Pastoral Letter
D. JOSÉ PÉREZ MAZUELOS
Asidonia-Bishop of Jerez
on the occasion of the Seminar
19 and March 20, 2011
The priesthood, in fact, is a gift to be the means willed by God through him, to communicate the Word of salvation and sanctifying grace to the Church and in her and through her to all men. Just because it is a divine gift, must be welcomed, valued, appreciated and well tended and cherished in the Church. At the end of the ministerial priesthood is the extension of the one priesthood of Christ, which also depends on the condition of all the baptized priesthood but in a different way, not only in degree, because the configuration of the priest to Jesus Christ is not confined to the exercise of some specific activities, but which is a unity of being.
This idea Benedict XVI recalled recently and repeatedly. Indeed, no one can change the conditions of priestly ministry that the Church has received as a sacrament instituted by Christ in the way it is done by the power of the Holy Spirit in the imposition of the Bishop, successor of the Apostles. Similarly, no one is able to generate God's call is at the root of every priestly ministry. Only God calls and only one who is called has the ability and the ability to respond to that call. But the whole Church and each Christian in particular the competency to promote, encourage, promote and support "are a growing number of vocations that God spread in the field of the Church." Here indeed lies the meaning of this campaign that each year the Church dedicated to the care of priestly vocations. It is true that we can not "make" vocations, nor should we even try, but so is that in our hand is carrying out the mediation of the Church Growth these vocations in quantity and quality so that they can reach a successful conclusion by the will of God.
This year also coincides campaign Seminar Day with two events, one diocesan and universal one that add a special meaning. The first has to do with the celebration of the twenty-five years after the foundation of our diocesan seminary of San Juan de Avila. The second is given by the happy coincidence of the season with the arrival of the Cross of World Youth Day to be celebrated in Madrid next August. Surely this ecclesial event of the utmost importance will mean a boost for vocational Seminars in Spain as it has been already in other countries where it has already taken place in previous years. With this conviction that this is an excellent occasion to promote vocations, both diocesan Youth Ministry delegation and the Vocation of different activities are scheduled. So, I recall that the day of St. Joseph Dm be held at the Cathedral of the diaconal ordination seminarian Paul A. Gómez Mateos to 12.30. The following Tuesday at 21.00 h the WYD Cross will come to the seminary where we have a youth vigil shifts will continue to sail throughout the night. The next day at 20.00 h in the Solemn Eucharist with young people, will be instituted for the ministry of Acolyte three seminarians in their way of preparation for the priesthood. Waiting
that participation in these activities help us to promote priestly vocations, I invite you to ask the Lord to send laborers into his harvest "(Mt 9:38) and materially assist in sustaining the seminar, next weekend is specified in the collection of Day of the Seminar that guarantees one hand, the means for optimal formation of the other candidates and that no vocation be wasted for lack of economic resources.
Finally, I to thank all those who work most directly by the growth of our diocesan seminary, teachers, educators and benefactors who help us in so many ways, and the Delegation of Vocation. Thanks also to the priests, families, catechists, teachers and all those favorecéis young people to discover and follow God's call to priestly ministry. Supported
Mary, Mother of the Church and under the intercession of St. Joseph, I ask the Lord to bless our diocese with many holy priestly vocations.
Receive my love and blessing,
† Mazuelos José Pérez
Asidonia-Bishop of Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera, March 18, 2011
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