In their most recent meeting, the Dutch bishops made two interesting and welcome decisions in two very different but important, fields.
Starting with the Thursday after Pentecost 2014, the Feast of Christ the Priest will be celebrated in the Dutch Church province. The decision, which follows the example of several religious institutions and countries which already mark the feast, has several sources. One was the Year of the Priest (2009-2010), the other the annual day of prayer for the sanctification of priests. The Feast of Christ the Priest invites faithful, especially those who are called to be priests, to reflect on the Lord’s priestly identity and to follow Him in total submission to God and Church, so to strive for holiness. The liturgical texts, the Dutch translation of which has been approved by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, will be published in the latter half of October.
A second decision (and of rather different nature) made by the bishops, is the appointment of a new media and communications chief for the Church province. The position has been vacant for six months, so the appointment of Ms. Anna Kruse is timely. Ms. Kruse was the editor of Inspiratie Magazine, a Catholic monthly with a special focus on families. As communications chief she will manage all external communications from the bishops’ conference, and prepare and manage all media contacts for the bishops on a national level. About her new functions, Ms. Kruse says, “In addition to informing the Dutch press, I really want to, where possible, inform the Catholic faithful directly about what is happening in the Dutch Church province. For example via social media. In that way the involvement with their own Church can be increased even more.”
Both decisions are hopeful, in my opinion. The Feast of Christ the Priest may help strengthen priestly identity, and the new communications chief may help fill the too-frequent silence from our bishops.
Photo credits: [1] Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, [2] Inspiratie Magazine
