By MICHAEL WOJCIK
News Editor

STOCKHOLM - Last weekend, one of four relics of St. John Vianney that have been circulating around to parishes each weekend as part of a diocesan initiative to commemorate the "Year for Priests," made a spiritual homecoming of sorts during a visit to St. John Vianney Parish here, where Bishop Serratelli also conducted a pastoral visit.

At St. John Vianney here - the only faith community in the diocese named after the French saint who is the patron of priests, Bishop Serratelli was the main celebrant of 5 p.m. Mass  Saturday. That weekend, Feb. 27-28, the rural Sussex County parish received one of four circulating relics of St. John Vianney that was situated on the altar of the church at all Masses in front of a statue of the saint.

The presence of the relics of St. John Vianney during visits to churches in the diocese - part of a diocesan initiative that started last September and will continue through April 17-18 - is meant to inspire the faithful to pray in gratitude for the priests who serve the Church of Paterson, pray that God strengthen priests and pray for vocations to priesthood, said Bishop Serratelli.

"We have wonderful priests in this diocese. They work hard. We are lucky to have so many good priests, who come from the diocese and from other places," Bishop Serratelli told the enthusiastic faithful at St. John Vianney for Mass. "Pray that God sanctifies and strengthens our priests that they be an example so they will raise up others to the priesthood. If you open your hearts with gratitude, God will answer your prayers," he said,

During Mass, the congregation prayed that "priests be renewed in their work" for God's people and also to St. John Vianney. At the end of all weekend Masses, parishes hosting the saint's relic have the lector read a statement about the "Year for Priests" and the importance of the diocesan initiative and then leads the congregation in the Prayer for Priests.

At St. John Vianney Parish, after the prayer, the bishop blessed the congregation with the relic, saying, "Through the intercession of St. John Vianney, patron of priests, may Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Last weekend, the relic of St. John Vianney was situated on the altar of Stockholm church in a reliquary in front of a statue of the saint. That relic joined another St. John Vianney relic already displayed in the church. Also an icon image of St. John Vianney is displayed on a wall of the church to the side of the altar.

That same weekend, three other relics of St. John Vianney were visiting St. Christopher Parish, Parsippany; St. Anthony Parish, Butler; and St. Nicholas Parish, Passaic, which brings to number of parishes that have hosted the relic to 96. The relic that St. John Vianney hosted had come from St. Thomas Parish, Ogdensburg, and was headed for Immaculate Conception Parish, Franklin.

"[The presence of the relic] emphasizes that we priests need prayers," said Father Matthew Twiggs, St. John Vianney's pastor, who concelebrated the Saturday Mass with Bishop Serratelli and noted that the relic reminded him of his pilgrimages to the saint's hometown of Ars, France. "I need prayers everyday."

The diocese has been circulating the relics in commemoration of the "Year for Priests, " which Pope Benedict XVI began on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. He declared St. John Vianney the universal patron of priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Cure (parish priest) of Ars. The pope said St. John Vianney represents a "true example of a priest at the service of the flock of Christ." He died Aug. 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925.

In conjunction with this initiative, The Beacon had published Bishop Serratelli's catechesis on the use of relics in the Church in his weekly columns.

After Mass, Ed and Gloria Fetter joined other faithful in taking turns approaching the altar at St. John Vianney to pray before the relic. Ed Fetter said the presence of the relic reminded him of the joy he had felt, making pilgrimages to notable devotional sites, such as saints' tombs. Gloria Fetter, who spoke about many of the holy priests she has known, also noted that she prays on Thursdays for an hour for priests.

"It's great to have a relic of St. John Vianney in our parish of St. John Vianney," Ed Fetter said. "It's very special."

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