Resources

Church Documents on the Priesthood, Consecrated Life, Vocations and Related Subjects

Arranged chronologically (most recent document first) within each category.

Pope John Paul II

Vocation to Service  [Message for 40th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (5/11/03), 10/16/02]
Rosarium Virginis Mariae [On the Most Holy Rosary] [Apostolic Letter, 10/16/02]
Holy Thursday Letter to Priests [Letter, 3/21/02]
Address to the Clergy of Rome [Focusing on the Vocation Crisis][2/14/02]
The Vocation to Holiness  [Message for 39th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (4/21/02), 11/23/01]
To the Plenary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life [Message, 9/27/01]
To Priests for Holy Thursday 2001  [Letter, 3/25/01]
Address to the Participants in the International Congress of Sacred Music [1/27/01]
Novo Millennio Ineunte [At the beginning of the new millennium] [Apostolic Letter, 1/6/01]
Life as a Vocation  [Message for 38th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (5/6/00), 9/14/00]
Thank God for This Extraordinary Gift! [Homily at Mass celebrated with 6,000 priests, 74 Cardinals and Patriarchs, 250 Archbishops and Bishops for the Jubilee of Priests and the Holy Father's 80th birthday, 5/18/00]
Model Your Life on Mystery of the Cross [Homily at an Ordination Mass for the Diocese of Rome, 5/14/00]
Eucharist is Joined to Ministerial Priesthood [Homily at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, 4/20/00]
Priests, by Ordination, Share in Christ's Mission [Homily at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, 4/20/00]
'This is My Body, This is My Blood' [Homily, 3/23/00] [During private Mass with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land and Cardinals and Bishops of his entourage at the Chapel of the Cenacle during his Holy Land Pilgrimage]
Proclaiming Christ in the Media [Message for the 34th World Communications Day (6/4/00), 1/24/00] [published in l'Osservatore, Romano, 1/6/00]
Eucharist, Source of All Vocations  [Message for 37th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (5/14/00), 9/30/99]
Monasteries are "Powerhouses" of Spiritual Energy   [Angelus reflection, 7/18/99]
Take Holy Pride in Being "Other Christs" [Message to Priests, 6/19/99]
Jesus, Model of Every Priest [Meditation before leading the recitation of the Regina Coeli, 4/28/99]
Letter of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Artists [4/4/99]
Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1999 [3/14/99]
Priests Are Conformed to Christ the Head [Address at the plenary session of the Congregation for the Clergy, 10/15/98]
The Lord's Day [Dies Domini] [Apostolic Letter, 5/31/98]
Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1998 [3/25/98]
For the I World Day for Consecrated Life [Message, 1/6/97]
The Consecrated Life  [Vita Consecrata] [Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, 3/25/96]
Tertio Millennio Adveniente [As the third millennium draws near] [Apostolic Letter, 11/10/94]
On the Formation of Priests [Pastores Dabo Vobis] [Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, 3/25/92]
Pastor Bonus  [The Good Shepherd] [Apostolic Constitution, 6/28/88]
Redemptionis Donum [To Men and Women Religious on Their Consecration in the Light of the Mystery of the Redemption] [Apostolic Exhortation, 3/25/84]

OTHER POPES

On the Renewal of the Religious Life According to the Teaching of the Second Vatican Council [Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI, 6/29/71]
The Celibacy of the Priest [Sacerdotalis Caelibatus] [Encyclical of Pope Paul VI, 6/24/67]
On the Holy Eucharist [Mysterium Fidei] [Encyclical of Pope Paul VI, 9/3/65]
On Promoting Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ  [Sanguis Christi] [Apostolic Letter of Pope John XXIII, 6/30/60]
On St. John Vianney [Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia (From the Beginning of Our Priesthood)] [Encyclical of Pope John XXIII, 8/1/59]Vatican II Council
Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests  [Presbyterorum Ordinis] [12/7/65]
Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life  [Perfectae Caritatis] [10/28/65]
Decree on Priestly Training [Optatam Totius] [10/28/65]

SYNOD OF BISHOPS

We Have Dialogued Enough! We Have Experimented Enough! Bishop James C. Timlin [SB on Consecrated Life, 10/2-20/94]

CONGREGATIONS

CB = Congregation for Bishops
CC = Congregation for Clergy
CCE = Congregation for Catholic Education
CDF = Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
CDWDS = Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
CEP = Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
CICLSAL = Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic  Life (formerly SCR and SCRIS, see below)
COC = Congregation for the Oriental Churches
SCR = Sacred Congregation for Religious
SCRIS = Sacred Congregation for Religious and for Secular Institutes 

