Archbishop Julian Leow asks all to pray for the Priests

More than 60 priests of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur renewed their ordination vows in the presence of their Archbishop at this year’s Chrism Mass at St Ignatius Church (SIC) on Wednesday, March 21. The Chrism Mass, according to Blessed Paul VI, is one of the principal expressions of the fullness of the bishop’s priesthood and signifies the closeness of the priests with him. Churches in the archdiocese take turns to host this annual Eucharistic celebration which is one of the most solemn and important liturgies of the liturgical year.

The main celebrant at the Mass, which started at 7.00pm, was His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow who blessed three oils – Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Sick and Oil of Chrism – then breathed over and consecrated the Chrism Oil.

In his homily, Archbishop Leow asked Catholics to pray for priests. He shared the thoughts of St John Vianney who is the patron saint of priests: “O how great is the priest! If he realised what he is, he would be awed… God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from Heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host. Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put him there in the tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for the journey? The priest.

Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest – always the priest. And if the soul should happen to die (as a result of sin), who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest. After God, the priest is everything. Only in heaven will he fully realise what he is.”

Archbishop Leow thanked the organisers and the hospitality of SIC parishioners as hosts. He also announced that three deacons – Simon Lau, Dominic Tan and Xavier Andrew – will be ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 2018 at Holy Family Church, Kajang.

Apart from priests and religious, the congregation comprises parishioners from SIC and other churches. Sign language was used during the Mass for the benefit of the hearing impaired. A cake was wheeled in to celebrate this Priests’ Day, after which priests, religious and attendees joined for fellowship after Mass.

The event was streamed ‘live’ to the first floor of Constantini Community Centre and the Internet. A video of the event can be viewed at ArchKL.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online