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DALLAS DIOCESE RELEASES LIST OF CREDIBLY ACCUSED PRIESTS

What is a priest?
 

A priest is called by God, from among the community of believers, to serve as the minister of sacraments, to proclaim the Good News and to be the means of our loving Lord’s forgiveness and healing.  To be a priest is a gift; a particular gift of God, a special calling, not to be presumed or assumed.  It is a gift freely offered and given.  It is a gift accepted only after serious reflection, prayer, and careful preparation. 
 
Catholic priests today face great challenges.  The realities of fewer priests, an aging priesthood, the pressures and headaches of administration, and the plain and ordinary struggles that have always characterized the human side of the Church, are not easy and perhaps are especially challenging today.  Yet these challenges cannot take away from the fact that priests experience something enormously satisfying in helping others, celebrating the sacraments, preaching, and just being present at important moments in the lives of the people we serve. These are among the greatest joys of our priesthood.
 
Mass is celebrated, parish life is attended to, and many Catholics would hardly know that there are significantly fewer priests.  Why?  The answer has to do with priests themselves.  They have responded generously to the call to serve the People of God, often at great personal cost, and with limited acknowledgement or appreciation by the people they serve.  But we don’t serve in order to be noticed. We continue to work to lift up and serve the People of God through the power of the sacraments and the joy of helping people connect with the sacred in their ordinary, everyday lives. 
 
Sixty years ago Fr. Thomas E. Langer wrote:  Priests are mystery men.  They come in assorted sizes, ages, weights, and collars.  They are found everywhere –speeding along, walking by, kneeling on, praying over, laughing with, preaching to, teaching about and pardoning over.  Little children run to them, aged people turn to them, lay people treasure them, non-Catholics stare at them, and Mary watches over them.
 
A priest is a member of every family, yet belongs to none.  He penetrates secrets, shares sorrows, and heals wounds.  He has the trust of a child, the kindness of a best friend, the authority of an encyclopedia, the versatility of a commando, and the salesmanship of a Fuller-Brush man.
 
The sheer giving-of-self nature of the priesthood, is something to celebrate and it’s something for which we need to thank God.  It’s something for which we need to thank our priests.  
 
Fr. Clifford G. Smith
 

God of endless love, ever caring, ever strong, always present, always just: You gave your only Son to save us by the blood of his cross.

Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace, join to your own suffering the pain of all who have been hurt in body, mind, and spirit by those who betrayed the trust placed in them.

Hear our cries as we agonize over the harm done to our brothers and sisters. Breathe wisdom into our prayers, soothe restless hearts with hope, steady shaken spirits with faith: Show us the way to justice and wholeness, enlightened by truth and enfolded in your mercy.

Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal your people’s wounds and transform our brokenness. Grant us courage and wisdom, humility and grace, so that we may act with justice and find peace in you. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Dios de amor infinito,
siempre bondadoso, siempre fuerte,
siempre presente, siempre justo:
Tú diste a tu único Hijo
para salvarnos por la sangre de su cruz.

Jesús Bueno, pastor de paz,
une a tu propio sufrimiento
el dolor de todos quienes han sido heridos
en cuerpo, mente y espíritu
por aquellos quienes traicionaron
la confianza puesta en ellos.

Oye nuestro llanto mientras sufrimos
por el daño causado a nuestros hermanos y hermanas.
Infunde sabiduría en nuestras oraciones,
alivia nuestros corazones intranquilos con la esperanza,
endereza los espíritus tambaleantes con fe:
Muéstranos el camino hacia la justicia y la entereza,
danos la luz de la verdad y cúbrenos con tu misericordia.

Espíritu Santo, consolador de corazones,
cura las heridas de tu pueblo
y rescátanos de nuestra dispersión.
Danos valentía y sabiduría, humildad y gracia
para que así actuemos con justicia
y encontremos paz en ti.
Te lo pedimos por Cristo, Nuestro Señor. Amén.
 

First, notify local law enforcement. Second notify the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services through the Texas Abuse Hotline (1-800-252-5400 or www.texasabusehotline.org <http://www.texasabusehotline.org> )  Finally, if the allegation involves a member of the clergy or an employee of a parish or the Diocese, please notify the Diocese of Dallas Victims Assistance Coordinator, Barbara Landregan, at 214-379-2812.