Cardinal Cobo, to parents of priests: you are the face of the motherhood of the Church

The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo, praised the value of the testimony of the fathers and mothers of the priests and thanked them for their “generosity toward the life of the Church.”

He did so this Saturday during the Jubilee of Fathers and Mothers of Priests in Madrid, a meeting promoted by young priests that had been postponed due to the death of Pope Francis and the election process of Leo XIV

“Thank you for having helped create a climate of faith and devotion where that call has become possible. Sometimes you have been in front, sometimes behind, sometimes to the side and sometimes in a mysterious way, but you have been there,” the cardinal expressed in his homily.

The Cardinal recalled that the vocation “is a grace” that is embodied in a concrete story that “almost always begins at home” and behind which “there is a choral story of love for God, free and gratuitous, but that always needs an environment in which to be born and grow” which is often the family.

Since their consecration “they are no longer yours”

“You helped them discover the center of their lives, Jesus Christ and the Church, and thus you have provided a very special service” to the Church, said Cardinal Cobo.

“Since their consecration, they do not belong to each other. Jesus Christ takes possession of them, they belong to the Church, they are no longer yours. And with this dispossession and this offering of yours, you make it possible for them to be fully available to serve the people of God,” he added.

This dedication requires a love for Jesus Christ “above any other love,” which, he pointed out, “does not compete with any other, but gives a new meaning to all affections… Your children love you with an affection purified from their love and from the dedication of their ministry.”

Furthermore, the cardinal encouraged parents of priests to never leave the ministry of prayer to “continue to feel your heart burning for a limitless dedication… You belong to this presbytery from your prayer.”

“You are the face of the motherhood of the Church for all priests. We have all learned it there. Mothers, fathers, families, your presence, your voice, your tears and your hope are the spiritual force in the lives of all priests and of this presbytery of Madrid,” said the Archbishop of Madrid.

“What we see is the work that the Lord has done”

The Archdiocese of Madrid released the testimony of some of these fathers and mothers who narrate how they experienced their children’s vocational transition.

“The night we left my son at the seminary, my husband and I drove all the way back crying. And when we got home and passed in front of his room, we hugged each other again crying,” Pilar said, referring to Eugenio, the second of her three children.

The youngest, Álvaro, also entered the seminary when his brother was ordained a deacon. “What we see is the work that the Lord has done, which seems magical because they are the same as when they entered the seminary, but also different,” explains their father, also called Eugenio.

Juan Ignacio and Teresa have two sons who are priests and recognized that “when a child’s vocation awakens, it is difficult because it means separation.” Even so, they say, it is welcomed because it is God’s will.

Aurea, the mother of Pablo, another priest, admits that it was difficult for her to hear the news because it was all a bit hasty and he only had one year left to finish his university degree. “I didn’t find it very funny.”

His father, Jesús, believes that “what you have to do is accept what your children want and accompany them at any time,” in the same way as with a son who is going to get married. And so they do with another of the sons, who is still in the seminary.