14 Habits of Highly Effective Catholic Priests

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14 Habits of Highly Effective Catholic Priests

• OCarm. Seminar, Parur

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Where the inspiration came from?

• Stephen Coveys book for Managers, All walks of
  people
• Highly Effective Habits of Successful Religious
  Orders

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Habit 1 A Holy person deep inside

• First and Foremost Fundamental Quality - Personal
  Holiness
• Personal Prayer Life Frequently On His Knees at
  the feet of the Lord
• Rooted in the Word of God
• Always seeks the will of God in everything above
  personal will
• Constant fighter of sin and temptations!

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Habit 1 A Holy person deep inside (Contd)

• So, Can we really be Holy?
• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) - 459
  The Word became flesh to be our model of
  holiness "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from
  me." "I am the way, and the truth, and the life
  no one comes to the Father, but by me.
• 1 Peter 11516 but as He who called you is
  holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
  because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.
• Catholic Saints - St Benedict, St Jerome
• Friend who is a confession addict!

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Habit 1 A Holy person deep inside (Contd)

• How to achieve Personal Holiness?
• Holiness need to be practised in meditation and
  prayer
• It is not a psychological exercise ?
• Spending time with the Lord
• Achieved when In Service of God
• Need to be continuously perfected
• 2 Corinthians 71 Therefore, having these
  promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
  all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
  perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

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Habit 2 A lover of the Eucharistic Jesus

• Eucharistic Celebration - The Ultimate Form of
  Worship
• CCC 1324 - The Eucharist is "the source and
  summit of the Christian life." "The other
  sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical
  ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound
  up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.
  For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the
  whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ
  himself, our Pasch."

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Habit 2 A lover of the Eucharistic Jesus
(Contd)

• A daily mass goer - Finds extremely difficult
  missing a chance of not celebrating / receiving
  the Eucharist daily
• The Old priest
• If undisturbed, spends hours before the Blessed
  Sacrament
• Encourages Eucharistic adoration and spirituality
  in his community, parishes, schools / colleges
  and dioceses.
• Highest Vocations - Parishes with daily
  Eucharistic adoration (Survey in USA)

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Habit 2 A lover of the Eucharistic Jesus
(Contd)

• St Padre Pio The Eucharistic Saint
• An eye witness account on Padre Pio (Source
  Voice of Padre Pio)
• He had a lifelong love affair with Our Lord Jesus
  in the Eucharist. To him, the Eucharist was the
  centre of all spiritual benefits.
• He began his preparations for Mass hours before
  the Mass began. He would constantly ask his
  fellow Friars what time it was. He always thought
  it was time to begin Mass, even though it might
  have been two hours early. When it came to
  celebrating the Eucharist, he was like a young
  race-horse, chomping at the bit, waiting
  impatiently to get out of the starting gate.
• "But as he started vesting for Mass, his body
  began to bend forward. As he slowly approached
  the altar, his body stooped over more and more as
  if he was being crushed under a heavy cross beam
  on his shoulders his gait dragged, his face took
  on the sorrow of his Lord and Savior. As the
  mystery of the Sacrifice of the Mass unfolded,
  Padre Pio reached the pinnacle of suffering at
  the moment of Elevation of the Host in
  Consecration.
• To quote a witness, In his eyes I read the
  expression of a mother who assists at the agony
  of her son on the scaffold, who sees him expire
  and who, choked with suffering, silently receives
  the bloodless body in her arms, able only to give
  slight caresses.'

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Habit 3 Committed to the Catholic Faith and
the Church Magestarium

• Never dances when it comes to defending Catholic
  Faith, Teachings and Traditions
• Abortion
• Euthanasia
• Contraception
• Homosexuality
• Celibacy
• Etc
• Rejects the Halo Effect All other churches
  are doing so why not the Catholic Church?
• Local traditions vs. Church traditions
• Displays catholic faith in every actions and
  deeds An Open Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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Habit 4 Obedient to Catholic Hierarchy and
Religious Superiors

• Obedience and Reverence to Seniors and Spiritual
  Elders
• Never breaks the rule book and protocol on
  performing daily duties
• Open and eager to correction from Spiritual
  Directors and Confessors
• Humble and not rebellious in performing Christian
  duties
• Fights Spiritual Pride in every aspect

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Habit 4 Obedient to Catholic Hierarchy and
Religious Superiors (Contd)

• CCC 896 The Good Shepherd ought to be the model
  and "form" of the bishop's pastoral office. The
  faithful should be closely attached to the bishop
  as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus
  Christ is to the Father"428
• Let all follow the bishop, as Jesus Christ
  follows his Father, and the college of presbyters
  as the apostles respect the deacons as you do
  God's law. Let no one do anything concerning the
  Church in separation from the bishop.429
• Saint Gerard Majellas Obedience

