“So it might not be surprising that priests showing up in public, even if they are innocent of such charges, would be taking some heat. One priest, Fr. Michael Sliney, wrote on his Facebook page August 21, a week after the Pennsylvania grand jury issued that report, “Putting on my collar … especially now. Its presence on the street … is raising eyebrows.”
Another priest, Fr. Basil Hutsko, didn’t even have to go outside: a man came into the sacristy and began beating him up, saying “This is for all the kids,” The attack sent the Merrillville, Illinois, priest to hospital.
That was the thought in Fr. Jonathan Slavinskas’s mind one day when he was heading out in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“This week I have been walking around with a heavy heart. I have been completely angry and frustrated as a result of the Pennsylvania abuse reports and the [Archbishop Theodore] McCarrick situation. My continual prayer has been for the victims. As each news story continues, my heart is torn more apart.”
He pondered what his Roman collar, that distinctive white band that Catholic priests wear around their necks, would now represent to the world.
“As I walked around, I wonder how many people who glance at my collar will wonder, ‘Is this one too?’”
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God bless our good and holy priests who had nothing to do with abuse or scandal and who are faithfully acting “in persona Christi.” We need the graces received through the sacraments they administer to us. We must pray for them and continue to pray for them. Ask for Mary’s intercession. She loves her shepherds. Ask God to bless and protect them from all evil, both spiritual and physical. Ask God to console them with his Holy Spirit. Yes, we must tell them that we appreciate them so much, that we need them, we love them, and that we keep them in our prayers. This is such a hard time for them.
Today is Our Lady’s birthday. You can send her a birthday present of Rrosary said for a good and faithful priest by clicking on the link:
https://www.catholicaction.org/pray_for_priests
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