Year of the Priest

Pope declares year of the priest to inspire spiritual perfection

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI declared a year of the priest in an effort to encourage "spiritual perfection" in priests.

The pope will open the special year with a vespers service at the Vatican June 19 -- the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the day for the sanctification of priests. He will close the celebrations during a World Meeting of Priests in St. Peter's Square June 19, 2010.

The pope made the announcement during an audience March 16 with members of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy.

He met with some 70 participants of the congregation's March 16-18 plenary assembly, which focused on the missionary identity of the priest and his mission to sanctify, teach and govern.

During this jubilee year, the pope will also proclaim St. John Vianney to be patron saint of all the world's priests. At present he is considered the patron saint of parish priests.

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St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. a Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Patron of soldiers, police officers, and paramedics among other things.

My 2009 Patron Saint

I finally requested a patron saint for this year. Thanks Marianne, you can request a patron saint here.

In 2007 St. Basil the Great was my patron saint, and in 2008 it was St. Jude, this year it is St. Thomas More.



I already had him on my list of favorite saints along the side so I will move him up into a different spot.

St. Jude, Pray for Us

With the election drawing closer, and the growing possibility of a pro-abortion administration and congress, it seemed fitting that St. Jude's day would come now. As the patron of desperate causes, now seems to be the proper time to ask him to join us in prayer.



St. Jude, pray with us, that our nation will be responsible in electing those who will lead us, that all will recognize that the right to life is the most important issues, and that our elected officials will work together to build a culture of life, and protect the family. Amen.

St. Jude

I was sitting here at work and it occured to me that I must have missed my patron saint for the year's day, St. Jude. I knew it was sometime in October and was thinking it was earlier in the week, but to my surprise its today! So it turns out I didn't forget after all.

St. Jude Thaddaeus
Feastday: October 28
Patron of Desperate Cases

St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Less, and a relative of Our Saviour. St. Jude was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus.

Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in the year 62, and assisted at the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

He is an author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East, particularly the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. This Apostle is said to have suffered martyrdom in Armenia, which was then subject to Persia. The final conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity did not take place until the third century of our era.

Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. Little else is known of his life. Legend claims that he visited Beirut and Edessa; possibly martyred with St. Simon in Persia.

Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. Therefore, he is the patron saint of desperate cases and his feast day is October 28. Saint Jude is not the same person as Judas Iscariot who betrayed Our Lord and despaired because of his great sin and lack of trust in God's mercy.

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