As a priest, your son will replace the comforts of a wife and family with a deeper relationship with God and a commitment to serving the community. He will have the support of his brethren and spiritual relationships with the members of his parish. His duties will be challenging and are extremely important to the people he serves. Each week, a priest enters the lives of dozens of his parishioners at their most vital moments: in the baptism of a newborn child, in the absolution of decades of previously unrepented sin, in the consecration and distribution of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, in the exchange of marital vows before God, in the anointing of the sick and in the funeral of a deceased member of the Church. Because he is “priest,” because he stands in the person of Jesus Christ, the priest is a central part of their lives in these precious occasions. In saying the prayers of the Daily Office and in celebrating daily Mass where Christ becomes truly present in the Holy Eucharist, the priest is in constant contact with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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