Greetings from Rome. It has become almost a yearly tradition: Most priests from my congregation, the Legionaries of Christ, are ordained in Rome around Christmas — new Christs for the Church and the world.
On Dec. 22, 48 Legionaries were ordained in the basilica of St. Mary Major here.
On Jan. 2, 700 Legionaries attended the Pope’s first general audience of the year, and received a special greeting from Pope Benedict XVI.
I actually wasn’t here for the ordinations, or the general audience, either. But as the editor of the National Catholic Register, it was especially encouraging to see all the Americans there, from Everest Academy, Overbook Academy and Oaklawn Academy, three schools of ours in the United States. On Jan. 7, I was able to concelebrate a Mass in St. Peter’s with one of the newly ordained. It’s always exciting to be here in the heart of the Church, surrounded by the beauty of the Vatican — especially when it’s decked out for Christmas.
I prayed for all of our readers and supporters at Mass and, for good measure, at the the tomb of St. Peter under the Vatican and the nearby tomb of Pope John Paul II.
God bless!