Bishop marks feast of St. John Vianney at Stockholm church

STOCKHOLM  On Aug. 4, the Feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney observed the occasion fittingly at St. John Vianney Parish here where he celebrated a feast day Mass for the parish’s patron. It was the Bishop’s first pastoral visit to the parish in Sussex County.

St. John Vianney, a French priest, is known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France during the 1800s.

Father Benjamin Williams, who officially marked one year as pastor at St. John Vianney on the same day, concelebrated the Mass along with Father Dawid Zajecki, parochial vicar. The two parish priests also serve at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oak Ridge.

In his homily, the Bishop noted the young people who attended the Mass and asked all, “Who were your heroes when you were growing up?”

The Bishop mentioned some popular comic book superheroes that he considered heroes during his childhood and later some of the players on the New York Yankees during his grammar and high school years as some of his heroes. “As we get older our heroes change again,” he said. “Even­tually, I would realize my greatest heroes were my mom and dad. As a kid, I did not realize what my mom and dad were doing for my brother and sister and me — the example they gave us in faith, and sacrifice, and love. As people of faith, we have heroes as well.”

Sharing some reflections by St. Pope John Paul II about St. John Vianney, who is also known as the Cure D’Ars, (the parish priest of Ars), the Bishop spoke about when the Pope visited Ars as a seminarian, where St. John Vianney listened to confessions for hours on end, taught catechism, and gave homilies. Quoting the Pope’s words, the Bishop said, “In St. John Vianney, we could see the power of grace through human limitations. It was his heroic service in the confessional, which particularly struck me. That humble priest that would hear confessions more than 10 hours a day.”

The Bishop shared two lessons from St. John Vianney, who inspired a spiritual revolution in France and around the world in the 19th century that Catholics could apply in their daily lives. The first is to have a love of Jesus in the Eucharist especially during these difficult times in the Church, our nation, and our culture. The Bishop said, “St. John Vianney had such a love for Jesus in the Eucharist. We need to be united with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and receive him in Holy Communion.”

The second point is to remember that Jesus calls all to holiness and inspires all to holiness. The Bishop said, “Let us allow the love of God to inflame our hearts. He gave everything to serve God’s people and we are each called to be saints.”

To encourage priests of the Diocese on the feast of St. John Vianney, the Bishop sent them a letter. In it, he wrote, “As we daily give thanks for our priesthood, we also face daily challenges. Surely recalling the example and asking the intercession of the ‘Cure of Ars’ can encourage each of us to be closer to Our Lord, especially in daily prayer, the celebration of the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We also ask for the grace to follow the example of his zeal for and dedication to the pastoral care of God’s people.”

The Bishop wrote, “I take the opportunity of this feast day to offer a ‘fraternal reminder’ of the responsibility that we each have to care not only for those we serve, but, as St. John Vianney describes it, ‘to care for the parish of our own soul.’ In addition to our daily spiritual ‘nourishment,’ I hope that you each have had or will have the opportunity for an annual retreat and that you take time for spiritual direction and regular confession.”