Auspice Maria: A Gift of Time Together - Supporting Our Priests in Their Ministry

All of us today know what it means to live busy lives. Families juggle work, school, and countless responsibilities. Priests, too, are busy people. Their days are full of sacramental ministry, parish leadership, pastoral care, and the unexpected needs that arise in the lives of their people. Amid this busyness, it can be challenging to find time to step back, connect, and renew the sense of shared mission.

This month, priests across our diocese will begin gathering in their vicariates (regions) at a minimum of five times over the next 10 months, for approximately two hours each time. These gatherings will happen on the same day across all six vicariates, following a simple shared format. The first of these meetings will take place on Friday, September 19th. The idea is not to add another heavy responsibility to an already full schedule. It is simply to provide time and space for priests to be together, to reflect on pastoral matters, to support one another, and to remember that the priesthood is never lived alone.

Not Forcing Fraternity

I recognize that not every priest feels comfortable in group settings. Some prefer to work quietly, drawing strength from prayer, their people, and their personal rhythms of life. Others naturally thrive in communal gatherings. Both approaches have their place. Fraternity, after all, cannot be forced. What I am inviting is not a program to change personalities or require a particular kind of participation. Rather, I want to create an opportunity, a space where priests can come together occasionally, without pressure, and hopefully find encouragement in one another’s presence.

Meetings will have a practical dimension that involves possibly discussing pastoral challenges, looking at common issues in parishes, or exploring ways to collaborate. At other times, they may lean more on the fraternal dimension: sharing joys and struggles, praying together, or simply talking as brothers who understand one another’s unique vocation. I hope that, in general, these gatherings will be a gentle reminder that we are not alone in the ministry Christ has entrusted to us.

This effort to coordinate the vicariate meeting schedule and format is not an attempt to create another obligation for my brother priests, nor to force fraternity where it doesn’t come easily. What these meetings potentially offer is an opportunity where priests can come together, listen to one another, and find strength in knowing they walk the same road.

Why It Matters for the Faithful

You may wonder what this has to do with you, the faithful people of our parishes. In truth, it has everything to do with you. I believe that a priest who feels supported, encouraged, and connected with his brother priests is a priest who can serve his people with greater peace and generosity. When priests have space to step back, share experiences, and pray together, they may return to their communities renewed.

This is why I ask for your understanding. On the days of these meetings, priests will need to step away for a few hours. That may mean adjusting schedules in ways that are not always convenient. Funerals, for example, are sacred moments in the life of a family and parish. They rightly call for attention and care. However, with careful planning and effective communication, it is sometimes possible to hold a funeral on an alternative day if it conflicts with a vicariate gathering. I know this requires flexibility, and I am deeply grateful for any understanding you can extend.

By supporting your priest in helping him set aside this time, you are also supporting his well-being and, in turn, the life of your parish.

A Shared Responsibility

The well-being of priests is not just the bishop’s responsibility. It is the responsibility of the whole Church. Just as families thrive when parents are cared for and supported, parishes thrive when priests are healthy, encouraged, and connected. These gatherings are one small way of tending to that reality.

They will not solve every challenge priests face. They will not erase the pressures of ministry or change the reality that fewer priests are entrusted with doing more ministry. However, these gatherings can strengthen the bonds of a presbyterate that is entrusted with the faithful to continue carrying forward together the Church's mission.

For this reason, I would like to encourage pastors to publish the dates of future vicariate meetings in their parish bulletins. In this way, the faithful are aware of the day and of the commitment, and they can both support and pray for their priests as they set aside this time together.

Grateful for Your Partnership

In conclusion, I thank you for the many ways you already care for and support your priests. Your prayers, your kindness, your patience, and your love mean more than you know. Please continue to help them in practical ways, for example, by making allowances for their schedules, by encouraging them when they seem weary, and by respecting the time they need to be with their brother priests.

Together, let us make these vicariate gatherings a source of renewal, not only for the priests who attend them but for the whole Church in Maine.

-Bishop James T. Ruggieri