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YEAR FOR PRIESTS
Celebrations recognize pastors

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
(Email Katie)

The Year for Priests began in June but prayers and events to honor priests will be ongoing until June 2010.

Pope Benedict XVI declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father from June 9-11, 2010.

With the announcement of the Year for Priests, the pope declared St. John Vianney the Universal Patron of Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the saint.

In the diocese
Bishop R. Walker Nickless held a Mass at Cathedral of the Epiphany on Sept. 13 to open the Year for Priests in the Diocese of Sioux City. An image of Christ the High Priest and three relics of St. John Vianney were present at the Mass.

“Our Holy Father has asked priests to use this year to grow in what he calls spiritual perfection. We are to be above all else, holy men of God,” said the bishop at the Mass.

The bishop announced that the relics along with the image of Christ would travel to each deanery including many parishes in the diocese.

Several parishes are using this year as an occasion to honor their pastors.

While the relics were present at St. Michael Parish in Sioux City, a Mass and card shower was held in Father Gary Snyder’s honor in October.

Some of the students in the parish formed a children’s choir and sang at the 9 a.m. Mass on Oct. 25 as part of a special weekend for their pastor.

“It was a way for the children to tell him thank you,” said Melanie Liebsack, DRE at St. Michael’s. “I think he really appreciated all the effort.”

A reception for Father Snyder was held after each Mass that Sunday. The children of the parish presented him with over 150 homemade thank you cards in addition to the cards he received from parish members at his card shower.

Nancy Rorholm, a parishioner at St. Michael’s, noted that the Fellowship Circle sponsored the event and the Knights of Columbus helped host.

“I don’t think we thank the priests enough for the time and the sacrifice that they make for us. We just always expect them to be there at Mass and for the baptisms, the weddings and the funerals,” she said. “I think we should say thank you.”

Prior to the special weekend, the children of the parish said special prayers for priests and vocations in recognition of the year for priests and in appreciation of Father Snyder.

Some parishes are coupling recognition for priests with other events.

For instance, the Knights of Columbus in West Bend sponsored a husband and wife banquet and several priests from the surrounding area were in attendance. The Litany of the Hours was also prayed with the intention of vocations.

According to Ann Langel, a parishioner, it is important to acknowledge the priests because “we need to show our appreciation for them and for what they do. By showing appreciation to them, it might encourage some of the young men to see that the service they do is important.”

St. Joseph Parish in Struble held a priest appreciation dinner after the 10 a.m. Mass on Nov. 15 in honor of Father Dan Greving.

Suggestions
During the Year for Priests, everyone is encouraged to pray for their parish priest and all priests.
Bishop Nickless visited a few of the Catholic schools this fall and passed out a Year for Priests prayer to students and asked them to pray for the priests of the diocese and all priests.

The U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations has set up a Web site to mark the Year for Priests at www.usccb.org/yearforpriests. Suggestions of what to do for priests during this year can be found on the site as well as what other dioceses are doing.