I found this video on CathNews (Australia). It is a production of the Vocation Centre of the Archdiocese of Sydney. CathNews showed the video in the context of World Youth Day, which begins tomorrow in Madrid.
At the end of the video Father Michael tells us that his uncle once asked him if the priesthood was as good as he thought if would be. He answered, 'No. It's much better!' That would echo my own experience of nearly 44 years. (It gave me a bit of a shock to see that Father Mark's parents are probably younger than I am!)
Being a priest has brought unexpected graces and experiences. One I never imagined during my seminary years was giving a bride away. Yet this has been something I've done three times for young women whose fathers had died. Two of them had never known their fathers, each of whom had died in an accident when his daughter was still an infant.
I once fulfilled a similar role in the case of a young woman making her first religious profession. Her father too had died when she was quite young.
The video focuses on the essentials of a priest's life, Mass and the sacraments.
I pray that World Youth Day will lead many young men to consider the possibility that God may be calling them to be priests. In some countries, Ireland, for example, entering the seminary requires a courage not needed when I made that decision 50 years ago. I got nothing but encouragement from my classmates. Today a young man in Ireland is very much going against the tide.
WYD Madrid 2011 Theme song Firmes en la fe English version by Rabab Zaitoun
Firmes en la fe, firmes en la fe!
We go forward in Christ, he's our companion and he is Lord!
Glory be to him! Glory be to him!
We go forward in Christ, made stronger in our faith.
1. Your love, it builds us up and keeps us rooted,
Your cross, it gives us constant strength and courage,
Your flesh, it ever saves us and sustains us,
Your blood, it flows to cheer us and renew us.
Oh, Christ, you are our brother,
Oh, Christ, you are our friend, you are our Lord,
Make us firm in the faith, make us firm in the faith!
Firmes en la fe...
2. Your hands, they hold us when we have been wounded,
Your eyes, they purify the way we see things,
Your lips, they speak to us words of forgiveness,
Your feet, they guide our steps to find life's fullness.
Oh, Christ, you are our brother,
Oh, Christ, you are our friend, you are our Lord,
Make us firm in the faith, make us firm in the faith!
Firmes en la fe...
3. We are the young, and Mary journeys with us,
And like a joyful bride she sings your praises;
With her we too shall sing and praise your triumph,
Because already death has been defeated.
Oh, Christ, you are our brother,
Oh, Christ, you are our friend, you are our Lord,
Make us firm in the faith, make us firm in the faith!
Firmes en la fe...
Here is a version in Spanish with images from previous World Youth Days: