The priest as one chosen from among men
by VP
Posted on Wednesday April 22, 2026 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Blessed Noël Pinot, Priest and martyr: (1747-1794)
"We recognize the priest as one chosen from among men to serve men in the affairs of God. He is the minister of reconciliation with God, the teacher of the truth, and one who offers the sacrifice, who administers the sacraments, who prays for the people. We distinguish in him that double character of man and priest; we recognize the divine character of the priesthood which forces us to bend the knee to him for the forgiveness of sins and to receive from his hands the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist. His ordination has conferred upon the man the character of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. In the parish he is the ambassador of God, the administrator of the sacraments, the guardian of the sacred deposit of faith, the defender of the people's rights, and the unselfish friend of everyone. From the cradle to the grave, he touches intimately the lives of his people and brings to them in all the circumstances of life the blessing of the Divine Savior of whom he is the commissioned minister. The people feel that in the true priest there is no taint of selfishness, and that he is willing to sacrifice his life in order that the spiritual interests of his people may not suffer " Source: Bishop James Conaty, Our Young People, 1912
Prayer to Blessed Noel Pinot for Priests under Persecution:
Blessed Noel Pinot, who shared in the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus, the Sovereign Priest, deign to show us, your servants, the power of your intercession. Enlighten and strengthen priests; render them, like you, invincible in their defense of the Faith. Foster priestly and religious vocations in our parishes; fill those aspiring to the priesthood and the religious life with an ardent zeal. Obtain for the faithful the grace to better know and practice their religion. Ensure that families are faithful in carrying out their duties and grant that they be humble and respectful towards their pastors.
Preserve children and the youth from the many perils which threaten their beliefs and virtues; undo the plots of those who wish to tear them away from the maternal bosom of the Church. As you did during your life, aid the sick and the infirm; strengthen those who suffer and struggle. Finally, bless and crown with success the apostolic labors of the ministers of Christ and of all the Church militant, with the aim of restoring to our dear France (country) the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed Noel Pinot, pray for us.
General Vicar A. Oger, Angers, France (July 10th, 1944)
SS. Soter and Caius, Pope and Martyrs, A.D. 177 and 296
by VP
Posted on Wednesday April 22, 2026 at 12:00AM in Saints
" Saint Soter was raised to the papacy, upon the death of St. Anicetus in 173. By the sweetness of his discourses, he comforted all persons with the tenderness of a father, and assisted the indigent with liberal alms, especially those who suffered for the faith. He liberally extended his charities, according to the custom of his predecessors, to remote churches, particularly to that of Corinth, to which he addressed an excellent letter, which was read for edification on Sundays at their assemblies to celebrate the divine mysteries, together with the letter of St. Clement, pope. St. Soter vigorously opposed the heresy of Montanus, and governed the Church to the year 177, when he was put to death for the Christian faith, under Marcus Aurelius.
St. Caius succeeded St. Eutychian in the apostolic see, in the year 283. The Church then enjoyed a calm, but was soon after disturbed by a tumultuous persecution for two years, on the death of Carinus. St. Caius encouraged St. Sebastian and the other martyrs and confessors. However, to preserve himself for his flock, he withdrew for a time to avoid the fury of the storm. Having sat twelve years, he died on the 21st of April, 296; his great sufferings having obtained him the title of martyr.
Pray for the present bishop of the holy see of Rome, and for all bishops and pastors of Christ's Church; that whether in peace or persecution, they may ever bear testimony to the truth.
Their lives are powerful persuasives to virtue, if they live up to
their character: and to licentiousness, if they give countenance to it.
If they are unfaithful, let not this make you question the truth of what you profess. Your faith is built on the truth of God, and the promises of Christ: and however individuals may fail, these can never fail. Let the ill conduct therefore of others make you fear and tremble, and humbly distrust yourself, but not God's power, His goodness, or His truth. Learn the value of crosses and sufferings. Those Christian heroes, of whom the world was not worthy, all suffered, and were persecuted in many ways. These crosses ensured to them their greatest crowns" The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
