Letter from Fr. Mark
To whom it may concern:
The Clerical Association of Mary Mother of the Church has been a great blessing for me personally and I believe also for the persons that I serve as a priest. I did not enter the Clerical Association when it was first proposed to me having to take a year to discern and think whether I could make the commitment of time and energy. It has since proven to be a very wise and providential decision.
In my own personal life as a priest it has served as the spiritual fodder for encouraging me to move and act as soon as I hear someone is ill or dying. It has also provided me with the knowledge, words and direction on how to lead discussions with souls that are preparing to enter eternal life or struggling with how to offer up suffering. The books we read and the discussions we have in the association of priests have developed and grown the spiritual direction I am able to give souls at this most crucial time of their existence. I am a better and truer priest since entering the Association.
The Association has also assisted me in understanding and deepening my grasp of the path souls take in this life as they grow in holiness with God. We study some of this in seminary and of course gain even more in conversation with our own spiritual directors, but the insights gained within this community of priests who gather to pray, read and discuss are an invaluable resource that I would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. This is not a priest support group or a priest fraternity group, it is rather a very focused association that seeks to grow the holiness and knowledge of the priest so that he can be the optimum instrument in the hands of God for the suffering, the dying and the seeking.
I have found that the fruits of the Association have not only been for the sick and the suffering, but also for the young and my wider parish flock. Time and again the purity of the insights gained from the Association in particular have come to my mind when I am seeking direction, courage and wisdom to be shared with others.
The simple spiritual practices and promises the priests of the Association take have reinforced my diocesan practices and promises as a priest. I have grown in my fidelity to regular prayer and the sacraments, to Christ and his mother Mary and to more and more trusting in and relying upon the supernatural providence of God. The association has heightened my awareness of my call to be a living witness to the gospel and not a contradiction.
It has been known throughout the history of the Church that if you want to reform the Church in all its members, you best begin with the Clergy. They are in need of constant reformation as much as any of the people of God. This Association is a worthy conduit of such renewal. In an age that has not only forgotten God’s call to lived holiness but also the dignity of the human person in its most advanced and vulnerable states, at the start and end of life, I think the Association bears the fingerprints of God and I am humbled to be a small part of it. I think it could have the same effect on other priests who might be called to join us.
Sincerely,
Fr. Mark Vander Steeg
The Clerical Association of Mary Mother of the Church has been a great blessing for me personally and I believe also for the persons that I serve as a priest. I did not enter the Clerical Association when it was first proposed to me having to take a year to discern and think whether I could make the commitment of time and energy. It has since proven to be a very wise and providential decision.
In my own personal life as a priest it has served as the spiritual fodder for encouraging me to move and act as soon as I hear someone is ill or dying. It has also provided me with the knowledge, words and direction on how to lead discussions with souls that are preparing to enter eternal life or struggling with how to offer up suffering. The books we read and the discussions we have in the association of priests have developed and grown the spiritual direction I am able to give souls at this most crucial time of their existence. I am a better and truer priest since entering the Association.
The Association has also assisted me in understanding and deepening my grasp of the path souls take in this life as they grow in holiness with God. We study some of this in seminary and of course gain even more in conversation with our own spiritual directors, but the insights gained within this community of priests who gather to pray, read and discuss are an invaluable resource that I would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. This is not a priest support group or a priest fraternity group, it is rather a very focused association that seeks to grow the holiness and knowledge of the priest so that he can be the optimum instrument in the hands of God for the suffering, the dying and the seeking.
I have found that the fruits of the Association have not only been for the sick and the suffering, but also for the young and my wider parish flock. Time and again the purity of the insights gained from the Association in particular have come to my mind when I am seeking direction, courage and wisdom to be shared with others.
The simple spiritual practices and promises the priests of the Association take have reinforced my diocesan practices and promises as a priest. I have grown in my fidelity to regular prayer and the sacraments, to Christ and his mother Mary and to more and more trusting in and relying upon the supernatural providence of God. The association has heightened my awareness of my call to be a living witness to the gospel and not a contradiction.
It has been known throughout the history of the Church that if you want to reform the Church in all its members, you best begin with the Clergy. They are in need of constant reformation as much as any of the people of God. This Association is a worthy conduit of such renewal. In an age that has not only forgotten God’s call to lived holiness but also the dignity of the human person in its most advanced and vulnerable states, at the start and end of life, I think the Association bears the fingerprints of God and I am humbled to be a small part of it. I think it could have the same effect on other priests who might be called to join us.
Sincerely,
Fr. Mark Vander Steeg
Reflection On Human Dignity
Hello, my name is Fr. Mark, and I am priest of the Clerical Association of Mary, Mother of the Church, with a reflection on human dignity. Growing older is not easy, and it can be especially difficult if the years are marked by physical or mental deterioration such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. Being there with and for others during this time is one of the greatest calls of love that some of us will be asked to give this side of Heaven. This may be for a friend or a family loved one? How do we answer this call from God well and not grow overly weary or sad? One thing to remember is that the soul of the person you are being with is untouched by the mental deterioration you may experience. Alzheimer’s or Dementia are a veil behind which lies the soul of the person you love and who has loved you. Love that person hidden just behind the veil. Be with them and love them. From the eyes of Heaven all is clear and one day your loved one will see the love you showed them now. Be generous with your heart, mind and soul, and may God bless you.