Virtual priests retreat for ‘Vianney Day’

By Fr Kenwyn Sylvester

On Wednesday, August 4, priests of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain celebrated the Feast Day of St John Maria Vianney with a day of reflection and fellowship.

The priests utilised Zoom as the platform to connect with one another on this special day dedicated to parish priests. This day of reflection which marked the 160th anniversary of the death of St John Vianney began with Morning Prayer, followed by three conferences directed by guest speaker Archbishop Socrates Villegas OP, a bishop of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

His conferences had two major themes. The first The Priests the World needs Today, where he spoke about the models of priesthood the world needs in a post-pandemic church. Secondly, he led a reflection on Priesthood according to the model of St Joseph.

There were deep and heartfelt contributions from some priests present, the Archbishop being numbered among the participants and many were left with the sense that the themes explored needed further reflection.

The discussion overflowed to our virtual lunch and casual conversations held in breakout rooms, and these words of Archbishop Villegas seemed to have resounded in the heart of many, “The world needs priests, because the world needs God.”

The day ended fittingly with Holy Mass, and all expressed their pleasure and gratitude to the organisers of the event.

Happy Feast Day to all parish priests!