Mary Walks with Her Son’s Priests

One of my earliest memories is of my mother teaching me the Hail Mary and explaining a picture of the Blessed Mother in a book of prayers. The memory has stayed with me. The sense of Mary's presence in my life that began in that moment has stayed with me as well. As a child, I did not know or fully appreciate that Mary, the mother of Jesus, would be a steady and faithful companion to me on my spiritual journey. In retrospect, it makes all the sense in the world. As I studied theology and, more particularly, spirituality, I understood the communion sanctorum and Mary's privileged place in that great communion. I can clearly say that she has walked with me as my faith has unfolded. She has been a most extraordinary companion in the course of my priestly ministry and life. (...) The words of Father Gerard Manley Hopkins in his poem, "The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe" express for me the wonder of her companionship: ... I say that we are wound With mercy round and round As if with air: the same Is Mary, more by name, She, wild web, wondrous robe, Mantles the guilty globe, Since God has let dispense Her prayers his providence...