
for the Church and the Holy Father.
As the camera made a close-up of
him, we could see a tear in the Pope’s
The pilgrims celebrate Mass in Ars, in the crypt below the Basilica of St John Vianney.
eye. And when it came time for him to
speak, he spoke from the heart: how the
priesthood is a vocation, not a career.
He spoke of the importance of a
celibate life as a sign of the life to come
– and the necessity of testimony in
times like these, when the priesthood
has been challenged by the recent
scandals in different parts of the world.
The following day was the big day
– the closing of the Year for Priests
on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus. Very early in the morning,
15,000 priests were gathering outside St
Peter’s Square for the big celebration.
The Mass was very solemn and
the homily inspirational: it will be
remembered as the homily when
the Pope said “the priesthood is a
gift from the Heart of Christ”.
At the end of the Mass, the Pope made
an act of consecration of the priests
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A
beautiful prayer that we all said kneeling
down under the Roman heat, but with
true devotion, praying not only for our
own priesthood but also for all our
brothers in the priesthood, especially
those most in need of our prayers.
The Holy Father reminded us that even
though the Year for Priests had come to
a close, the meditation and the insights
about priesthood need to continue always.
Hopefully, the Sacred Heart of
Jesus will inspire many young men
to follow Him more closely.
If you’re passionate
about a purpose
Priesthood in
Parramatta might
be just for you!
To chat confidentially about
priesthood, religious life options, male
and female vocations, feel welcome to
call Fr Paul Roberts – Vocation Director
Tel 0419 219 819,
vocations@parra.catholic.org.au
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most brilliant
men in the history of the world. An accomplished
scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist,
painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, and
writer, Leonardo was the ultimate Renaissance man.
But he also made mistakes. In fact, he encouraged
them. Leonardo practiced a school of thinking
referred to as Dimostrazione – a commitment to
test knowledge through experience, persistence,
and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
At Campion College, we know that people see things
differently. Especially brilliant men like Leonardo. And
we know that often to arrive at the best solution, you
must sometimes travel a different path. At Campion
College, we always keep searching, seeking, interrogating
and exploring in search of solutions. The Campion
College Liberal Arts Degree is grounded in the study
of Philosophy, History, Literature, Theology and Science.
These things arm our students with all the tools they need
to train their minds for the rigours of life. And because
they are already high achievers, they know how to learn
from mistakes. In fact, they thrive on this way of learning.
Our foundation is the teaching of The Catholic
Church and our resolve is a continual fascination
with the truth. That fi ne line we walk between
faith and reason. So, if you’re up to the task,
why not start exploring the wonder of Truth?
Who knows were your imagination might take you?