The priest is not a mere office-holder, … he does something which no human being can do of his own power: in Christ’s name he speaks the words which absolve us of our sins and in this way he changes, starting with God, our entire life. Over the offerings of bread and wine he speaks Christ’s words of thanksgiving, which are words of transubstantiation – words which make Christ himself present, the Risen One, his Body and Blood – words which thus transform the elements of the world, which open the world to God and unite it to him.

The priesthood, then, is not simply “office” but sacrament: God makes use of us poor men in order to be, through us, present to all men and women, and to act on their behalf. …

God is to us, and our gratitude for the fact that he entrusts himself to our infirmities; that he guides and sustains us daily. In this way we also wanted to demonstrate once again to young people that this vocation, this fellowship of service for God and with God, does exist – and that God is indeed waiting for us to say “yes”. Together with the whole Church we wanted to make clear once again that we have to ask God for this vocation. We have to beg for workers for God’s harvest, and this petition to God is, at the same time, his own way of knocking on the hearts of young people who consider themselves able to do what God considers them able to do. It was to be expected that this new radiance of the priesthood would not be pleasing to the “enemy”; he would have rather preferred to see it disappear, so that God would ultimately be driven out of the world. And so it happened that, in this very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light – particularly the abuse of the little ones, in which the priesthood, whose task is to manifest God’s concern for our good, turns into its very opposite. We too insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again; and that in admitting men to priestly ministry and in their formation we will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey, so that the Lord will protect them and watch over them in troubled situations and amid life’s dangers. Had the Year for Priests been a glorification of our individual human performance, it would have been ruined by these events. But for us what happened was precisely the opposite: we grew in gratitude for God’s gift, a gift concealed in “earthen vessels” which ever anew, even amid human weakness, makes his love concretely present in this world. So let us look upon all that happened as a summons to purification, as a task which we bring to the future and which makes us acknowledge and love all the more the great gift we have received from God. In this way, his gift becomes a commitment to respond to God’s courage and humility by our own courage and our own humility.

From Benedict XVI Homely at the conclusion of the Year for Priests - Friday, 11 June 2010, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St Peter’s Square 

“Alter Christus” is a fast-paced film on the many aspects of the priesthood in the life of the Church. Centered on the life of St. John Vianney, the topics covered range from the Priestly Identity to the Sacraments, from Celibacy to the Mission.

The video includes interviews with:

Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Cardinal Julian Herranz, President of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia

Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy

Abbot Michael John Zielinski, Vice-President of the Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church,

Monsignor Guido Marini, Pontifical Master of Ceremonies

and many others.

The duration of the film is approximately 30 minutes

The video is included in 6 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese, plus special bonus features:

Complete interviews with Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, Cardinal Julián Herranz, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Msgr. Guido Marini, Abbot Michael John Zielinski and Msgr. Thierry Blot.

Approx. Dur.: 180 mins

© 2010 Fundación EUK Mamie, B° San Julian 30, 39479 Zurita, Cantabria (Spain)

EUK Mamie Foundation

The EUK Mamie Foundation is a NPO which has as its goal the human formation of people - culturally, socially and religiously - for building the “civilization of love”:

“Yes, the civilization of love is possible; it is not a utopia” (John Paul II)

EUK Mamie Foundation responded in 2000 to John Paul II call of the great adventure of utilizing the potentiality of the communication media to proclaim the Gospel message in the service of the new Evangelization founding HM Televisión.

HM Televisión produces all kind of audiovisual material thanks to the inestimable cooperation of the volunteer members of the Home of the Mother, and other persons who selflessly collaborate.

HM Televisión produces an important range of programs directed to families, youths and children, whose purpose is the transmission of values under the motto: “Yesterday, today and always: THE TRUTH!”.

The Home of the Mother activities go from publications to music, from Videos and DVDs to retreats and encounters (in Spain, Florida – USA -, Ecuador) and to pilgrimages, for the formation of young and adults and of families.

“… let’s build the communion of love in accordance with the designs that the Creator made known to us through his Son” (Benedict XVI, 24 January, 2006)

If you would like to get any DVD from HM Televisión, please contact:

EUK.MAMIE@telefonica.net
Phone: +34 680 37 53 65
EUK Mamie Foundation
Barrio San Julián, 30
39479 Zurita de Piélagos
Cantabria (Spain)