Each day of this special four-day visit of the relics will have a different theme. These key themes are central to both the life and mission of St John Vianney and this Year for Priests. The faithful are invited to pray at the relics in the following churches based in each of the four ecclesiastical provinces of Ireland:
Knock - Tuesday, 27 April in Our Lady’s Shrine, Knock, on the theme 'The Sacrament of Reconciliation'
Further details can be found on www.catholicbishops.ie, including:
An introduction to the Year for Priests and the Visit of the Relics of St John Vianney from Bishop Philip Boyce, Bishop of Raphoe.
A short video interview with Rev Professor Thomas Norris, Lecturer in Systematic Theology at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, who talks about the life and message of St John Vianney.
A brochure available to download with full details of the visit of the relics to Ireland and containing background information on the Year for Priests.
This Year for Priests was declared by Pope Benedict to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé of Ars, St John Mary Vianney, patron of parish priests worldwide. This special year began on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy.
Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated the Year by presiding at Vespers (evening prayer) in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome, where the relics of the Curé of Ars were brought for the occasion by Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, France.
The purpose of the Year for Priests is to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world.
‘The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus’ was an expression of St John Vianney.
For further information on the Year for Priests both in Ireland and internationally, see www.catholicbishops.ie and www.annussacerdotalis.org
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