The priest must be a believer, one who converses with God. If this is not the case, then all his activities are futile. The most important thing a priest can do for people is first of all being what he is: a believer. Through faith he lets God, the other, come into the world. And if the other is not at work, our work will never be enough. When people sense that one is there who believes, who lives with God and from God, hope becomes a reality for them as well, Through the faith of the priest, doors open up all around for the people: it is really possible to believe, even today. All human believing is a believing-with, and for this reason the one who believes before us is so important. In many ways this person is more exposed in his faith than the others, since their faith depends on his and since, at any given time, he has to withstand the hardships of faith for them.... There is a mutual give-and-take in faith in which priests and lay people become mediators of the nearness of God for one another. The priest must also nurture the humility of such receiving in himslef... The first "task" a priest has to do is to be a believer and to become one ever anew and ever more. Faith is never simply there automatically; it must b elived. It leads us into conversation with God which involved speaking and listening to the same degree. Faith and prayer belong together; they cannot be separated. The time spent by a priest in prayer and listening to Scripture is never time lost to pastoral care or time withheld from others. People sense whether the work and words of their pastor spring from prayer or are fabricated at his desk.

Pope Benedict XVI

Please remember in your prayers the people of the former Saint George Parish in Manchester, particularly those who have brought their gifts to the Cathedral community. Happy feast day!