Laborers for the Harvest

Tonight the Diocese of Boise reaps a bumper crop of new priests. Saul Reyes, Camilo Garcia, Jose Gonzalez, Adrian Vazquez, Julio Vicente, and Mariusz Majewski will be ordained at 7:30 at St. John's Cathedral in Boise, Bishop Michael Driscoll presiding. This is the largest number of men that have ever been ordained at one time in this diocese, making this an historic occasion.

From my birds-eye view in the now-remondeled choir loft (where I can now actually see what's going on), I can testify that, under the tutelage of the cathedral's new music director, there will be a pleasing blend of chant, polyphony, and liturgically appropriate modern music. As a prelude to the Mass, the men of the choir will chant the Te Deum. There will be absolutely no chinga-chinga music, no dance-party music, and nothing for which people will feel like holding up lit cigarette lighters.

In fact, the only thing I can come up with to complain about as far as the music is concerned is that St. Thomas More, that roaring lion of two-fisted cool, will not be mentioned in the Litany of Supplication. But I have no doubt he will show up all the same.

Prayer to St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests

Dear Saint John Vianney, your childhood dream was to be a Priest, to win souls for God. You endured years of toil and humiliation to attain the Priesthood. You became a Priest truly after God's own heart, outstanding in humulity and poverty; prayer and mortification; totally devoted to the service of God's people. The Church has exalted you as model and patron saint of all Parish Priests, trusting that your example and prayers will help them to live up to the high dignity of their vocation to be faithful servants of God's people, to be perfect imitators of Christ the Savior, Who came not to be served but to serve, to give His Life in ransom for many.

Pray that God may give to His Church today many more Priests after His own Heart. Pray for all the Priests under your patronage, that they may be worthy representatives of Christ the Good Shepherd. May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and penance; be examples of humility and poverty; shining modelss of holiness; tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God; zealous dispensers of God's Grace in the Sacraments. May their loving devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary His Mother be the Twin Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry. Amen.