(August 1, 2009) Cardinal Claudio Hummes will represent Pope Benedict XVI at celebrations
in Ars on the feast of John Vianney, the saint the Holy Father has proposed as the
model for this Year for Priests. The prefect of the Congregation for Clergy will be
the papal legate for the August 4 Mass in the town where John Vianney practiced his
ministry. The celebration this year marks the 150th anniversary of John Vianney's
death; the Year for Priests is marking that anniversary and a jubilee year in Ars
has also celebrated the event. The sanctuary will have two days of celebration.
On August 3, Father Jean-Philippe Nault, rector of the sanctuary, will give a conference
titled: "The Cure d'Ars: Holy Patron of the World's Priests." Later that day, Bishop
Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars will give a talk on the Year for Priests. A Mass will then
be celebrated to pray for priestly vocations, and a prayer vigil with confessions
will follow. Cardinal Hummes will celebrate Mass the next day. At the end of Mass,
there will be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the closing event will be the
unveiling of a new statue of St. John Vianney. In the June 16 letter of Pope Benedict
XVI states: "Saint John Mary Vianney taught his parishioners primarily by the witness
of his life," he wrote. "It was from his example that they learned to pray, halting
frequently before the tabernacle for a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."