Pastoral Letter
“The Need For Priestly Vocations”
April 14, 1974
To my dearly beloved Clergy and People of God:
Greetings in the Lord!
For the first time since I
came to the Archdiocese of Manila, I address myself to you in a Pastoral Letter.
And I shall be doing so as frequently as possible as the need would arise,
because it is my earnest desire to make you feel my presence constantly as
your Shepherd and so that together, in unity, we can think about our “Father’s
business.” And thus thinking, we can unify our efforts, pool our potentials,
in a concerted move-ment, and translate those thoughts into action. As I
have always said, if left alone, I can do nothing. But with all of you beside
me and with our Father behind us, we can accomplish more.
One of my greatest obsessions
at the moment is to increase the number of our Diocesan Clergy by two or three-fold
within the next twelve years. The latest information at hand gives the Archdiocese
of Manila a total population of around 7 million. To minister to the needs
of this huge number of souls, we have only 165 Diocesan Priests, some of whom
are in the military service, abroad, or incapacitated for reasons of health
or age. While it is true that our Religious Clergy number around 908, the great majority of them are in the Universities, Colleges
or Schools, Seminaries, Retreat Houses, etc. In the last analysis, there is
only one priest to every 50,000 people, roughly speaking. In over a dozen
parishes, the population ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 people to whom only
one or two priests (some of whom are from other Dioceses), can be assigned
for want of more. Yet, if we have to be rational about it, three
to five priests would be necessary to minister efficiently to
the needs of that number of people.
Some districts in the Archdiocese
of Manila are so thickly populated that modern management would demand they
be erected or “re-structured” as separate parishes. And certainly, these districts
can come up as excellent parishes in the future, if there were enough priests.
From some quarters of our Archdiocese, people clamor for resident priests.
They hunger for the Bread and Blood of Christ, they yearn for His Message
from priests within their reach and they are distressed to see their children
grow in utter ignorance of the very rudiments of Faith and Religion. Verily,
“the little ones have asked for Bread and there was none to break it unto
them” (Lam IV, 4).
I also invite your attention
to another sad observation. It is a fact that not a few of our people have
been lost and are being lost in those areas where there are no resident priests
or where a priest can visit only on rare occasions. Wolves in sheep’s clothing
have rather been quick at taking advantage of the situation and are fattening
on the flock because the shepherd is far away and his voice is seldom heard.
It bleeds our heart to see some apostates among them who sell their priceless
legacy, their Catholic Faith, joining hands with the enemies of the Church,
seducing our simple-minded country folks from the fold. It is not and it should
not be our intention to curtail religious liberty according to the spirit
of Vatican II, but it is our common aspiration to unite all, keeping to mind
the words of the beloved Holy Father, John XXIII, of holy memory, — “Ut unum
sint.” However, I repeat, as we look around us, we are saddened. For the picture
we see is one where our brothers are depicted with bodies starved for food
and souls hungry for attention because of dearth of priests. And we cannot
help but ask ourselves, “Where and how are we to look for good and zealous
priests to help erase these deplorable conditions?” This is the question of
the hour and I invite you all, my brothers, to help me, your humble servant,
search for the answer and solution. These maybe difficult to seek, but answer
and solve, we must, at all cost.
Reverend Fathers, our faithful
fall back to us, the Clergy, for help and solution. They depend on us heavily
for help, for moral leadership and we cannot afford to fail them if we are
to move forward in our ambition to spread Christ’s Message and Love to all
men. Our country is no longer considered a mission country and so we have
to harness our own potentials for our own needs. Is it true that there are
no priestly vocations among your parishioners, my dear brothers? Is it true
that not one of your children, my dear parents, desires to be Christ’s co-worker
in the work of spreading His word? If your answer is yes, then that would
be a serious reflection on your individual zeal and Christianity. That would
even be tantamount to accusing Providence of having failed in this respect. Surely, the spirit
of God still abides in you. If Christ has planted in the vineyard of Manila richly, surely He would want more laborers in that vineyard.
But “sharing” is what is needed. You should do your share to increase vocations
in our Archdiocese. For it is the mind of Holy Mother Church that native vocations be fostered.
Please strive, dear Reverend
Fathers, to foment the priestly vocation zealously, more specially during
the summer months when our children are on vacation from schools. Certainly,
you will find from among the families of your parishes, young boys of good
disposition, who show certain attitudes, aptitudes and inclination for the
sacred calling. Show your special interest and concern for their progress
in their studies. Encourage our parents to offer at least one of their sons
for the service of God and humanity. They should be inspired by your sermons
and conferences about the honor and blessings, the prestige and dignity, in
offering one of their own flesh and blood to serve Christ in His courts. It
maybe true that along with this offering is sacrifice, but they should be
convinced that such sacrifice is nothing compared to the joy and pride of
having a son as Christ’s co-worker. Instill into their minds the idea that
giving their son or sons to God will unite not only their own families together,
but also will bind their families more intimately to Christ Himself by special
ties of affection, stronger and more lasting than the very flesh and blood
which links them to their son. Make them aware that from such offering comes
the consolation and comforting thought that as they approach the end of their
life on earth, they leave behind them one or even two of their children —
precious lasting souvenirs — whom they have guided dedicatedly, unselfishly.
And through their honest endeavors, through the sweat of their brows, through
their slender savings, they themselves have become Christ’s messenger of love.
To a Catholic, there is no
work of Charity or Love more appealing than sharing in the formation of a
priest. Such a priest can never forget his benefactor as he stands day after
day before the altar. That benefactor shares not only his prayers but also
the fruits of his ministry. A Catholic, a Christian of means can make no better
investment for his soul than founding a Scholarship Fund which will help
defray the expenses of a Seminarian.
For our part we are establishing
the CARDINAL SANTOS FUND FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS and I invite all Catholics,
all men of goodwill to give generously for this cause. I beg all of you, let
us unite. Let us give until it hurts. Let us have more priests. For upon them
depend the future of the Church of Manila!
Let me end by thanking you
in advance for your kindness. I am looking forward to seeing more of you get
involved in this campaign for more priests. I am looking forward to feel your
goodwill and your love for Christ and His Church. I repeat, by myself, I can
do nothing. But with all of us joining hands together, we can be an irresistible
majority.
May God, through the intercession
of His Blessed Mother, bless our homes with more priestly vocations in the
coming years. May He make Manila a most favored vineyard. May He bless our families,
our Archdiocese, our Country.
Devotedly yours in Christ,
(SGD.) + JAIME L. SIN, D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
