France pilgrimage n retreat update 9/28/09

So how many priests are here for the retreat in Ars? 1,200. It's quite a sight to see all these priests chant together 'Our Father' in Latin at morning prayer. Language is quite a challenge for all of us. French seems to be the operating language for all the talks. I met priests from Gabon, Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, China, Korea, Philippines, Austrailia, Canada, US, Brazil, Britain, Belgium, Swiss, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. At the beginning of the day we were given a special listening device which allows us to hear translation in our own language. Logistically I can see this group poses a great challenge. We have 15 tourist buses to pick us up at each of our hotels at 7:45am to take us into the village of Ars and take us back to our hotels by 10pm at night each day. Needless to say we are very tired by the end of the day jam packed with talks, prayers, adoration, and more talks. The local village of Ars have one tiny bakery, one creppe shop, and one cafe. Imagine when 1200 hungry and tired men come out the talks. How overwhelmed this town becomes!

It is an amazing feat for the volunteers to feed us both lunch and dinner in a humongus tent set up in the middle of cow pastures near the Basilica of St Jean Vianney. In this tent we get to meet new faces and connect.

The morning we began with gathering song led by young relgious sisters belonging to Community of Beatitudes, one of the many new religious communities springing up in France with extraordinary vibrancy. They sang a song called 'Il est la,' or 'He is there,' to get us to prepare our hearts for the presence of God with us at the sanctuary.

Cardinal Schonborn of Vienna, Austria gave a talk on the topic of 'The priestly calling: Consecrated for the salvation of the world.' He spoke about how Jesus changed the very being or essence of men whom he ordained to priesthood so that they may not be considered and categorized in terms of superior or holier; since priest's very being is different than non-ordained, the earthly category of superiority is irrelevant. By Jesus' design ordained priesthood is to be complement and not competition to the ordinary priesthood of all the baptized. So ordained priests did not receive anything to be object of envy or jealousy by non-ordained. Holiness is the object and goal of both the ordained and non-ordained; both are to complement and assist each other to reach this common goal.

We had two 1 hr talks back to back beginning at 3pm immediately followed by (without breaks) an hour of adoration. It was a powerful experience to be with so many priests with St Jean Vianney who was the lover of Jesus in the Eucharist.

I'm told by a German priest sitting next to me that within a walking distance from us is a Carmelite monastery with a large traveling relic of St. Therese of Lisieux during the duration of the retreat this week. How timely that Little Flower is here for the priests. Of course in few days, she'll be honored on her feast day (Oct. 1st) I'll have to visit her tomorrow. I'll say to her, 'Long time no see, Therese!' (I visited her basilica few days ago in the city of Lisieux)

Fr Paul