O wonderful the dignity of priests; in whose hands the Son of God is made flesh as in the womb of the Virgin - St. Augustine of Hippo

The Priest and the Sacrifice of the Mass

Without the priesthood, there would be no sacrifice of the Mass. The Eucharistic Sacrifice in which the Immaculate Victim who takes away the sins of the world is offered, requires in a special way that the priest, by a holy and spotless life, should imitate the holiness of God, to whom he daily offers that adorable Victim, the very Word of God incarnate for love of us. “Realize what you are doing, and imitate what you handle," the Church says through the Bishop to a man about to be consecrated a priest. The priest is the almoner of God's graces of which the Sacraments are the channels and must do everything he can to put on the spirit of Christ (cf. Ad Catholici Sacerdotii, No. 35).

What Do Vincentians Bring to the Gift of Priesthood?

Being a Vincentian priest means to have three things stand at the center of our lives: the Eucharist, the priesthood, and the poor. First, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Church’s life and through daily celebration of the Eucharist, the Divine Office and Adoration, we strive to keep Jesus always enthroned in our hearts. Second, living priesthood means to take on the image of Christ and make Christ the Missionary of the Father visible through preaching the Gospel, dispensing the sacraments and by teaching in diocesan seminaries. As Vincentians, we are constantly going out to the faithful, especially the poor to accompany them, pray with them, and celebrate the sacraments with them. Finally, the poor are our Lords and Masters and we encounter Christ when we encounter them. We go out to serve the poor and do everything that we can to help the poor and alleviate their suffering. St. Vincent tells us that we are priests of the poor and that God has chosen us for them. These three things together make a Vincentian priest.