“You are not ordained to become civil servants”: Nine Catholic Priests in Angola Told at Ordination

In his homily, Bishop Jaca also cautioned against behaviors that could undermine the credibility of Priests and weaken their pastoral witness, including excessive alcohol consumption, lack of apostolic zeal and excessive concern with personal interests.

“It saddens us to see Priests lost in alcohol, disfigured, directionless—others with little or no apostolic zeal, but preoccupied with their own personal interests,” he said.

The Angolan member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) called on the Priests-elect to exercise prudence and sobriety in their behavior, speech, eating and dressing, so that their communities would recognize them as “men of God and ministers of the Most High.”

Bishop Jaca also encouraged the nine to organize their lives around prayer, meditation on the Word of God, community life and pastoral service.

The Catholic Bishop told those he was about to ordain that Priestly Ministry requires readiness to confront difficult and unexpected circumstances.

“You must be prepared to face setbacks and unexpected challenges, without allowing fear to dictate your decisions,” he said, and added, “Life brings setbacks; do not worry. You deacons will experience these setbacks in life. Sometimes, not everything goes as planned.”

He said Priests must be willing to go out to meet people, particularly those living in communities most in need.

The Bishop encouraged the Priests-elect to cultivate “respect, listening, and dialogue, adding, “Let us go out to meet the Lord’s sheep. The Priest must serve where it is necessary, not just where he finds better living conditions.”

The Bishop of Benguela urged the Priests-elect to remain close to the people, particularly the poor, and to reject any temptation to seek privileges.

“Do not separate yourselves from the people, especially the poor, nor go around seeking privileges,” he said.