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Habit 5 Embodies the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

• "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
  patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
  gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 522)
• Consistently exhibits the fruits of the Holy
  Spirit.
• Strives for the fruits of the Holy Spirit

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Habit 5 Embodies the Fruits of the Holy
Spirit. (Contd)

• Great Examples
• St Teresa of Lisieux
• Mother Teresa
• Saints

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Habit 6 Promotes sacraments among the parish
especially the youth

• Can be spotted with the Youth of the Parish
  during week ends even daily.
• Conducts Youth events to keep the youth closer to
  the church
• Constantly challenge and encourage the Youth to
  take the narrow door of Holiness
• Stand up against materialism, culture, mass media
  which is corrupting the youth
• Is a friend of St Don Bosco ?

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Habit 6 Promotes sacraments among the parish
especially the youth (Contd)

• Pope Benedict XVI said for World Youth Day 2009
• "We have set our hope on the living God. The
  living God is the risen Christ present in our
  world. He is the true hope the Christ who lives
  with us and in us and who calls us to share in
  his eternal life. Be his faithful disciples and
  in this way you will be able to help form
  Christian communities that are filled with love."
• "Make choices that demonstrate your faith. Show
  that you understand the risk of idolizing money,
  material goods, career and success, and do not
  allow yourselves to be attracted by these false
  illusions,"
• With prayer, perseverance and service, young
  Catholics will be "credible witnesses of
  Christian hope."

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Habit 6 Promotes sacraments among the parish
especially the youth (Contd)

• Pope John Paul II
• The great lover of the Youth
• JP II Generation among the Youth Bold
  Spirituality!
• Architect of the World Youth Day

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Habit 7 Constant and Vigilant Vocation Hunter

• Spots future priests and nuns, encourages and
  nurtures them
• Bishop Fulton J Sheens story of a boy at the
  hospital
• Promotes vocations in his parish, his diocese and
  among his family members
• Shows courage and conviction to say Follow Me
  like Jesus to St Peter and St Andrew

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Habit 8 Fearless Servant of God in the Public
Sqaure

• Ready to stand up even till the point of death
  for a good social cause
• Maintains a dignified and statesmanship like
  stance against the social evil
• Never breaks the law of the land
• John Paul II against religious persecution by the
  Communists in Poland and Iron Curtain Countries

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Habit 8 Fearless Servant of God in the Public
Sqaure (Contd)

• What the CCC says -
• 2254 Public authority is obliged to respect the
  fundamental rights of the human person and the
  conditions for the exercise of his freedom.
• 2255 It is the duty of citizens to work with
  civil authority for building up society in a
  spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and
  freedom.
• 2256 Citizens are obliged in conscience not to
  follow the directives of civil authorities when
  they are contrary to the demands of the moral
  order. "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts
  529).

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Habit 9 Prudent and Transparent person in the
community

• Handles the affairs of the parish / community
  with honesty and integrity
• Is widely respected as a moral and upright person
• Is known to all as a peace maker among families
  and communities
• Finds solutions by collecting and co-operating
  the views of all the parties
• Stays clear of controversies
• Maintains accounts and financial transactions
  with a lot of transparency

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Habit 10 A constant intercessor for spiritual
revival in his parish and community

• Constantly cries out to the Lord for spiritual
  revival in his community and parish
• The priest crying all night during the retreat
• Sets up his own example for encouraging the
  Sacraments
• An intercessor for mass repentance and conversion
• Power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
• St John Vianney

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Habit 11 A lover of Mother Mary and Catholic
saints

• Is an ardent Marian by nature
• Adopts Mother Mary as his spiritual and earthly
  mother
• Believes and Propogates the faith in the
  Communion of Saints
• Rosary formidable defence for catholic faith
• Mary Mother of Church and Mother of Priests
• St Don Boscos vision on the attack against the
  Church
• Pope John Paul IIs intense dialogues with Mother
  Mary

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Habit 12 Always promotes family values and
helps build the catholic family

• Family is the first Church for a child
• Starts propagating Christ through strong family
  values
• Actively encourages the necessity for prayer in
  families
• Gets together with families and be part of family
  functions
• Propagates the right teaching regarding
  Marriages, Family Planning, Raising up Children
  etc.
• Vocations and family values Maximum vocations
  from praying families

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Habit 13 Ready to emulate Christs suffering
till his coffin

• Sees suffering as an integral part of ministry
• Blessing rather than a curse
• Priest wrongly accused Jamshedpur
• Train journey with the old priest

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Habit 14 Never takes his eye from his lifes
mission

• Constantly and continuously in search of the Lord
  in various dimensions
• Defeats the doubts regarding his call to serve
  the Lord through fervent prayers
• A loyal soldier of the church till the coffin
• Priest friends questions on celibacy

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Thank You and May God Bless Your Priestly
Vocation.