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Pastores Dabo Vobis
Exortação Apostólica Pós-sinodal Pastores Dabo Vobis de Sua Santidade João Paulo II sobre a formação dos sacerdotes nas circunstâncias atuais. Aborda temas candentes da natureza do sacerdócio ministerial, da vida espiritual dos sacerdotes e da vocação
226 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 1992
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Pope John Paul II
1,045 books639 followersSaint Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II), born Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope at the Conclave of 16 October 1978, and he took the name of John Paul II. On 22 October, the Lord's Day, he solemnly inaugurated his Petrine ministry as the 263rd successor to the Apostle. His pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted nearly 27 years.
Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.
He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.
His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.
Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.
With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.
He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia.
In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father. On April 1, 2011, he was raised to the glory of the altars and on April 27, 2014 canonized.
Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.
He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.
His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.
Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.
With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.
He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia.
In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father. On April 1, 2011, he was raised to the glory of the altars and on April 27, 2014 canonized.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 9, 2014
St John Paul II wrote this exhortation twenty two years ago after the Synod of Bishops took a hard look at the state of vocations. He produced a document meant to address a problem that existed, and to rectify it. Sadly, not much has changed.
In Pastores Dabo Vobis, St John Paul, with the bishops, takes a look at the lack of vocations in certain parts of the world (read Europe and the US) and delivers a beautifully written sermon on the importance of vocations, their proper place in the Church, and the need to foster and encourage vocations as a community.
As many of us know, the state of vocations in the United States is not so good. Numbers are on the uptick, my diocese has the highest number of seminarians in 30 years, but it is still more of a trickle than a steady flow. Our new bishop, who started in January, is very serious about fostering vocations and he's urged the priests to become more involved with the discernment of high schooler's in the parishes. Among other things, this led my dad's pastor to do some research, and he discovered that his church hadn't sent a student into seminary since the 1970's.
This brings us back to the exhortation, wherein St John Paul points out that vocation begins very early in a child's life, and it is very important for both family and parish to take mindful care of the children and encourage them in discernment as they get older, not only in priestly, but all vocations. It is almost obvious that these steps should be taken, and yet, two decades later, we are still doing a poor job raising young Christians to be mindful of God's call in their lives.
I only give the exhortation four stars because, while inspiring, St John Paul does not quite have the urgent tone captured in Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium. The writing comes across more measured than exhortive, and this is such an important topic that I feel it could have used that sense of urgency. I would also recommend this to all Catholics as it contains very good advice about the role of the Church as a whole in raising new priests, sisters, deacons, and brothers, all of which we need more of in the west, and I think that it captures the idea of the whole Church as one community, again, a sense that I think would be very helpful to everyone in day to day life.
In Pastores Dabo Vobis, St John Paul, with the bishops, takes a look at the lack of vocations in certain parts of the world (read Europe and the US) and delivers a beautifully written sermon on the importance of vocations, their proper place in the Church, and the need to foster and encourage vocations as a community.
As many of us know, the state of vocations in the United States is not so good. Numbers are on the uptick, my diocese has the highest number of seminarians in 30 years, but it is still more of a trickle than a steady flow. Our new bishop, who started in January, is very serious about fostering vocations and he's urged the priests to become more involved with the discernment of high schooler's in the parishes. Among other things, this led my dad's pastor to do some research, and he discovered that his church hadn't sent a student into seminary since the 1970's.
This brings us back to the exhortation, wherein St John Paul points out that vocation begins very early in a child's life, and it is very important for both family and parish to take mindful care of the children and encourage them in discernment as they get older, not only in priestly, but all vocations. It is almost obvious that these steps should be taken, and yet, two decades later, we are still doing a poor job raising young Christians to be mindful of God's call in their lives.
I only give the exhortation four stars because, while inspiring, St John Paul does not quite have the urgent tone captured in Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium. The writing comes across more measured than exhortive, and this is such an important topic that I feel it could have used that sense of urgency. I would also recommend this to all Catholics as it contains very good advice about the role of the Church as a whole in raising new priests, sisters, deacons, and brothers, all of which we need more of in the west, and I think that it captures the idea of the whole Church as one community, again, a sense that I think would be very helpful to everyone in day to day life.
January 20, 2026
The formation of a priest is essential and necessary if he is to live in the world. But this book is not only for priests! Religiously consecrated, such as Friars, Monks, and Nuns, are greatly taken into consideration. Then there is the object approached, that is, how the layity is supposed to interact and react with their clerics or spiritual directors.
At heart, this is another great work by the Pontiff because it's deeply anthropological and humanistic. It recognizes those called to such heights as not to be viewed as robots or mechanical dispensers of spiritual goods as you would view a soda machine giving you your favorite soda. It's recognizing the individual. A person with a heart of flesh and a soul that's a spirit.
His outline of priestly education in religious and secular is at the center of pastoral guidance, since for them, they must guide and direct all things in some way to God as a superior. His section on the three-fold virtues of Chastity, Obedience, and Poverty are also great parts of his explanation. He exalts and peacefully asks families to give their children a chance if they feel such personal calling.
For those wondering about vocation into the religious or priestly life, this is one that I would recommend. This, and the works of Dom. Prosper, OSB. There are many more, of course.
At heart, this is another great work by the Pontiff because it's deeply anthropological and humanistic. It recognizes those called to such heights as not to be viewed as robots or mechanical dispensers of spiritual goods as you would view a soda machine giving you your favorite soda. It's recognizing the individual. A person with a heart of flesh and a soul that's a spirit.
His outline of priestly education in religious and secular is at the center of pastoral guidance, since for them, they must guide and direct all things in some way to God as a superior. His section on the three-fold virtues of Chastity, Obedience, and Poverty are also great parts of his explanation. He exalts and peacefully asks families to give their children a chance if they feel such personal calling.
For those wondering about vocation into the religious or priestly life, this is one that I would recommend. This, and the works of Dom. Prosper, OSB. There are many more, of course.
February 15, 2012
This book offers good insights into the journey of priests. Pope John Paul II suggests a course of dedicated fellowship and lifelong learning / searching within structured Christian society as the sure means to a successful journey. Very much worth the time of laity who wish to better understand the life process of a priest.
February 24, 2023
Deep calling deep
October 15, 2023
Everyone will benefit from reading this.
February 12, 2025
A comprehensive document. For internal use in the Church, however.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews