Dear Friends in Christ:  

At the Last Supper, our Lord made special provision for his priests, praying that they might be protected from the Evil One and consecrating them for their mission in the world (cf. John 17: 6-19). The ministry of priests has thus been essential for the application of the redemptive grace of Christ to humanity. Throughout the Church’s history many dedicated priests have devoted their lives to the service of Christ and the salvation of souls. The prayer of Jesus for them has been effective as countless numbers of men and women in every age have benefited from receiving the sacraments, the holy Mass, preaching, counsel, and catechizing from the priests. On their part, priests have often endured great trials and opposition in carrying out this work, as the Lord himself had forewarned.

Today our beloved Catholic Church has suffered from a crisis that threatens her apostolic work. Without priests, the faithful would be bereft of the sacraments and the saving grace they impart. While some priests have left the priesthood for other pursuits, others have succumbed to a secularizing spirit that has compromised their distinctive vocation. The current decline in priestly vocations further threatens the Church’s future. The scandals that have been reported of misconduct of some priests have exacerbated this crisis. While many allegations against priests, sad to say, have proved true, others are questionable, while still others have been found without foundation. There has been a measure of redress for the wrongs perpetrated against the unfortunate victims of clerical misconduct, but, until now, there has been an effective way of assisting priests who have been falsely accused or priests charged for offenses far beyond their culpability.

Opus Bono Sacerdotii (work for the good of the priesthood) was organized by lay people who have recognized that the wave of accusations against priests has at times exceeded the bounds of honesty and justice. They know that priests rarely have the financial means to engage qualified defense attorneys to challenge the allegations made against them. OBS is dedicated to the cause of defending priests that are worthy and in need of their assistance. Such would be the case for priests who are innocent of charges made against them, or priests who may have long ago repented of their misdeeds and made reparation for them, serving the Church faithfully thereafter in a spirit of reparatory service.  

I heartily commend the efforts of OBS in coming to the aid of priests. May our Lord who accounted any good done towards his “little ones” as toward Himself, reward your generous response to the laudatory work of OBS. 

Yours sincerely in Christ, the High Priest,

Father Eduard Perrone, Chaplain