Consecrated Persons and Their Mission in Schools [Reflections and Guidelines] [CCE, 10/28/02]
The Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish  Community [Instruction] [CC, 8/4/02] 
Starting Afresh from Christ: A Renewed Commitment to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium [Instruction] [CICLSAL, 5/29/02]
Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy [Principles and Guidelines] [CDWDS, 12/01]
On the Sending Abroad and Sojourn of Diocesan Priests from Mission Territories [Instruction] [CEP, 4/25/01]
Liturgiam authenticam [On the Use of the Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy] [Fifth Instruction "For the Right Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council (Sacrosanctum Concilium, art. 36)][CDWDS, 3/28/01]
Responsa ad quaestiones circa obligationem persolvendi Liturgiam Horarum (Latin) [Concerning the obligation for reciting the Liturgy of the Hours] [Response to questions] [CC, 11/15/00]
Dominus Jesus (Latin)  or On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church (English) [Declaration] [CDF, 8/6/00]
Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani [CDWDS, original Latin edition as approved by Pope John Paul II on Holy Thursday, 2000 and provided on the NCCB web site]
Concerning the Integrity of the Sacrament of Penance [Circular Letter] [CDWDS, 3/20/00]
Consecrated Life within the Church, a Testimony to Christ
Yesterday, Today and Forever [Celebrative Booklet] [CICLSAL, Jubilee of the Consecrated Life, 2/2/00]
Instruction on the Contemplative Life and on the Enclosure of Nuns [ [Verbi Sponsa] [CICLSAL, 5/13/99]
The Priest and the Third Christian Millennium: Teacher of the Word, Minister of the Sacraments and Leader of the Community [CC, 3/19/99]
Inter-Institute Collaboration for Formation [Instruction] [CICLSAL, 12/8/98]
Priests of the Old Covenant [CC, 11/24/98]
Priests in the New Testament [CC, 11/24/98]
Priests in the Early Church and in Vatican II [CC, 11/23/98]
The Priest and the Bishop [CC, 11/23/98]
The Role of Priests in Catechesis  [CC, 11/15/98]
Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons [Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons] [CCE, CC, 2/22/98]
New Vocations for a New Europe: Pontifical Work for Ecclesiastical Vocations  [In Verbo tuo...] [CE, COC, CICLSAL, 5/5-10/97]
Instruction Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained
Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest: [CC, PCL, CDF, CDWDS, CB, CEP, CICLSAL, PCILT (see Pontifical Councils), 8/15/97]
Fraternal Life in Community [Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor] [CICLSAL, 2/2/94]

Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests [CC, 1/31/94]
Directives on Formation in Religious Institutes [Instruction] [CICLSAL, 2/2/90]
For Diocesan Priests in Churches Dependent on the Cong.... [Pastoral Guide] [CEP, 10/1/89]
Essential Elements in the Church's Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes Dedicated to Works of the Apostolate [SCRIS, 5/31/83][Includes Letter of His Holiness John Paul II to the Bishops of the United States, 4/3/83]: Instruction on Certain Questions 4/3/83]: Instruction on Certain Questions 4/3/83]: Instruction on Certain Questions
The Contemplative Dimension of Religious Life [SCRIS, Plenaria of 3/4-7/80]
Directives for the Mutual Relations Between Bishops and Religious in the Church [SCRIS, 5/14/78]
Religious and Human Promotion [SCRIS, 8/12/80]  [Plenaria of 4/25-28/78]
Works of Art [Opera Artis] [Circular Letter on the care of the Church's historical and artistic heritage] [CC, 4/11/71]
Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Scared Orders [SCR, 2/2/61]

PONTIFICAL COUNCILS

PCF = Pontifical Council for the Family
PCILT = Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts
PCL = Pontifical Council for the Laity

Declaration re Canon 915 [PCILT, 6/24/00]
Care of the Most Holy Eucharist [re the Authentic Interpretation of Canons Dealing w/the] [PCILT, 7/14/99]
Vademecum for Confessors Concerning Some Aspects of the
Morality of Conjugal Life [PCF, 2/12/97]National Conference of Catholic Bishops
English Language Study Edition of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani [Information on how to obtain a copy from the NCCB Secretariat for the Liturgy]

OTHER

The Canonical Establishment of a Religious Institute, [by Rev. Elio Gambari, S.M.M., who worked in the Congregation for Religious from 1946 to 1983. Published by Dominican Sisters of Divine Providence, South Amboy, NJ.]

Homosexuality and Gospel Truth: Toward Effective Pastoral Care [Fr. Robert A. Gabel, Jr. in l'Osservatore Romano, 7/14/99]
A Eucharistic Prayer [Bishop Eugene J. Gerber in Crisis, 6/99]