Mumbai: More than 700 priests from 91 of 132 India’s Latin rite dioceses spent four days at the Marian pilgrimage center of Vailankanni in Tamil Nadu to rediscover their enthusiasm to serve the Church and society.
The second congress of the Conference of Diocesan Priests of India (CDPI) addressed the theme “The joy of the priesthood.” During the January 28-31 congress, the priests found joy in celebrating Christ, in building the kingdom of God and being messengers of joy, the organizers said. They said the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Vailankanni was chosen to reinvigorate the pastoral enthusiasm of the men of the Church and to revive priestly unity.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India who celebrated the opening Mass, recalled the eight beatitudes of the priests, as already outlined by Pope Francis.
“Joyful is the priest who has Personal authentic solid relations with Jesus; Joyful is the priest who has the smell of the sheep; Joyful is the priest who is simple in lifestyle; Joyful is the priest who reaches out to the peripheries; Joyful is the priest who has a heart of Mercy; Joyful is the priest who is nourished by and nourishes others with the Word of God; Joyful is the priest who shuns the attitude of Clericalism and Joyful is the priest who put his trust in the Lord.”
The CDPI is the association that takes care of guiding the Commission for vocations, seminarians, clergy and religious of the Conference Catholic Bishops of India (Latin rite). Launched in 2001, the CDPI obtained official recognition in 2008. In 2014 it approved its internal statute.
Among the objectives of the organization: to strengthen relationships by building unity among priests; deepen the fraternity between bishops and priests; continue formation in accordance with pastoral spirituality and the signs of the times; expand the pastoral bond between priests beyond the borders of their respective dioceses; create a network of mutual support in the realization of the kingdom of God at the local level and in the universal Church. asianews.it
