Jubilee for Priests

JUBILEE FOR PRIESTS  Earlier this month, five priests of the Paterson Diocese joined 6,000 brother priests from around the world in Rome for the Jubilee for Priests during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, led by Pope Francis. Above, the Pope speaks to priests about their role in sharing the Lord’s mercy with others in his hour-long reflection in St. Paul Outside the Walls.

ROME  Earlier this month, five priests of the Paterson Diocese shared in a once-in-a-lifetime experience here in the heart of the Catholic Church. The priests, along with 6,000 fellow priests from around the world, received faith-filled encouragement directly from Pope Francis about how they can invite people into the heart of God’s love and forgiveness during this Jubilee Year of Mercy and beyond.

From June 1 to 3, Pope Francis led a Jubilee for Priests in Rome, which included his reflections about the priest as a “minister of mercy,” talks by bishops from around the world, liturgies and Eucharistic Adoration. Also, participating priests had opportunities to receive Reconciliation, walk through the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica and other basilicas here and engage in fellowship. Father Geno Sylva, a Diocesan priest who is an official with the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization at the Vatican, helped organize the retreat — one of numerous activities that the Pontiff has scheduled in Rome for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which the universal Church will continue celebrating until it concludes in November.

Meanwhile, Father James Platania, a student at the North American College here, and Father Lemmuel Camacho, a graduate student at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, had the unique opportunity of assisting during the retreat. Also attending the Jubilee event were Msgr. James Mahoney, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia and pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham Township, and Msgr. Joseph Goode, pastor of Our Lady of the Mountain and St. Mark parishes, both in Long Valley.

“He [Pope Francis] was practical, down to earth, [with] no jargon, and basically presented himself to us as a wise friend, who was inviting us to bring the mercy of Jesus to the people we serve,” Msgr. Mahoney wrote on the Jubilee for Priests on his web log, or “blog.” He called the three conferences held on the second day, which featured the Pope’s reflections, “clearly the most wonderful spiritual experience of my life with the solitary exception of pilgrimages made in the Holy Land. In truth, he gave us a lot of challenges, which will take some time to both understand and live out. But it is worth doing.”

On the first day, priests and seminarians visited one of the three Jubilee Churches for the Holy Year: San Salvatore in Lauro, Santa Maria in Vallicella and San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, where they could receive Recon­ciliation and spend time in Eucharis­tic Adora­tion. Then, they made a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s, followed by several bishops from around the world delivering teachings about mercy in different languages, including a catechesis in English by Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles. Later, Father Platania served as master of ceremonies during a Mass for English-speaking priests at Sant’Andrea della Valle with Bishop Barron and Archbishop Arthur Roche of the Leeds Archdiocese in England.

“It was a joy for me to serve as master of ceremonies at the Mass and facilitate a prayerful liturgy for the hundreds of priests who concelebrated,” Father Plantania said.

The second day focused on three conferences by Pope Francis, who prayed with the priests and delivered three hour-long reflections on mercy at three different basilicas in Rome. They were held at St. John Lateran for Italian priests not of the Diocese of Rome or the Vatican; St. Mary Major for priests of the Diocese of Rome or the Vatican; and St. Paul Outside the Walls for all other priests.

During these conferences, the Pontiff spoke in Italian, while the priests listened in one of eight languages through interpreters in their headphones. Also, participants watched the conferences at the other basilicas on large video screens. In between the meditations, they joined in Eucharistic Adoration and had time to spend time in silent prayer before God, Father Sylva said.

In his final reflection at St. Mary Major that day, the diocesan priests watched and listened as Pope Francis encouraged priests to become “signs and instruments of an encounter” — welcoming people and inviting them to have “a genuine encounter with the God of mercy.”

“Pope Francis motivates me both by words and by actions to live out a priesthood of mercy. His insistence on care for the poor and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy inspire me to do more in my own vocation to help bring about God’s mercy on earth,” said Father Platania, who helped with seating for the conference at St. Paul Outside the Walls.

That day, the Pope struck Msgr. Goode as “very gentle, personable and calm — the same as I have seen him on TV.”

“Pope Francis has a friendliness, is genuine and has a concern for people,” said Msgr. Goode, who had never been in the presence of the current Pontiff before and unfortunately did not receive the opportunity to meet him face to face during the Jubilee for Priests. “He spoke about how priests should be instruments of mercy to others — every person. It was great that he dedicated time to priests,” the priest said.

At St. Paul Outside the Walls, Father Sylva was inspired “to see so many priests, many of whom were in Rome for the first time, on bended knee in prayer throughout the retreat day. The feeling of fraternal connection between the Holy Father and those present was palpable.”

“It was wonderful having four of my diocesan brothers present for this great Jubilee event,” Father Sylva said.

At the end of the second day of the Jubilee for Priests, Pope Francis concelebrated Mass with the priests with Father Platania assisting. On June 3, the final day, the Pope celebrated Mass in the morning in St. Peter’s Square.

After the Jubilee for Priests, Father Camacho called Pope Francis’ reflections during the event “reminders of concrete examples on pastoral service for God’s people.”

“Priests are asked to re-examine what already has been part of pastoral work entrusted to them when they were ordained,” Father Camacho said. “This can be accomplished by being faithful to the teachings of the Church as revealed in Scripture and Tradition. It is also allowing the understanding gained from these truths flow out as charity to the people whom the priest serve.”