The priestly vocation to perfection

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

Today, September 23, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), we are first invited to reflect on a passage from the first letter of Peter the apostle (5: 1-11) entitled “The duties of pastors and laity”. Our treasure, which follows, is from the degree on the ministry and life of priests of the Second Vatican Council.

Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (born Francesco Forgione; 25 May 1887 – 23 September 1968), widely known as Padre Pio (Italian for 'Father Pius'), was an Italian Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, celebrated on September 23rd.

Saint Padre Pio joined the Capuchins at fifteen and spent most of his religious life in the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo. He was marked by stigmata in 1918, leading to several investigations by the Holy See. Despite temporary sanctions imposed by the Vatican, his reputation kept increasing during his life, attracting many followers to San Giovanni Rotondo. He was the founder of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a hospital built near the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo.

After his death, his devotion continued to spread among believers all over the world. He was beatified on 2 May 1999 and canonized on 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II. His relics are exposed in the sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, next to the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo, now a major pilgrimage site.

The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, also known as Presbyterorum Ordinis, was a decree promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1965 as part of the Second Vatican Council. The decree's main purpose was to encourage priests in their daily work, and to do so with a deep theological message. The purpose then for which priests are consecrated by God through the ministry of the bishops is that they should be made sharers in a special way in Christ's priesthood and, by carrying out sacred functions, act as his ministers who through his Spirit continually exercise his priestly ministry in the liturgy.

The first letter of Saint Peter begins with an address by to Christian communities located in five provinces of Asia Minor, including areas evangelized by Paul. Christians there are encouraged to remain faithful to their standards of belief and conduct in spite of threats of persecution. Numerous allusions in the letter suggest that the churches addressed were largely of Gentile composition, though considerable use is made of the Old Testament.

The contents following the address both inspire and admonish these “chosen sojourners” who, in seeking to live as God’s people, feel an alienation from their previous religious roots and the society around them. Appeal is made to Christ’s resurrection and the future hope it provides and to the experience of baptism as new birth. The suffering and death of Christ serve as both source of salvation and example. What Christians are in Christ, as a people who have received mercy and are to proclaim and live according to God’s call, is repeatedly spelled out for all sorts of situations in society, work (even as slaves, the home, and general conduct. But overall hangs the possibility of suffering as a Christian. Persecution is later described as already occurring, so that some have supposed the letter was addressed both to places where such a “trial by fire” was already present and to places where it might break out.