Priesthood

The Catholic Church exists only where there are priests whose priesthood goes back to Christ’s words to His Apostles at the Last Supper, “Do this in commemoration of Me.”

The Priesthood

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. What is the priesthood? Before dealing at length with the meaning of the priesthood in the Catholic Church, there is value in first looking at the priesthood in general, as revealed to us by God in the Sacred Scriptures, because today in so many circles there is such widespread […]

Christ in the Eucharist – Presence and Reality

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. I would like to address myself to another aspect of the priesthood, namely, the priest’s faith in the Eucharist, directing our attention to the specific aspect of the subject by reflecting prayerfully on “Christ in the Eucharist-Presence and Reality”. It is perhaps remarkable that we should consider what must […]

The Priesthood and the Sacrifice of the Mass

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. By now, there must be as many definitions of the priesthood as there are dictionaries in print. But in the Catholic Church, the priest exists for one main purpose: to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass. So true is this that, without the priesthood, there would not only be […]

The Priest and the Ministry of the Word

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Since the life of a priest is to be modeled on the life of his Master. Even as Christ went about preaching and teaching the word of God, so the primary duty of a priest after the offering of Mass and the administration of the sacraments is to proclaim […]

Humility and Obedience in the Priest

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. It may seem a bit strange that all the major exhortations of the modern Popes to priests stress the importance of the virtues of humility and obedience, with no exception. On second thought, however, it is not unexpected. You would expect priests to be reminded to practice especially the […]

The Priest and the Sacrament of Penance

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The subject of the present conference is the priest and the sacrament of penance. It is remarkable how much publicity the sacrament of Penance is getting these days. A whole stadium filled with people is assembled, and in an elaborate ceremony are given general absolution. In other cases, several […]

Priests Must Live a Martyr’s Life

Transcription of a conference given by Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The Catholic priest in the modern world can he be martyred for his faith in the priesthood? No words of mine, nothing I could say, if I spoke for fifty years, would be too clear, that we are living in the age of martyrs. […]

Fifty Years in the Priesthood

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. First of all, my sincere gratitude to all of you attending this jubilee Mass. May God bless you with His choicest graces. On the occasion of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, there is literally an ocean of thoughts that come to mind, on which […]

The Ordination of Women to the Catholic Priesthood

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Presented at the Canon Law Convention, Worcester, MA., May 2, 1974 I wish to address myself to the subject of the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood. My reason for making the subject so specific is to cut through so much of the ambiguity that surrounds the question. […]

Celibacy and the Catholic Priest

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Some people may be surprised at the pressure and propaganda that have arisen in our day against the celibacy of priests in the Catholic Church. But it should not be surprising, as the history of the Church, from the beginning, amply testifies. It was, in fact, the unwillingness of […]

No Eucharist Without the Priesthood

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Among the maxims of Pope John XXIII was the exclamation of St. Augustine, “O wonderful the dignity of priests; in whose hands the Son of God is made flesh as in the womb of the Virgin.” It is this truth of our faith that over the centuries has sustained […]

Introduction to the Priesthood Book

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. There is nothing in Catholic Christianity that is either more distinctive or more important than the priesthood. When Christ ordained the Apostles on Holy Thursday night, He promised them that they would continue in their priestly work until the end of time. While the word “priest” is widely used, […]

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