“In deciding to begin the Year for Priests on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Benedict is underscoring the conviction that the very essence of the priest’s identity and ministry is rooted in his sharing in the priestly heart of Christ. We in the Archdiocese of Detroit are reminded of this truth by the fact that our own Archdiocesan seminary is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. This year is a great season of grace, to pray that our priests and seminarians will be configured more closely to Christ, and to pray, too, for many more men to accept the Lord’s invitation to become sacraments of His priestly love for His people – a love ‘unto the end.’”