One of the great blessings of the Catholic faith tradition is its devotion to the saints, those who have gone before us and led exemplary lives of virtue and holiness.
The saints are an inspiration to those who are alive today. If the saints could live good and holy lives, then we can live good and holy lives, and if the saints have gone to heaven, then it is possible for us also to go to heaven. And, if we turn to the saints, they will intercede for us.
Many kinds of saints are celebrated throughout the liturgical year, abbots and abbesses, apostles, bishops, deacons, doctors of the Church, evangelists, founders, hermits, holy men and women, martyrs, popes, religious, virgins — and priests. Each priest that is featured during the liturgical year demonstrated genuine holiness, exercised his ministry with exceptional dedication, and made a notable contribution to the work of the Church.
St. John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. His memorial is celebrated on Aug. 4. He was born in 1786 in France, spent his youth as a shepherd boy, entered the seminary, struggled academically, particularly with Latin, was given special assistance, and eventually was ordained to the priesthood in 1815 at the age of 29. Two years later, in 1817, he was named the pastor of Ars, a small French village with a population of about 250 where he served for 42 years until his death in 1859. He is commonly known as the Cure d’Ars. He exuded kindness. He was a man of integrity. He made a home visit to every parishioner. He delivered animated homilies and was an effective teacher. He is most remembered for his compassion and spiritual wisdom as a confessor, and during his later years he heard confessions for 10 to 12 hours per day in the winter months, and up to 16 hours per day during the summer months when there was an influx of pilgrims who came from far and wide to approach him for counsel and absolution.
There is a long list of canonized saints who are priests. The priests remembered in January are St. Raymond of Penyafort, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Bosco; in April, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. John the Baptist de la Salle, St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, St. Peter Chanel and St. Louis de Montfort; and in May, St. Damien de Veuster, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Christopher Magallanes, St. Bede the Venerable and St. Philip Neri.
The priest commemorated in June is St. Anthony of Padua; in July, St. Junípero Serra, St. Anthony Zaccaria, St. Augustine Zhao Rong, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Lawrence of Brindisi, St. Sharbel Makhluf, and St. Ignatius of Loyola; and in August, St. Peter Julian Eymard, St. John Vianney, St. Cajetan, St. Dominic, St. Hippolytus, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. John Eudes and St. Joseph Calasanz.
The priests honored in September are St. Peter Claver, St. Andrew Kim, St. Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), St. Vincent de Paul and St. Jerome; in October, St. Bruno, St. John Leonardi, Sts. John de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues, St. Paul of the Cross and St. John of Capistrano; in November, St. Andrew Dung-Lac; and in December, St. Francis Xavier, St. John Damascene, St. John of the Cross, St. Peter Canisius and St. John of Kanty.
These canonized priests were wonderful in their pastoral zeal, and they inspire us to persevere on the journey of faith on the path to salvation.
Father Van Sloun is the director of clergy personnel for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This column is part of a series on the sacrament of holy orders.
