Posted March 24, 2011

By Jim and Rosemary Rogers and Jim and Pat Welsh

Members of the Priests’ Parents Association in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Lost in the terrible scandal unleashed by the recent second grand jury report regarding accused priests in our Archdiocese is the reality of the hundreds of faithful sons of the Church who have and continue to serve the body of Christ as ordained Catholic priests.

These noble men, our sons and brothers, have elected to respond to the call of Christ in a most complete self-giving way.
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Imagine the courage and love of these men saying yes to Jesus’ invitation of serving the people of God by embracing a life of prayer and chaste celibacy. This noble, courageous commitment is designed to provide these dedicated men the freedom to serve without reservation the people of God in Philadelphia.

May holy justice finally root out and deal aggressively with those who have through infidelity and evil tarnished many innocent people and victimized the very persons they were ordained to serve.

Also, we pray that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that the Church leaders who failed to protect and guard the children of our Archdiocese be called to accountability and repentance for their apparent complacency.

We, as loving and proud parents of our sons, the overwhelming innocent majority who continue to provide Christ’s presence day in and day out through our life-sustaining sacraments, be appreciated and respected. They need and deserve the support, respect and love of the people they continue to serve.

Please, we parents of these faithful priests invite you to adopt our sons as Christ’s presence in your lives. Tell them of your appreciation of their presence, ministry and fidelity. With your loving support, our sons – priests and seminarians – will feel empowered by the Holy Spirit and will see these difficult dark times become a new springtime in the Church of Philadelphia.