Priest as Pastor, Servant and Shepherd

Priest as Pastor, Servant and Shepherd | Fr. James McCarthy, Archdiocese of Sydney | Ignatius Insight

The Easter season is a time for celebrating the Resurrection of Christ

Additionally in many places in the Catholic world, the Easter Season is the time when celebrations of Ordinations often occur. In fact, on the fourth Sunday of Easter, on May 3, 2009, the Holy Father ordained nineteen men as priests for the Diocese of Rome. Three days earlier, on Thursday, April 30th, in Sydney, Australia, Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell ordained four men to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, the largest Ordination for Sydney since 1988.



This was particularly significant for me as I returned home to Sydney from Rome, where I am currently studying, to be ordained as one of the four. The Ordination was a magnificent celebration of the presence of the Catholic Church in Australia, with over 3,000 in attendance at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral. As a 27-year-old recently ordained priest, I am greatly consoled by the fact that throughout the world, the number of men ordained every year is continuing to rise, as is the number of men who are entering seminaries.

The priesthood is a unique vocation, and it is unlike any career or profession. When I answered the call to enter into formation for the priesthood, I was studying History and Politics at the University of Sydney. It was in the context of a secular public university that I heard the call to serve God, the Church and our world as a priest.

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Comments

[Sharon]

Fr McCarthy's mother, Christine, does wonderful work in Australia to promote Eucharistic Adoration. She is a member of the Liturgical Commission for the Archdiocese of Sydney
http://www.seadoration.org/

Some of the books she has written:

I the Lord Am With You Always: Prayers and Meditations For Eucharistic Adoration - available in Italian
Christine McCarthy

IN MEMORY OF ME: Understanding the Eucharist
by Christine McCarthy
(Sydney, 2005, 72pp, $11.95. Can be ordered through AD Books)
Secondary (High) School age children or adults.

COME TO ME, MY CHILDREN: A Book of Prayers
by Christine McCarthy
Primary (elementary)school age children

(Sydney, 2004, 48pp, $6.50. Can be ordered through AD Books)

http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2005/decjan2005p17_2136.html