Priesthood of the Baptized, of the Ordained

For several reasons – especially the fact that Cardinal Sean has renewed me for a second term as pastor of St. Martha Parish and St. Mary Parish – I have been thinking about the Eucharist and “priestly ministry” lately: both the Sacrament of Holy Orders (Ministerial Priesthood) and the Royal Priesthood of all the Baptized. Ordination anniversaries are in May for many priests, including Fr. Lambert and myself (marking 3 years and 24 years, respectively). We have also been touched by the death of Father Jerry “The Circus Priest” Hogan, who helped me and our parishes greatly when we really needed him. Since his funeral was on the opposite end of our archdiocese, we are planning a month’s mind Memorial Mass for Fr. Jerry in early June, in conjunction with St. Mary Parish in Foxboro, where Fr. Jerry served for several years (details TBA).

As we continue to celebrate the Year of the Eucharist in our archdiocese, this Most Blessed Sacrament unites all of us and shows our need for each other’s gifts and vocations. We need to continue to promote, pray for, and invite our parishioners and families to consider God’s call in each of our lives. This is especially true for the vocation of ordained priesthood for our archdiocese so our parishes can continue to celebrate the Eucharist in each parish. “The ministry of the priest is entirely on behalf of the Church; it aims at promoting the exercise of the common priesthood of the entire people of God” (St. John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis, n.16). So, equally important is the vocation of all baptized Catholics to return to the table of Christ to receive his Body and Blood in the Eucharist, the central source of the grace, healing, and strength in Christ.

In recent weeks, our parishes have celebrated 65 First Communions with our children and their families! This process continues their formation and the sacraments of initiation that they began with Baptism (also known as “Christening”). The word Christen means “to make like Christ.” An ordained priest offers the sacrifice of the Mass to bring the Real Presence of Christ to His people in the Eucharist. By our common baptism, we all imitate Christ the High Priest by offering the sacrifice of praise to God, giving the gift of ourselves back to God through loving service of others.

As I shared in this column a few weeks ago, we have been through a lot together in my seven years here (one as associate and six as pastor) – times of sadness and challenge, as well as celebrations and growth. Most recently, together we weathered the storm of this pandemic in our lives and in our parishes, and now we have the exhilarating task of rebuilding, welcoming back, and reaching out to others. As we continue to plan and implement ways of reaching out to draw all our people to the Eucharist, we are formalizing these plans as a “Welcome Back Initiative.” Like the priorities we had in our Local Pastoral Plan, this is our new top-priority for this year! Several committees (new and existing) will coordinate various ways of putting our royal priesthood into action as we commemorate and celebrate all we have been through, rebuilding and expanding the ministry of Christ in us and through us to others. This is a priestly mission we all need to share in – each according to our vocations and the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and in our collaborative parishes!

- Fr. Joe