« You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last », says the Lord in John 15:16.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, celebrating ten years of priestly life is, above all, taking a pause to give thanks to God and return to our first love, which is Jesus Christ, the culminating Source of all Christian life, of all priestly life. And returning to the source means rediscovering the profound meaning of prayer, of the Eucharist celebrated with faith, of the Word meditated upon with the heart.
Celebrating ten years of priestly life is not a human achievement, but a gift received, a ministry embraced, and a mission entrusted with divine grace. I firmly believe that the same God who called is the same one who sustains. The same God who began the work will bring it to its fullness.
Thank you, Lord, for choosing me as an instrument to serve your people. Thank you to my Congregation, which welcomed me to serve migrants. Thank you to all those who have been part of my priestly journey, who supported me at every moment and continue to support me with their prayers. May God, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, bless and always accompany you and your loved ones.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eternal Priest, teach me to treasure all these things in my heart, to praise the Lord throughout my life, and to say each day with renewed faith and trust: “Here I am, Lord. I come to do your will.”
Fr. Pierre Vertus, CS
