My earliest childhood memories of the month of May always include Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church. We always had a May altar at home. Recitation of the rosary each day was highly recommended. It all culminated in the crowning of the Blessed Virgin, a major parish celebration which was, weather permitting, held outdoors because of the large crowds.

As many of you read this week’s column, I shall be returning from the archdiocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes and other Catholic shrines of France. You know that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the apparition of Mary to St. Bernadette in Lourdes. We pilgrims were there last weekend, asking Mary’s intercession for the many needs of our local church, especially for healing and reconciliation in the hearts of all.
Last December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a letter was sent to bishops throughout the world from Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. It was the Cardinal’s intention to recognize the special maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for each and every priest. He reminded us how Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964 proclaimed Mary as “Mother of the Church,” that is, mother of all God’s people and especially their pastors. The Cardinal went on to refer to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council in which Mary is described as “Our Mother in the order of grace.”

It is true that all of us who are disciples of Jesus, sons and daughters who were entrusted to her benevolent care by a crucified Savior, are reminded that we learn from her the true meaning of life in Christ. In his letter the Cardinal in a very particular way entrusted all priests to Mary, the Mother of the High and Eternal Priest, with the hope of bringing about in the church a moment of prayer for the purpose of “awakening a sufficient number of holy vocations to the priestly state.” At the same time he also promulgated a program of spiritual motherhood for priests.
This idea of a spiritual mother for priests is one that is not very well known, scarcely understood and, as a result, rarely lived. But it is important. Most priests readily attest to the significant role their own earthly mothers played in their growth in faith, discipleship and vocational awareness. Pope John Paul II was so convinced of its importance that he actually established a cloistered convent in the Vatican where nuns would pray for his intentions each and every day.

This idea of entrusting all priests to Mary is largely dependent upon the prayers of the faithful, with Eucharistic adoration at its center. It was the Cardinal’s hope that “a prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, praise, petition, and reparation… be raised to God, incessantly and from every corner of the earth, with the primary intention of awakening a sufficient number of holy vocations to the priestly state and, at the same time, spiritually uniting with a certain spiritual maternity — at the level of the Mystical Body — all those who have been called to the ministerial priesthood.” He encouraged all bishops to promote the practice of Eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community, as had been suggested by Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis.

The Congregation for Clergy went on to recommend some guidelines in this matter. First of all, some specific places should be designated for perpetual Eucharistic adoration. Someone in the diocese, preferably a priest, should become the chief promoter and coordinator of Eucharistic adoration. Children preparing for their First Holy Communion should be encouraged to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. When priests and seminarians gather, time should be set aside for them to do the same.

The modalities for adoration may very well differ depending upon the circumstances of the parish or institution. Some places, as were mentioned, would be able to provide perpetual adoration. For others, extended Eucharistic adoration, throughout the day, would be more appropriate. In other places some specific hours for adoration could be set aside each week. Finally, Eucharistic adoration should be made available on special occasions such as feast days and anniversaries.
During our April pilgrimage to France, we pilgrims from in the Archdiocese of Portland visited the Shrine of St. Therese of Lisieux. Young Therese eventually came to understand her own vocation to be a spiritual mother for priests. She understood the weaknesses of priests and wrote, “If holy priests…show in their conduct their extreme need for prayers, what is to be said of those who are tepid?” In another letter she said, “Let us live for souls, let us be apostles, let us save especially the souls of priests…let us pray, let us suffer for them, and, on the last day, Jesus will be grateful.”

Earlier I referred to the group of sisters who pray for the Pope at the Vatican each day. In the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica is a convent consecrated to the Mother of the Church. Sisters living there consecrate their lives to the needs of the Holy Father and the church. Every five years this responsibility is assumed by a different contemplative order. First it was the Poor Clares, then the Carmelites and now Benedictine nuns from four different countries have come to live there. Pope Benedict often celebrates Mass with “his sisters.” He is grateful that they offer their lives for him and his apostolic mission.

This May I encourage all of us to unite ourselves with Mary who, at the foot of the cross, accepted the call to be our Mother, especially a mother for priests. I invite our parishes to promote Eucharistic adoration where people individually or communally can come together to give worship to God and to plead for an authentic renewal of priestly life. In particular, during this month of May, I ask our Catholic women to consider a call, which may seem old-fashioned but remains real and much needed in today’s church, the call to spiritual maternity for priests.

In my former diocese of Winona, a group of Carmelite sisters publishes a list of specific dates on which they pray for each priest in the diocese. Thanks be to God, they haven’t forgotten me. My date has been February 2. I hope and pray that many of our good Catholic women will embrace the calling to spiritual motherhood and adopt a priest for whom they offer their prayers and sacrifices. Furthermore, I ask all of you to pray for our seminarians and an increase in their number. The secret of holiness for all of us, especially priests, lies in the Eucharist. A holy church needs holy priests. Need I say more?