My dear family in Christ:

This past week the priests who serve in the Diocese of Burlington gathered at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont, for their annual “presbyteral days.” It is a time of prayer, fraternity, discussion and rest. 70 priests were in attendance and the Lord provided beautiful weather for this annual time together. Along with common prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and Mass, we had the opportunity to discuss matters relating to the Diocese moving into the future with hope and trust in God’s grace. In particular, we discussed how to support and encourage one another as we face a continuing decline in the number of priests and increased workload.

I’ve attended presbyteral days for 35 years, but this was the first year I’ve attended as the bishop. It gave me a deeper appreciation of the faithfulness, dedication and commitment of our priests. Please pray for your priests as they continue to labor in the vineyard of the Lord, it is your prayers and support that sustain them without a doubt.

I thought I would share two upcoming events in the life of the Bishop of Burlington:

The first is that on Saturday, September 14th, I will be celebrating the Mass of Solemn Profession for Sister Macrina Caulfield, OSB, a member of the Abbey of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Westfield, Vermont. During this Mass, she will commit herself perpetually to the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability. It is an honor for me to be present for this liturgy, and a blessing to know that Sister Macrina and the rest of the community are praying for the Diocese of Burlington on a daily basis. If you wish to learn more about the Benedictines in Westfield, you can go to their website www.ihmwestfield.com.

Secondly, after celebrating this Mass I will be traveling to Rome for what is affectionately known as “Baby Bishop School.” This is a mandatory week-long course reflecting on the pastoral responsibilities of the bishop in the life of the local and universal church. More than 200 new bishops from around the world will be attending the program. We will offer Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and have an audience with Pope Francis as part of the course. I will return to Vermont on September 24th. I’ve never traveled to Rome before so I am looking forward to exploring the Eternal City if there is time to do so. Be assured that I will remember the diocese every day in prayer and will light some candles for the special intentions of our priests and parishioners. Pray that my travel is easy.

God alone suffices,

+John J. McDermott

Bishop of Burlington