Priestly fraternity, reflection enhances pastoral care

By Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond

Clarion Herald – 3/25/17

About a hundred priests gathered last week at St. Maria Goretti Church for a Lenten morning of prayer. How important is it for you to get together for prayer and reflection each year during Lent?

It’s very important. We are first disciples before we are priests, and the Lord Jesus calls all of his disciples to be people of prayer. He calls all of us to a change of heart and to conversion during this Lenten season. Therefore, it’s important that as leaders of the people of God, we priests and bishops also respond to his invitation to prayer and sacrifice during this Lenten season and to conversion of heart. It is through our accepting God’s challenge to repent that we are empowered to enable others and to invite them into knowing the God of forgiveness, who calls us to repent. We heard a wonderful reflection from Father Philip Neri Powell, who is a Dominican priest and a professor of homiletics at Notre Dame Seminary. Father Philip urged us to evaluate our lives and be careful not to place any idols – things such as popularity, the need to be right, the need to be seen as holy or intelligent or pastoral – above the greatest good, which is God himself. He said to put anything before God “threatens our access to the only one who can save us. … The care of souls is too important to be done in half-measures.”

You also offered the sacrament of confession to priests.
Yes. Sometimes I get the impression people think that we as priests and bishops can look in the mirror and forgive ourselves. Like everybody else, bishops and priests go to confession. That’s for two reasons: one, to accept the mercy of our loving God, but, two, to be reconciled with the church because we, too, at times hurt people and affect the body of Christ by what we do or by what we don’t do – our sins of omission. We not only ask for God’s mercy but also to be reconciled with those whom we may have hurt, knowingly or unknowingly.

Is it also a great chance to get together and renew friendships among the priests?
Yes. I think we have a great presbyterate, one that has a great spirit of fraternity. I feel very blessed to be a part of this presbyterate, and I always tell the newly ordained at their ordination that they are joining not just other priests but they are joining a fraternity of priests – men who really do care for one another. We had close to 100 priests for the Lenten morning of prayer. We have several occasions like this every year. We get together near the Feast of the Epiphany for prayer and a reception. Next month we will have a social at the Priests’ Villa on the northshore. We also have an annual convocation for all priests ministering in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Those are just some of the opportunities we have to get together every year, and those occasions are important. We need the support of one another and the prayers of one another. We are grateful for the many people in the parishes who offer us prayerful support and work with us in ministry – and we do lean on that. We also lean on the support of our brother priests as we journey together in being the shepherds of God’s people.

Don’t priests also have support groups for each other?
Yes. There are several support groups, some of which we know about and some of which we don’t know about. Some are formal, and some are more informal. But I believe that our brother priests here in the archdiocese feel a strong need of connecting with their brothers, for prayer and for discussion and for fun. It is great to be able to share that together.

What was the message of this day?
Lent is a very important season in the life of the church. Lent is a time of change of heart and a time of conversion. We know that as we embrace that more fully, we can lead the people entrusted to our pastoral care in that change of heart and time of conversion. I thank all our priests for their ministry. By embracing Christ more fully, we can be the good shepherds God has called us to be.

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].