San Francisco archbishop urges new Nigerian priests to be ‘friends and fathers’ to their people
MAKURDI, Nigeria — Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco urged 14 newly ordained priests in Nigeria to model their ministry on Christ’s sacrificial love and remain close to those entrusted to their pastoral care.
In his homily during the Aug. 22 priestly ordinations of 14 deacons for the Diocese of Makurdi , Cordileone said the commandment Jesus gave the apostles during his farewell discourse provides a fundamental framework for understanding the identity and mission of the Catholic priest.
“Be friends and fathers to your people,” he said during the Eucharistic celebration at the Sesugh Maria Pilgrimage Centre in Makurdi. “The people of God must know that the priest is with them, that he is for them, and that he acts only with their best interest in mind.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco urged 14 newly ordained priests in Nigeria to model their ministry on Christ’s sacrificial love. | Credit: Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria
The archbishop said priests are called to imitate Christ by giving themselves completely to those entrusted to them, including when their service requires difficult decisions or encounters resistance.
He…
