From the Bishops Year for Priests

Jul 16, 2009

We celebrated his Mass of Christian Burial on June 4, at Our Lady of Fatima Church. A large number of priests was present, both former students and others who admired him over the decades. There was a substantial representation of lay people as well, from Meriden, Yalesville, and other parts of the Archdiocese. After Mass, I had the opportunity to talk with people on the sidewalk outside of the church. Their recollections of Father Daily were heartwarming. One man said poignantly, "He was there for me 35 years ago when I needed help, so I am here for him today."

Father Leo Daily was a renowned and beloved priest of our Archdiocese for more than 65 years. For the first 25 years, he served as professor of chemistry and physics at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield. He then went on to be the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Meriden for 12 years and subsequently to serve at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Yalesville, where he continued in active ministry through his retirement until this year. He returned home to God this past May 30.

I did not ask what the occasion was or what help was needed, but that statement said so much, both for Father Daily and for the man who expressed it.

Who can begin to measure the impact of one priest, never mind that of the thousands of priests who have served and continue to serve in the Archdiocese through the years? We might reflect on the influence priests have had on our own lives, as youngsters and through the succeeding stages ever since. Such contemplation is an edifying and rewarding exercise. It lifts the soul.

They have been there for us, baptizing us, forgiving our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, distributing First Holy Communion and celebrating the Eucharist through the years, officiating at marriages, administering the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, celebrating the Mass of Christian Burial for our loved ones. How significantly their personal influence and generous concern have impacted our lives, even though they might be totally unaware of their positive effect. They are there for us, in tragedy and in joy.

Where would our towns, villages, and neighborhoods be without our parishes? Where would our parishes be without our priests?

Pope Benedict XVI has declared a Year for Priests, beginning on June 19, 2009, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and concluding on June 19, 2010. This year is the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars. It is an appropriate time to ponder with utmost appreciation the gift of the priesthood and to express with profound admiration our gratitude to our priests.

The Curé of Ars (Parish Priest of Ars) is an inspiring model to keep before us. He is the patron saint of parish priests and soon to be declared the patron saint for all priests. Born in 1786 and departing for heaven in 1859, he served the Parish of Ars, a previously isolated, lonely, and neglected village, for 40 years. He named the parish in 1836 Our Lady Conceived without Sin (Immaculate Conception), although before his arrival, it was noted more for its indifference than for any piety of religious practice. He became legendary in his lifetime as a preacher calling for conversion and as a confessor loved for his compassion and availability. Pilgrims journeyed by the thousands from all over to hear him and to go to confession. It is reported that he heard confessions for 11 to 12 hours a day in the winter and 16 hours a day in the summer.

He visited homes and especially the sick on a regular basis, organized educational programs for children, arranged for parish missions and feast day celebrations, collected and managed funds for charitable and missionary works, and refurbished the parish church. With Catherine Lassagne and Benoite Lardet, he founded and managed La Providence, a school and home for girls, desperately needed at the time.

It was fittingly reported that under the leadership of St. John Vianney, Ars became "a great hospital of souls." It is appropriate, therefore, that we pay special homage to him in this Year for Priests.

We will, at the same time, be praying strongly for the beatification and canonization of one of our own priests, Father Michael J. McGivney, who served in St. Mary Parish, New Haven, from 1878-84, and in St. Thomas Parish, Thomaston (including the Mission of Immaculate Conception, Terryville), from 1884 until going to God in 1890. Widely known as the Founder of the Knights of Columbus, he was preeminently the personification of the parish priest, exhausting himself in service to his parishioners. He died at the age of 38.

When we meditate on the lives of the Curé of Ars, Father Michael McGivney, Father Leo Daily, and the priests who give of themselves so unstintingly throughout our Archdiocese during these years, we realize that with all they do and all the sacrifices they make, they provide us with invaluable blessings. Fundamentally, they bring us God!

In their Ordination to the Priesthood, priests are configured to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is their deep experience of God and their ongoing development that enable them to bless us so abundantly with their leadership and service. We are profoundly grateful – beyond words – to our priests.

As we look to the past and the present, it is important to note encouraging signs for the future. A few years ago there were eight seminarians preparing for the priesthood in our Archdiocese. Now there are 37, with seven more applications in process. Thanks be to God! Thanks once again to our priests, thanks to our seminarians, and thanks to you all for your prayers and support.

Printed with permission from the Catholic Transcript, newspaper for the Archdiocese of Hartford.