Student priests: An ecclesial mission

The Year for Priests is an opportunity to discover many facets of the priesthood as well as priests different missions. In fact, seminarians are not the only ones who study: according to the needs of the dioceses, some priests are invited to continue their studies. Father Olivier Peyron, from the diocese of Valence, is currently preparing his thesis in Rome. He sees this formation period as a true ecclesial mission.In every ministry we carry out, in every call we receive through the voice of the bishop, we are serving Christ; whether studying or working in parishes by ministering and preparing for the sacraments. Therefore, to work intellectually for a period we are not students our entire lives is a Church mission that is entrusted to us and that we try to accomplish successfully in order to better serve afterwards.After four years of parish ministry, this young priest is now living with twenty other student priests at the community of St. Louis of the French in Rome. In addition to rediscovering the intimacy with Christ, of which the Curé dArs is a model, Fr. Olivier expresses another wish for priests throughout this year:To rediscover priestly fraternity, some form of collegiality Perhaps we priests need to rediscover the unity of the priesthood, its greatness through very humane, simple and profound friendships.Though Rome and its pontifical universities are the places that reunite more student priests than any others, there are nonetheless many more universities around the world that provide further education for priests who have been invited to continue their studies.

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