Fr. John Zuhlsdorf: Christmas Gifts for Priests
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf on Christmas Gifts for Priests
This issue of taking care of priests is today a sore spot for me, and I am very glad the writer led with this.
I just read a story in the Italian press about a tragic death of a priest in Rome. An African priest, 30 years old from Zimbabwe, died alone in his room and he was not found until three days later. No one had bothered to check or find out why he hadn’t been to meals or where he was.
Dead alone in a house full of priests.
This does not surprise me in the least.
Once in Rome I was stuck in my room for days, feverish and completely unable, too weak, to get out of bed, probably with pneumonia. I was terribly ill. There was no phone in the room and that was before cellphones were omnipresent. Not a single person checked on me, even though I lived in a clerical house. Not. A. Soul.
There are a lot of priests who bear a profound sense of isolation. Of course many are extremely active and social and sought after by their own families and others, but many have little or no family. They effectively have no one. Even other priests.
So I say this not just for Christmastime, but for the whole year:
Don’t forget your priests.
Even small gestures toward them can make a difference.
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Priests are a gift to society and in our busy lives, we should never forget that. I go out of my way to greet them when I see them. They are a symbol of not only the Church, but a symbol of hope! I send them cards for the holidays and also keep them in my prayers!
Thank you Fathers
A Moving story indeed