Indeed, the priest, by virtue of the consecration which he receives in the sacrament of orders, is sent forth by the Father through the mediatorship of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a special way as head and shepherd of his people, in order to live and work by the power of the Holy Spirit in service of the Church and for the salvation of the world.(23)

In this way the fundamentally "relational" dimension of priestly identity can be understood. Through the priesthood which arises from the depths of the ineffable mystery of God, that is, from the love of the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's gift of unity, the priest sacramentally enters into communion with the bishop and with other priests(24) in order to serve the People of God who are the Church and to draw all mankind to Christ in accordance with the Lord's prayer: "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one...even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (Jn. 17:11, 21).

This text from #12 of I Will Give You Shepherds by Pope John Paul II explains why St. Thomas Aquinas is so passionate about supporting vocations to Holy Orders. We consider it important to help foster the call to serve that men feel to the diaconate and priesthood.

We do this in a variety of ways...

• Monthly Priesthood discernment group meetings
• Operation Andrew dinners with Archbishop Hanus
• Thinking of Priesthood day with Fr. Jonathon
• Monastic Spring Break
• Deacon discernment meetings throughout the year
• Personal Spiritual Direction

If you or someone you know has such a call, feel free to contact Fr. Jon (frjon@staparish.net) or Fr. Jim (frjim@staparish.net) to talk about it.