• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Pope Francis poses for a photo with Argentine priests living in Rome during a meeting at the Vatican Jan. 16, 2025. Earlier in the day, the pope fell and hurt his right arm; while nothing was broken, he is wearing a sling as a "precautionary measure," the Vatican said. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Priesthood is a gift meant to be given for others, pope says

January 16, 2025
By Justin McLellan
Catholic News Service
Filed Under: News, Saints, Vatican, Vocations, World News

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A priestly vocation is not merely a path toward salvation for the one who is called but should be a continuous self-gift that aligns each priest’s life with God’s plans for them, Pope Francis said.

Speaking to his countrymen in a meeting with students and staff from the Argentine Priestly College in Rome Jan. 16, the pope began by noting how he would miss joining the college community for dinner and eating Argentine barbecue.

Members of the clergy stand below a large portrait during the beatification ceremony in 2013 for Father Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero in the village of Cura Brochero, Argentina, which was named after him. Father Brochero, who was known as the “cowboy priest,” lived from 1840 to 1914, and became the eighth Argentine to be beatified by the Catholic Church. (CNS photo/Gabriela Lezcano, Reuters)

Pope Francis spoke to the group about St. José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, a 19th-century Argentine priest he canonized in 2016 and about whom his friends said, “He should not have existed if not as a priest.”

The saint, known as the “Cura Brochero,” was renowned for his pastoral work, especially among the poor and marginalized in rural areas of Argentina.

“We must firmly assume this priestly identity, and realize that our vocation is not an appendix, a means to other ends, even pious ones, such as salvation; absolutely not,” Pope Francis said. Rather, a vocation “is the project of God in our life, what God sees in us, what moves his gaze of love.”

In other words, the pope said, one’s vocation is the love that God has for each person, “and in this lies our true essence.”

Pope Francis, meeting with the priests in the library of the Apostolic Palace, wore a sling to hold his right arm in place. The Vatican press office said the pope fell in his residence earlier in the day and that his right arm, though not broken, was put in a sling as a “precautionary measure.”

Reflecting on St. Brochero’s determination to “embrace the ecclesiastical career,” the pope said the saint intended it as a commitment to ceaselessly serving others, “spending himself and wearing himself out for the sake of the Gospel.”

The pope urged them to live out their vocation by “caring for the interior life, keeping the flame burning with great humility,” since it is when one is stationary and immersed in pride that they become “vulnerable.”

Pope Francis also stressed the value of “priestly fraternity,” which he said begins with one’s bishop. He said priests should commit themselves to being like soldiers “fighting alongside him, side by side, to the last cartridge.”

And with their brother priests, the pope urged the group to “share everything one has,” to ask for correction when they are mistaken and to frankly correct others when they err, inspiring a life of deep piety and frequent confession.

Discussing the central role of the Eucharist in the priestly vocation, Pope Francis recalled how St. Brochero would sleep outdoors in cornfields waiting for farmhands to open the ranches where he ministered so that he could celebrate Mass.

The pope praised the saint’s “sacrificial respect for the mystery, that far from an insistence, had more impact than a thousand words of overly sentimental eloquence.”

Read More Vocations

New York archdiocese sees hundreds of responses to ‘Called By Name’ program

Quo Vadis attracts biggest crowd ever, promotes camaraderie and faith

Study: Devotion to Mary has significant impact on discerning, sustaining vocations

Loyola University Maryland graduate ordained Jesuit priest

ordination 2025 baltimore

Excitement and pride abound at ordination of five priests for Archdiocese of Baltimore

Deacon O’Donnell’s ‘normal’ faith life led to priestly vocation

Copyright © 2025 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Justin McLellan

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • Conference of Major Superiors of Men Men’s religious leaders confront change with fraternity and faith

  • St. Bernardine Choir celebrates 50 years of song, spirit and community

  • Radio Interview: The true story of ‘Xavier Rynne’

  • Massacre ‘of faithful in the house of God’ in Congolese Catholic church leaves 43 dead

  • Sister Rose Sylvia Lindner, S.S.N.D., dies at 91

| Latest Local News |

Sister Rita Ann Naughton, I.H.M., dies at 88

St. Bernardine Choir celebrates 50 years of song, spirit and community

Grillo Family Reflection Space

Loyola University Maryland receives $1 million gift supporting aspiring educators, creation of reflection space

Sister Miriam Jansen, former director of international programs at Notre Dame of Maryland, dies at 86

Conference of Major Superiors of Men

Men’s religious leaders confront change with fraternity and faith

| Latest World News |

burch

Brian Burch confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See

JUBILEE-YOUTH-VIGIL

Pope Leo urges youth to find hope, friendship in Christ in uncertain times

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, Rep. Veronica Escobar

Amid shift in public opinion on immigration, Catholic advocates praise bipartisan attempt at reform

Planned Parenthood defunding remains in question amid legal challenges

UNESCO-EXIT-CATHOLIC-SITES

Experts see US UNESCO exit as blow to historic preservation for churches, other sites

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Brian Burch confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See
  • Pope Leo urges youth to find hope, friendship in Christ in uncertain times
  • Our Lady of the Snows: An unlikely patron in August
  • Amid shift in public opinion on immigration, Catholic advocates praise bipartisan attempt at reform
  • A Small Gift on a Cloudy Day
  • Planned Parenthood defunding remains in question amid legal challenges
  • Experts see US UNESCO exit as blow to historic preservation for churches, other sites
  • Thousands visit Blessed Frassati’s remains in Rome for Jubilee of Youth
  • Young teen’s relics a reminder for pilgrims that holiness ‘is not impossible’

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en