Bishop's Interview: Holy priests are essential to a thriving church
Catholic Spirit, June 2010, Good News
Editor: For the last year, the Catholic Church has been celebrating the Year for Priests. The year closes at the end of June. What has this year meant for you personally as a priest?
Bishop Vásquez: The last year has had a special meaning and significance for me. First of all, Pope Benedict XVI has given us this great gift so that priests throughout the world will be renewed in their commitment about bringing Christ into a world that needs him very much. The Holy Father focused everyone on the Curé of Ars, St. John Vianney, who was a great example of that.
The pope intends to raise St. John Vianney to the status of being the priest that all priests are to look to for support. Before hand, he was specifically given the title of patron for parish priests but now he will become the patron for all priests. That is because of the great love and devotion he had for the people; he gave himself completely as a priest out of love for them.
St. John Vianney was assigned to Ars, a very small town with maybe about 230 people for whom he was to care. This is why he is given the title Curé of Ars because he was to care for the souls entrusted to him. He gave himself to them and brought the love of God to them through his actions and through his love for Christ. He said, “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” Jesus loves the priesthood, he loves his priests, and he wants the priests to serve and love the people. This Year for Priests has been given to us so that we can reflect on this mystery.
I think this year has been exciting for me because of my new appointment here in the Diocese of Austin. But even prior to that, in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo initiated the Year for Priests by allowing me to celebrate a Mass at the co-cathedral in celebration of the 25th anniversary of my priestly ordination. So this year has even greater significance for me because it is my 25th year as a priest.
Editor: What do you think this year has meant for the universal church?
Bishop Vásquez: I think this year has once again focused us on the importance of how much we all depend upon priests. The whole church has seen itself appreciating our priests and giving thanks for all they do for the church. Our priests make great commitments and sacrifices in order to serve the people of God.
As I travel through the Diocese of Austin I am impressed, inspired and uplifted by the commitment of our priests in this diocese. I can say completely and wholeheartedly that they are good men, they are dedicated and they love their people. I don’t know how many times I have heard that from the priests –– I love my people, I love what I’m doing, I love the service that I have for these people. As bishop this is exactly what I want to hear.
I am honored to know that the priests love what they are doing. They love celebrating the sacraments. They love preaching. They love teaching. They bring people in contact with Christ through the sacraments and through their preaching as well.
I think throughout the whole world people have used this year to say, “We have excellent priests; we have good priests; we have holy priests.” Our church is filled with holy priests –– priests who have the same heart, love and mind of Jesus Christ. If we continue to ordain such holy men, the church will continue to flourish and to draw in vocations. It is important that we continue to inspire people and help young people to see the priesthood is good, it is wonderful, it is a blessing.
Editor: The diocese is on a positive track in terms of vocations and our priests play a key role in that. During the Chrism Mass, you said that a joyful priest is the best advertisement for vocations. Can you expand upon that statement?
Bishop Vásquez: For me personally a joyful priest is what attracted me to the priesthood. I had a very young priest who came to the parish when I was a young man. My family was brought closer to the church by this priest because of his love for the church and his service. He was energetic; he was dynamic. Yes, he was young, but he had an energy and a joy about him and we could sense that he was sincere. He loved what he was doing, he appreciated the people and he wanted to serve. So that stimulated me to think about the priesthood.
I think that is what happens for most young men. When I say a joyful person, I am not saying that he is smiling all the time, that he was happy all the time, that everything was going right all the time. I don’t think that is what we mean by joy. Rather, joy is a deep sense of Christ’s presence within the person. A priest can’t help but be excited about what he is doing because he is communicating Christ and Christ is coming through him.
As we have always said in our church, the priest stands “in persona Christi capitis.” That means that he communicates Christ and when he celebrates the sacraments, it is Christ who is celebrating the sacraments. It is Christ who baptizes. It is Christ who forgives sins. As Catholics that is very powerful for us
For me I think that inner joy, that inner awareness of Christ, is what I want our priests to have and is what I strive for myself. I have already met many priests in our diocese who are joyful –– priests who love their ministry and who love what they are doing.
I consider myself very blessed. I am thankful to God every time I go to a parish and I see the way the priests relate to the people and the way the people relate to the priests. There is joy in the hearts of these men and that is indeed the most important advertisement for vocations to the priesthood.
Editor: So as we conclude the Year for Priests, what is your prayer for priests and for vocations?
Bishop Vásquez: I want to reassure our priests again of what I said at the very beginning when I was appointed as the Bishop of Austin –– I am here to serve them as a father, as a shepherd, as one who takes care of their needs and attends to them. I want to convey to my priests that they are loved and they have a very special place in my heart.
As I said in my homily on the day I was installed, the priests are the chief collaborators with me in the ministry of serving the people of this diocese. It is very important that we work together. Maintaining that relationship with the priests is highly important to me. I look forward to spending time with our priests during days of prayer, retreats and on an individual basis. In the months to come, I am looking forward to getting to know the presbyterate better. I want to know them and I want them to know me. As I travel throughout the diocese to celebrate confirmations, I enjoy meeting with the priests and I try to get to know them better.
Even as we conclude this Year for Priests, I will continue to be dedicated to our priests. I will continue to get to know them, and I will continue to allow myself to be open to them so that we can talk about issues, questions and suggestions because their input is critically important to me. So my prayer is that our thankfulness and appreciation for priests continues even as this Year for Priests concludes.
In reference to vocations, my prayer is that we will continue to have more vocations to the priesthood and religious life. I have been very impressed with the maturity and spirituality in our seminarians. Father Brian McMaster, our diocesan vocation director, has a wonderful team of collaborators who work with him to promote vocations. I am grateful for Father McMaster’s hard work and zeal for vocations to the priesthood.
I have been impressed with the openness to hear about vocations in almost all of the youth gatherings, which I think is significant. Throughout this diocese, there is a culture of vocations that has been developing for many years and I am very blessed to be able to be here at this key moment to see many of those fruits come forth.
At the end of May, we ordained seven new priests. That is magnificent! Seven men will bring Christ and his sacraments and his love to so many people. My prayer is that more young men will continue to be open to God’s call, to the vocation to the priesthood and that we will continue to see more vocations come forth in this diocese.