VATICAN CITY, MARCH 8, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See has invited the world’s priests to attend an international meeting on holiness, from Oct 18-23 in Malta.
The Congregation for Clergy announced the invitation in a letter dated March 3 and written by its prefect, Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos.
The meeting is being held in the context of the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s pontificate. The theme is “Priests, Formators of Saints for the New Millennium.”
“We will send you the definitive program with details of registration as soon as it is available,” the cardinal said.
Here is the text of Cardinal Castrillón’s letter to the priests of the world:
* * *
Vatican City, 3 March 2004
Prot. N. 20040383
Dear Brother Priest,
The Holy Father, in his appeal for the new evangelization, invites us to “rekindle in ourselves the impetus of the beginnings and allow ourselves to be filled with the ardor of the apostolic preaching which followed Pentecost. We must revive in ourselves the burning conviction of Paul, who cried out: ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel’ (1 Cor 9:16).” (NMI, n. 40)
In the context of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Pontificate of His Holiness John Paul II, and in the tradition of previous Meetings, this Congregation invites all the priests of the world to participate in an International Meeting of Priests on the theme “Priests, Formator of Saints for the New Millennium.”
We have chosen Malta as the venue for this meeting because we would like to contemplate the great Apostle of the Gentiles, whose memory is particularly present in this land.
The meeting will take place from 18 to 23 October 2004; we will send you the definitive program with details of registration as soon as it is available (it will also be available on the website of this Dicastery, http://www.clerus.org/).
In the lively hope of seeing you in Malta, I take this opportunity to renew my sentiments of esteem and with every best wish, I remain
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Darío Card. Castrillón Hoyos
Prefect
+ Csaba Ternyák
Secretary
