Catholic Priests in Bissau-Guinean Diocese Urged to Celebrate Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year as “missionaries of hope”

“The Priest must always be available to listen, to welcome, and to help, offering real and tangible hope. We need one another to keep this flame of hope burning,” Fr. Brentegani said during the anticipated Chrism Mass that Bishop José Lampra Cà of Guinea-Bissau’s Bissau Catholic Diocese presided over.

He noted that the Priesthood is not limited to administering Sacraments; it is, above all, a mission to bring hope to people, especially during times of suffering and despair, which are increasingly common in daily life.

“The mission of a Priest is not only to administer Sacraments, but they must be agents of transformation, capable, through concrete gestures, of igniting a new flame of hope in the hearts of the faithful,” Bissau Guinean Diocesan Administrator said, adding, “Just as Jesus drew near to the desperate, offering them healing and comfort, Priests too must approach people and bring them true hope.”

For him, “To be a Priest is to be a channel of this hope that comes from Christ. It is not enough to teach about it; we must embody this hope in our daily lives and actions.”

Fr. Brentegani went on to reflect of the importance of the Chrism Mass, saying, “This is a special moment for renewing Priestly commitments and reflecting on the priesthood in the context of the Jubilee Year.”

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“The celebration of the Chrism Mass is the Priest’s Day in this Jubilee Year of Hope. The word 'Hope', chosen by Pope Francis for the Jubilee of 2025, is highly meaningful and invites us to reflect on the richness of this word in today's readings,” he said.

To understand hope, he explained, “we can begin with its opposite: despair. Despair is when a person has lost the ability to see any purpose in their life. To the one in despair, nothing makes sense. They cannot see the future, and whatever they do seems to have no meaning.”

Fr. Brentegani emphasized the need for Priests to nurture a close relationship with the person of Jesus Christ in trust. 

“Even in life's trials and difficulties, the Christian must trust that salvation is in Christ and that He can transform all situations of despair. We are called to proclaim the good news that God does not abandon His children, even when suffering seems unbearable,” he said. 

For him, “Christian hope is the light that shines in the darkness of despair.”