What is spiritual fatherhood, and how does it shape priestly identity?

How Can the Priest Be a Principle of Unity in a Fractured Church?

Recorded September 11, 2024  Fr. Mark Doherty, president-rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary, and Fr. Michael Liliedahl, chaplain of Catholic campus ministry at San Francisco State University and former pastor of St. Stephen Parish in San Francisco, speak with seminarians Patrick Germann and Joshua Lesan. How can the priest, as a spiritual father, be a principle of unity in a fractured Church? He must have a mission—that of Christ himself—so as to lead the Church under this shared purpose. He must also discover his own interior unity and peace grounded in knowledge of the Father’s goodness. Resting in his own identity as son and priest, he can become a source of unity for his parish and beyond.   Resources  Cantalamessa, Raniero. “The Firstborn among Many Brothers,” Homily at the Vatican’s Good Friday Liturgy. April 2, 2021. [https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247155/full-text-cardinal-cantalamessas-homily-at-the-vaticans-good-friday-liturgy]

Authority and Sacrifice in Priestly Fatherhood

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and seminarian Patrick Germann discuss what constitutes the genuine authority of a spiritual father. Such authority is not the use of power for selfish reasons. Instead, to govern is to shepherd, and this is done by protecting, providing for, leading, and serving those entrusted to one’s care. Authority is thus intrinsically linked to sacrifice. The father must sacrifice his own convenience and time in order to be present to his people in personal encounter. He must also make the sacrifices necessary to pastor his own soul, committing himself to daily prayer and ongoing study so that he can continue to give of himself to his people. True authority ultimately comes down to integrity: the spiritual father must practice what he preaches, giving himself sacrificially with the fruitful love of Christ the Bridegroom for his Church. Resources Benedict XVI. “Munus Regendi.” General audience of May 26, 2010. At The Holy See. [https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100526.html] Cordileone, Salvatore. Commencement address, St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, CA, May 12, 2023. [https://www.youtube.com/live/XYLxWmQN7as] ⁠Sheen, Fulton. The Priest Is Not His Own. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2004 (originally 1963). [https://ignatius.com/the-priest-is-not-his-own-pnhop/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14184083164]

Paternal Love and the Cross: Is God Still the Father If the Son Is Atonement?

Dr. Margaret Turek, professor of dogmatics at St. Patrick’s Seminary, and Msgr. John Talesfore, pastor of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in San Mateo, CA, discuss the unity of God the Father’s love and the incarnate Son’s atonement for sin through the cross event. The Father goes first in love, and his offer of forgiveness engenders repentance. The filial act of atonement is thus relational, because it is a response to the Father’s forgiving love and a mirroring of that love in the mode of bearing sin away. Imaging the divine Father, a good spiritual father keeps his heart open in order to suffer through a wrong done, and he does so without any diminishment of love. The Father's love bears all things without failing. When one sees this, such that his vision of the Father is healed, he goes out to help others heal. Resources Turek, Margaret. Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2022. [https://www.amazon.com/Atonement-Soundings-Biblical-Trinitarian-Spiritual/dp/1621645045/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HH5P3NXTYFYK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WDVYU94N3I3jTdSfondv_rCV0GjbfHw89tXlG9oMrzPGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.c6fuI3CMbDYN_Tfa49HhZFBdU6LZdQ_MKQ6CqolyOlA&dib_tag=se&keywords=atonement+turek&qid=1750051776&sprefix=atonement+turek%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-1] Turek, Margaret. “Diagnosing the Modern Aversion to a Biblical Theology of Atonement.” Church Life Journal. July 15, 2022. [https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/diagnosing-the-modern-aversion-to-a-theology-of-atonement/] Turek, Margaret. “Atonement: The Transforming Power of Suffering Love.” Catholic San Francisco. February 13, 2024. [https://sfarch.org/atonement-the-transforming-power-of-suffering-love/]

What is spiritual fatherhood, and how does it shape priestly identity?

Co-hosts Joshua Lesan and Patrick Germann pose the question, “What is spiritual fatherhood?” to Dr. Anthony Lilles, professor of spiritual theology at St. Patrick’s Seminary, and Fr. Stephen Akers, pastor of St. Benedict and Sacred Heart Church in Hollister, CA. Human spiritual fatherhood consists essentially in revealing the face of the eternal Father. Fathers remind their children that they are loved and are not orphans, and in doing so teach them how to live in the world and in the Church. As models of faith, sacrifice, and hope, fathers enable their children to avoid anger and take risks in a world that is fundamentally good.   Resources Lilles, Anthony. “Spiritual Fathers: Prophets in a Technologized World.” Catholic San Francisco. June 14, 2023. [https://www.sfarch.org/spiritual-fathers-prophets-in-a-technologized-world/⁠.]   Lilles, Anthony. “Prayer and the Fatherhood of God.” Catholic San Francisco. October 12, 2023. [https://www.sfarch.org/prayer-and-the-fatherhood-of-god/⁠]

Introducing In Via Christi: A Podcast for Ongoing Priestly Formation

What is priestly formation, and how does it continue after ordination? Find out in this introductory episode of In Via Christi, the new podcast from St. Patrick's Seminary designed to support priests in their ongoing configuration to Christ. Seminarian co-hosts Joshua Lesan and Patrick Germann speakwith faculty member Dr. Caitlin Jolly about the podcast itself and the theme for its inaugural season: spiritual fatherhood.   Resources for Ongoing Priestly Formation United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests.” 2001. [https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/priesthood/priestly-life-and-ministry/national-plan-for-the-ongoing-formation-of-priests]   United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests.” 2023. [https://www.usccb.org/resources/guide-ongoing-formation]