Inspiration!

I just got off the phone with an octogenarian parish priest.

My God!…what an inspiration.

Friends, pray for and encourage your priests.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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11 Comments

  1. mamajen says:

    We are blessed to have one in our city. He is an amazing man who remains very active despite his age. An inspiration indeed.

  2. discerningguy says:

    I hope to die as such one day.

  3. APX says:

    Yes, the diocesan priest back home who says the EF Mass is 85 or 86 I believe. Still does all the genuflections too!

  4. Eileen T says:

    Our PP has about three decades to go before he reaches octogenarian status. I think he was ordained less than 10 years ago. He has learned to celebrate the Mass in Latin for those of our parish community who wish to attend that Form. He has strengthened the Legion of Mary, of which he is the chaplain, so that the majority are now men. He only has male altar servers. etc… etc…

    Our choir leads us in the Kyrie Eleison at Mass, as well as the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei and they are learning the Gloria in Latin which I expect them to have perfected by Easter. We also have many of the old theological hymns back.

    I heard that before he came to be our parish priest, two previous parishes complained about him to the bishop because he does not permit some of the things perpetrated by Liturgy Committees in other parishes. The last time I spoke to our bishop, I thanked him for sending us this priest.

    He is one of the few priests in recent decades that I have heard condemn not only abortion, but also contraception and fornication, from the pulpit – several times. He is straight-forward, down to earth and hard-hitting. Doesn’t have a politically correct bone in his body…and the kids love him!

  5. dahveed says:

    Hi Father,
    ours is a “twinned” parish, in a small town, where generally two older priests (both septuagenarians) normally alternate between the parishes. Every now and then another, third priest, in his mid-eighties, will say Mass. This particular priest was my family’s parish priest in the mid-seventies, still condemns sin, promotes Confession and Marian devotion, especially daily Rosaries. It’s always a joy to see that he is celebrating Mass, although his health is poor. I will add, without further comment, that he also quiet does not require assistance from Extraordinary Eucharistic ministers. I think in many ways, we’re blessed by all three, although the one I mention has been a personal inspiration.

  6. NoTambourines says:

    We lost our beloved pastor earlier this year at the age of 78. He battled cancer for about 5 years, and fought slowing down every step of the way. He would still concelebrate Mass here and there after our new pastor arrived, even as he had to start using a walker to get up the aisle. It was clear he wanted to work all the way up to the end, just as two of our Jesuits back home worked well into their mid-nineties.

    The fact that so many continue full-tilt up to the end is deeply inspiring. I got to thinking after another great homily from our younger priest this week that a “glass-half-full” attitude is worth remembering: the fact that we have so many good and faithful priests is proof that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and working in His Church.

  7. AnAmericanMother says:

    When my daughter was at college in North Carolina, her confessor was the World’s Oldest Jesuit – must have been in his 90s at the time. Old-fashioned, straight-up Jesuit from the days when they were the shock troops of the Church. She really admired him – used to take him cookies and find him sitting in the rectory parlor, afghan on his knees, reading his breviary.

  8. Dan says:

    When I was attending the TLM in Richmond, VA we had a fine parish priest who earned his Eagle Scout Award in 1943, fought at Okinawa in ’45, and became a Benedictine priest after the war. He had an incredible influence on generations of Richmond Catholics, and up until this summer (when the parish was given to the FSSP) he heard confessions and said Mass daily. He is still quite active as Prior at the Benedictine Abbey in Richmond. What an inspiration.

  9. aladextra says:

    It was so moving to see the continuity, even if there was a hiccup in between.

  10. dad29 says:

    On the other hand……

    Had a conversation with a retired priest, who spent the entire time bemoaning the new translation and a younger priest who “likes Latin!!!”

    He still serves us, which is good.

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