“He made them the vicars of his love.” – St. Ambrose

The essential services that priests carry out are what keeps the Church alive. Priests, as Venerable Fulton Sheen says, lend Jesus their hands and lips; Christ speaks and acts through His priests. The priesthood is a unique vocation within the Church, and because Holy Orders is a sacrament, the recipient receives special graces to fulfill his ministry. The office of priest “depends entirely on Christ and on his unique priesthood; it has been instituted for the good of men and the communion of the Church.” In his ministerial role, the priest acts in persona Christi Capitis, or in the person of Christ the Head. This is what gives him the power to consecrate the Eucharist and administer the sacraments to the laity.

“People who say that we priests are lonely are either lying or have got it all wrong. We are far less lonely than anyone else, for we can count on the constant company of the Lord, with whom we should be conversing without interruption. We are in love with Love, with the Author of Love!" – St. Josemaria Escriva