Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests (Ascension)

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Chapter 1: Priestly Life

36 A holy and healthy priest will find his happiness in humble service, seeking not “to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28). He recognizes in the people he serves the talents meant to build up the Body of Christ, and he promotes the proper autonomy of the lay vocation: to “seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God.” 26 He will find repugnant any semblance of a clericalist mindset that lords authority over his people, 27 or even its subtler manifestation that seeks to “clericalize the laity” by reducing the dignity of their vocation to official church organizations or roles in the Sacred Liturgy. He will readily collaborate with all the baptized, recognizing their genuine and vital participation in the mission of the Church. 28 37 In the image of the priest’s anointing (quoted in paragraph 33), Pope Francis points to a beautiful truth about the nature of pastoral charity and maturation in priestly ministry. There is a wonderful reciprocal relation between the priest and his people that leads to mutual human and spiritual growth. 29 Pope Francis speaks of a generous humble priest coming to “feel and taste” his full identity as a priest through his relationship with his people. A priest who is open to the dignity and gifts of his people and willing to enter into communion with them in their faith, hope, trials, and joys will be formed by them. He 27 “The specificity of the ministerial priesthood, however, is defined not on the basis of its supposed ‘superiority’ over the common priesthood, but rather by the service it is called to carry out for all the faithful so they may adhere to the mediation and Lordship of Christ rendered visible by the exercise of the ministerial priesthood.” DMLP, no. 6. 28 See CIC, c. 275 §2. 29 St. John Paul II asserts a similar point when he speaks of communion between the priest and his people as formative: “Those responsible for the ongoing formation of priests are to be found in the Church as ‘communion.’ In this sense, the entire particular church has the responsibility, under the guidance of the bishop, to develop and look after the different aspects of her priests’ permanent formation. Priests are not there to serve themselves but the People of God. So, ongoing formation, in ensuring the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral maturity of priests, is doing good to the People of God itself. Besides, the very exercise of the pastoral ministry leads to a constant and fruitful mutual exchange between the priest’s life of faith and that of the laity. Indeed the very relationship and sharing of life between the priest and the community, if it is wisely conducted and made use of, will be a fundamental contribution to permanent formation, which cannot be reduced to isolated episodes or initiatives, but covers the whole ministry and life of the priest.” PDV, no. 78. 26 LG, no. 31.

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