Priests Gather to Pray the Rosary Live on Special Day
“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” – St John Marie Vianney
On the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, instituted as the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests by Pope St John Paul II in 2002, the NBVM-SCIC parish hosted around 50 priests from all over the country to a virtual Rosary gathering. The special event was broadcasted live on the parish’s Facebook page where around 300 viewers joined in to pray with the priests.
In his welcome address, Rev Fr Dominic Santhiyagu shared that the day of prayer is aimed to encourage priests to reflect upon the importance and dignity of their vocation. He added that he was grateful to God for the opportunity for priests and laity to gather virtually as one people of God to pray the Rosary for the sanctification of all. Fr Dom also sought the intercession of the Blessed Mother for healing, an end to the pandemic and the whole world.
The prayer gathering led by Rev Fr Francis Andrew began with a prayer for priests and was followed by the proclamation of the Holy Gospel and a reflection on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the priesthood.
In his sharing, Rev Fr Joseph Stephen invited everyone to reflect on the teachings on holiness from the Second Vatican Council. Chapter 5 of Lumen Gentium, the central document of Vatican II, is titled ‘Universal Call to Holiness’. It teaches that every person is called to holiness, regardless of one’s state in life. The path may be different but the goal of holiness is the same. Fr Joe added that holiness is a gratuitous gift from God, and it has a model in the person of Jesus Christ.
“All Christ’s faithful, whatever be the conditions, duties and circumstances of their lives-and indeed through all these, will daily increase in holiness, if they receive all things with faith from the hand of their heavenly Father and if they cooperate with the divine will.”
— Lumen Gentium
Quoting Thomas Merton who said that holiness is to be truly human, Fr Joe said that holiness is not found in perfect priests. Neither is it found in men who keep gazing at statues and who do not falter at liturgy. “We keep in mind, Fathers, that through whatever mistakes we have made and will make, God who has called us is inviting us to become holy men, and that is what our striving is about,” he added.
Fr Joe went on to reflect on the Blessed Mother as a model of the maternal face of the Church. He shared three instances in Our Lady’s life that we should reflect upon in learning to be a Church which has a mother’s face:
- The Escape to Egypt (Matt 2:13-23): The Holy Family too was a victim of persecution. We see their agony in leaving behind their home and culture. How do we minister to the refugees in our midst with love and compassion?
- The Annunciation (Luke 1: 26-38): The presence of the Holy Spirit in Mary was not a one-off incident, the Spirit was constantly ‘coming and going’ throughout her life, communicating different messages and calling her to engage in different situations. Mary is our model in responding to God’s call. Let the movement of the Holy Spirit inspire us in all aspects of our lives.
- The Crucifixion (John 19:25-27): Mary stood by Jesus at the foot of the cross throughout his passion and death. We too are invited to be present and to respond in the difficult situations of suffering, violence and death around us.
Following the reflection, the recitation of the Rosary took place where seven priests took turns to lead each decade of the sorrowful mystery and respond to the prayers. The attendees prayed together for priests to be strengthened in administering all their priestly duties and for the souls of departed priests.
The evening was capped with a special blessing by the Bishop of Penang, His Lordship Rt Rev Sebastian Francis. In imparting his blessing, he shared that his prayer is that the graces flowing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus will continue to flow in each one of the priests as they continue to pray with each other and with the people throughout these days. Bishop Sebastian also thanked Fr Dom for bringing everyone together on this special day for priests.
The online event was truly a joyous and memorable occasion for all who took part. Numerous comments from those who joined the Facebook livestream, thanking all priests and praying for them, is a testimony of the love and appreciation of the people for all priests.
It was very beautiful to see priests unite and praying together as one family. Like priests, we are all human and not perfect. All my children watched and found it very strange seeing priest praying the rosary like normal people. Normally, they see you all perform in the Holy Mass. It was nice that Fr. Joe shared on life of being a priest. Unity is very important between the clergymen and his flock. A good Shepherd will never leave anyone behind. Syabas to all of you who participated. You’ll never walk alone.