Conference for the youth of Catholic Action

The topic of priestly vocations could not be of greater importance for the Church, given the mission of the priest. Christ confided to the priest the administration of his sacraments which in the Church are the ordinary path and the means par excellence for the reception of Grace. The celebration of Holy Mass, which is the renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross on our altars, is the most excellent of all acts carried out under heaven, the act that gives the greatest glory to God, more than any apostolic works, sacrifices and prayers… and this act, the center of Christian life, can only be realized by priests. The purification of souls soiled by sin has been confided to the priest. In those countries in which the Catholic priest has disappeared, the Church has disappeared as well…

The problem of the priestly vocation is a Christian problem in every sense of the word, a problem that is of interest not only to a chosen few who can study this vocation but also for all Christians. A problem for parents who wish to give a Christian education to their children; a problem for youth who need a guide during those difficult years to direct them in the crisis of adolescence; a problem for the poor who need a father concerned for their necessities; a problem for those who aspire to form a home, who need a guide for their conscience, spiritual directors; a problem for those who have no faith - a problem which they themselves do not perceive and, for that reason, one that is all the more fearful - who need someone to selflessly lend them a hand; a problem for the sick who search in vain for someone to encourage them to enter into eternity with serenity, who will console their family and friends. The whole of Christian life is filled with the presence of the priest and all of us should interest ourselves in this problem because their number grows ever smaller but above all we should desire that they might grow in spirit.

May they be saints, but also may they be numerous, because the apostolic activity of every man has a limit and once this limit is passed, his strength can reach no further… then so many others will remain without the help they seek.