At the site of the UK’s best Catholic weekly, The Catholic Herald, you can read about “10 of the world’s most amazing priests”.
I’ll give you just the names without the descriptive paragraphs:
- Fr Andrew Apostoli
- Fr Anthony Pinizzotto
- Fr Chris Riley
- Fr Emmanuel Katongole
- Fr George Grafsky
- Fr Hugh Thwaites
- Fr Josef Bisig
- Fr Kevin Doran
- Fr Pio Mandato
- Mgr Keith Barltrop
UPDATE:
Please note that the list comes from a writer for The Catholic Herald. It is NOT, as some people have mistakenly suggested before, my list.
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Msgr. Keith Barltrop is amazing. God dropped a whole bunch of gifts into his soul and his sermons, even daily, are not only excellent exegesis , but also sermons, not just homilies.
There are few priests who can span the roles of pastor, teacher, intellectual, and organizer, but he is one.
Just wondering, are any of those priests TLM priests? I would add some Ordinariate priests to this list–Father Ed Tomlinson, Fr. Simon Heans, and of course, Fr. Hunwicke
I would also add Fr. Anthony Doe and Fr. Dominic Rolls to the list, quiet but holy men who do great good in the Church.
Now, I need to go and read the article.
The only one I recognize is Fr. Bisig. :P
About twelve years ago, Father Apostoli wrote me a letter when I contacted him after our unborn daughter was diagnosed with a fatal birth defect. He was so nice and so amazingly gentle. After she was born and died, we let him know (we’d been praying for the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose cause he was working toward at the time) and Father Apostoli took the time out of his day to give us a phone call. It meant a lot at a time when we really needed it.
Can somebody please define “sermon” and “homily” for me?
I’m truly blessed to have met two of the priests on the list. Father Andrew Apostoli celebrated a First Friday Mass at our parish a few years ago. Father Pio Mandato came to our parish during the Year of St Paul for a mission. I look forward to reading the article.
I was received into the Church on 1st of January and although I haven’t met him, Fr Thwaites has had a huge influence on me. Love that Holy man! His warm love, hit gentle voice and his wonderful analogies helped me to see Catholicism in all its Glory. God Bless you, Fr Thwaites.
@Supertradmum Fr Thwaites had a great love of the TLM.
Supertradmum: Fr. Joseph Bisig was one of the original group of priests who in 1988 left the SSPX to form the FSSP, of which he was appointed the first superior general in the Fraternity’s founding decree approved by Pope John Paull II. An amazing TLM priest, indeed, Fr. Bisig is currently rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska.
Fr. Pio Mandato is a good friend of mine. An exceptional priest. Faithful to the core!
If I were to list my 10 fav “public” priests (no ordinaries or above allowed), here they are (in no particular order):
1. FrZ
2. The I-Padre
3. Fr. Mitch Pacwa
4. Fr. John Trigilio
5. Fr. Robert Barron
6. Fr. John Hunwicke
7. Msgr. James Maroney
8. Msgr. Charles Pope
9. Fr. Andrew Wadsworth
10. Fr. Dwight Longenecker
I know Fr Pinizotto!!! He is at St Timothy’s in Chantilly Vs. I call him Fr Fast because his homilies are so short!!!
Although Fr. Apostoli won’t remember me, he came to my school 8 years ago ( I think) to help us raise funds: he was the featured speaker at the inaugural fundraising dinner, named in honor of the school’s founder (then deceased).
I thought I recognized Fr. Bisig’s name, as one of the founders of the Fraternity.
May I name another to the list? Fr. Charles Schoenbaechler, who used to say that his two greatest joys of the day were saying the traditional Mass and teaching the students Latin. In his 90’s, he baptised my youngest son.
Fr. Bisig is kind, humble, and good. It does not surprise me that he made such a list.
God bless our priests. Wow what they go through for the church! I am so grateful.
I am familiar only with Fr. Apostoli, among those on the list. He is a great promoter of the Fatima message. I have his book (although I haven’t read it yet). He is very active with both the World Apostolate of Fatima (and promotion of the 5 First Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary) as well as the cause for Venerable Bishop Sheen (it feels good to say Venerable before his name now).
I would definitely agree with Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Fr. Robert Barron as being worthy of such a list as Rellis added. We need good Jesuits like Fr. Pacwa out there…
Might I also add Fr. Pablo Straub? His 5 day series for Advent, from about 5 or 6 years ago, was excellent. And! If you ever saw Fr. Straub with Mother Angelica, when she was still live on EWTN – before her stroke, they were hilarious together!
What about Fr. Uwe Michael Lang. CO? He has done quite a lot in the area of the sacred liturgy. I realize that this is not Fr. Z’s list, but, Fr. Lang is certainly amazing, as is Fr. Tim Finegan! Now, his omission was a bit of a shocker. :(
[Did you notice that it is not my list?]
I did notice that this was not Fr. Z’s list, hence the disclaimer in my initial reply. Were it my own list, it would have the following:
1. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
2. Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, CO
3. Fr. Tim Finegan
4. Msgr. Anthony Ward
5. Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth
6. Msgr. Guido Marini
7. Fr. Robert Sirico
8. the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
9. Fr. Nicola Bux
10. Fr. John Trigiljio
Thanks to Henry Edwards and Adam Rules 247–very happy that they are on the list. Can I add Pope Benedict XVI? I am so grateful for his Papacy to happen in my lifetime. We forget that the Pope is The Priest, the Vicar of Christ, the High Priest.
Supertradmum, my thoughts exactly!!!! Pope Benedict XVI is exactly who the Church needs right now!!!
GregH: Thanks for the heads-up. Don’t know Fr Anthony Pinizzotto, and wouldn’t have known he is at St. Tim’s nearby. Guess I’ll hafta meander over there soon and see what’s up.
I could add Father Roberto “Tito” Ignacio… but unless you are in the Diocese of Trenton, or are Filippino, you probably never heard of him.
The situation with Fr. Corapi is so sad as he’d be on this list for sure. Say a prayer for him!