It is a joy for me to share with you my experience both as a priest and as a bishop on the Day of the Priest, which our Archdiocese is celebrating today for the first time. I rest assured that many Christians hold the priest in high esteem and also appreciate the service he offers for the good of mankind. Today’s occasion serves to raise more awareness about the role of the priest in contemporary society.
I am a priest because I accepted God’s call to follow Him closely and serve His people. I am a bishop for you and with you because I have obeyed my superiors who have chosen me to serve you. It is not through personal choice I am a bishop; if this were the case, I would not be holding this position.
The seed of my vocation was sown when I was 12. I sensed that God wanted something out of me. Gradually this call matured to a point where it seemed as if I heard someone say “I want you to become a Dominican priest”. This is rather strange since I had never been in close contact with any Dominicans although I was born and bred within the parish of St Dominic in Valletta.
My father was a catechist at St James’s church, which was run by diocesan priests, and that is where I used to go to church. This is the mystery in my vocation.
For me, the priesthood signifies a call to serve as a bridge between God and mankind. Pastoral experience has taught me that just as God might have used me to draw people closer to him, in much the same way he uses them as a means to draw me closer to Him.
I remember visiting a family where a baby, aged less than one year, lay on the brink of death. The baby’s mother was on her knees, reading the Gospel aloud. She realised that in my heart of hearts, I was questioning her action.
She turned to me and said: “Although my baby does not understand the Gospel, the grace of the Word of God will come upon her.” And there was I thinking that God was using me to provide her with solace, when it resulted that I learnt the most beautiful lesson regarding the power of the Word of God.
Even after I was appointed Archbishop, I carried on performing these visits; I also dedicate time to listen to people who are suffering, who are facing problems and difficulties in life. The difference lies in that when I was a parish priest, I had just the people of the parish to look after; now I have all the people of Malta to care for. Obviously, I cannot perform this task on my own.
Among my collaborators are the many parish priests and other members of the clergy. Yet, I still feel the need to be close to the people at a personal level, especially those who are in need. My pastoral visits in parishes are also a means to reach out to as many people as possible.
I hold those who have drifted away from the Church very close to my heart. The priest must be the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep.
I like to tell my priests that people who don’t attend Church are not problems, but possibilities. I sincerely believe that if we approach them with the same love and gentleness of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will once again join his flock. This should be one of the major solicitudes of every priest who believes that to be close to God is the greatest benefit for man.
When I take a look around and focus on the requirements of our parishes, on one hand I am concerned that vocations to the priesthood have decreased, whereas the needs of the parishes have increased.
Yet on the other, I am filled with courage and hope when I note the number of lay people who are committed to pastoral work and who collaborate with our priests.
We must bear in mind that the Holy Spirit did not only descend upon priests, but also upon lay people.
All this good develops in a human context. When God calls someone to His service, he can only choose from among humans.
We need to bear in mind that every person has both strengths and weaknesses. When St Peter asked Jesus to turn away from him because he was a sinful man, Jesus immediately called him to follow him to make him a fisher of man.
I wish to show my appreciation to all those who welcome, respect and collaborate with priests, as well as those who pray for them, conscious of the fact that a priest is human.
Many are those who care for priests, helping them in their daily needs or in times of illness. For this, I thank you all.
I would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to Malta’s late Vicar General, Bishop Annetto Depasquale. He was an exemplary priest and the fruits of his work for the Church and society at large will be borne for many years to come.
+ Paul Cremona O.P.
Archbishop of Malta
The article above was published on The Sunday Times of 4th December 2011