Pastoral Letter To All Priests in the Diocese of Fort Worth

March 28, 2020

"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them" (John 10: 11-12).

Dear Fathers and Brothers in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ,

One of the joys of the priestly vocation is our annual gathering during Holy Week at the Chrism Mass where we publicly and united together renew our ordination promises prior to the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening in each of our churches, commemorating both the institution of the Holy Eucharist and of Christ's priesthood. This year, however, the Chrism Mass must be postponed due to the extraordinary circumstances of the present pandemic in which we find ourselves. After consultation, I am transferring the celebration of the Chrism Mass to May 28, 2020 (the Thursday before Pentecost) so that both Priests and faithful can attend. I write to you today in order to ask you in fidelity to our promises of obedience to recommit ourselves to the gift of priesthood during this upcoming Holy Week, and to call you as your bishop towards a deeper reflection upon what that gift of priesthood demands of us in these extraordinary times. ...

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