Remembering and praying for priests

Yesterday, I received an email yesterday from someone I've not seen or heard from since 1982.  Maureen was a student at day Notre Dame when I was on the Campus Ministry staff at the home of the Fighting Irish in South Bend. In the course of a couple of email exchanges, Maureen shared this reflection:

Among the many things that I pray and meditate about regularly, I like to remember and give thanks for the hardworking and inspiring priests that have influenced me over the years. Doing this has helped to counteract my profound disappointment and frustration with the human failings of the institutional church...

I'm grateful that Maureen would number me among such priests but more than that I was struck by the wisdom of what she wrote.  Who among us doesn't share her profound disappointment in the tragedy and pain some priests have inflicted on the lives of the innocent and their families and friends - and the whole Church?  And who among us isn't deeply frustrated with the failure of the Church over decades to respond appropriately and in a timely manner to the claims and cries of the abused?

Maureen's wisdom lies in taking time to remember, too, the good that has been done in the lives of all of us by those ordained to preach the gospel and minister in the name of Jesus.

To be clear, we cannot for a moment afford to forget or gloss over what has happened: to do so would be to invite history to repeat itself.  But as we grieve and work to insure that such abuse will never again be tolerated, it might help us all to remember the many priests who served us well, especially in our younger days.

As a Catholic who shares Maureen's profound disappointment and frustration, I've been nudged by what she wrote to think back on my own history and to remember and pray for the priests I remember from my youth: Monsignor O'Brien, Fr. Sheehan, Fr. Berube, Monsignor Cusack, Fr. Fagan and Fr. Bukay...

Thanks, Maureen, for being in touch and for leading me (and my readers) to prayerfully and gratefully remember the blessings of all the good priests in our lives...

All of the above has put me in mind of the Year for Priests (June '09-June '10) and the Prayer for Priests which I wrote and posted monthly...


A Prayer for Priests

Gracious God, loving Father,
font of every gift and good,
make of priests for us we pray:

men of faith, men of love,
humble servants of your Word,
prophets of your Spirit’s grace;

men of hope, men of peace,
strong defenders of the truth,
heralds of your holy gospel;

men of prayer, men of praise,
guardians of our sacred rites,
of the scriptures and tradition;

men of changelessness and change,
men who follow you each day,
when and where your Spirit leads;

men of tenderness and strength,
comfort for the sick and weary,
shepherds leading home the lost;

men of counsel, men of wisdom,
gentle guides for the confused,
lights along the darkened path;

men of mercy, patient men,
understanding and consoling
of the grieving and abused;

men of justice and compassion,
reconciling and forgiving,
men of healing in your name;

men of sacrifice and honor,
single minded in your service,
set apart to do your will;

men of holiness and joy,
men anointed by your grace,
men ordained to serve as Christ.

Make us one with them in faith
and in Christ your only Son
in whose holy name we pray.

Amen.

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