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Priest a wartime legend

Rev. Mike Dalton celebrates mass with Canadian troops in Europe during the Second World War. Dalton, who died Monday at 106, used his army Jeep as an altar.

Priest a wartime legend
By Marty Gervais, Windsor StarApril 7, 2009

He was a soldier to the end. His threadbare army tunic hung on the wall, and his room was filled with religious icons, rosaries and holy pictures.

And when you spoke to him, his words were about the men he knew on the battlefields of France when he rigged up a makeshift altar on the hood of his jeep and said mass for them.

The photos from the Second World War show these anxious men kneeling, their heads bowed, silent in the muddy fields just hours before they were sent into battle.

And when age finally wore him down -- long after the war and years of serving parishes all over the London diocese including Windsor, Woodslee and Kingsville -- this old priest told me it wouldn't stop him from saying mass in his bed at the nursing home.


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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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The Joy of the Priesthood

I can't promise that this will be my last post of the day, but I promise to try.

The Joy of the Priesthood

But even on this side of heaven, the difficulty of its sacrifices and sorrows are strongly overshadowed by its joys and its rewards. Jesus promised that we would receive one hundredfold in this life and we priests know it is true. I cannot think of a more meaningful life. What could be more satisfying than helping people in their sorrows, giving them hope, and being an instrument of God's grace? In the survey I conducted, mentioned in the last chapter, when asked if they believed their lives and ministries as priests make a difference in the world, 89.1 percent of the priests said yes. If young people had an inkling of the satisfaction and a taste of the joys of priestly life, many more would be knocking on rectory doors to join our ranks.

As I read that I thought to myself that we need to show our priests more often how much we appreciate their service to us. Despite the differences I have had with some priests at my parishes I am very grateful for them.