On Shepherding: Reflections on Priesthood

Pope Benedict XVI has said that the Year for Priests is an opportunity to 'deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the gospel in today's world'. It is also a chance to survey the life and ministry of priests and to celebrate all that is best about the priesthood in Ireland. In this book, eleven Irish priests who are working both in Ireland and abroad, offer some reflections on various dimensions of priestly ministry. The different contributions form a valuable insight into much of what Irish priests are concerned with in the early twenty-first century. These essays offer, both to ordained and laity, thoughts for that 'interior renewal' and 'incisive witness' that are at the core of the Year for Priests. The contributions include Priesthood in 21st century Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady; Priests and Ecclesial Movements, Brendan Leahy; Praying the Breviary, Gregory Collins OSB; The Priesthood and the Eucharist, Noel O'Sullivan; The Priest and the Liturgy, Hugh P. Kennedy; Moral Theology and Priesthood, Raphael Gallagher CSsR; The Priest and Education, Michael Drumm; Priesthood: Where is Mission Now?Michael McCabe SMA; The Priest and Ongoing Formation, Liam Bergin; Aspects of the Spirituality of Diocesan Priests, Aidan Ryan.