Jordan: Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul marked at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Amman

On Thursday, June 29, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul were marked at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla' Al-'Ali, western Amman, during which a Holy Mass was celebrated and prayers were said for Fr. Manuel Bader and Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader who respectively marked 58years and 28 years of pastoral service, as well as for the deacons who have been serving the Church for over 11 years.

In his homily, parish priest Fr. Rif'at Bader said, "The most beautiful thing the Church has done is to choose this day for priestly and deacon ordinations because it is the day based on the faith of Sts. Peter and Paul as well as for being a day of human weakness that is strengthened by the grace of the Lord, the angels of the Lord, the power of the Lord, and the strength of the Lord which is the daily Eucharist in our lives in our capacity as priests, deacons, consecrated people, and believing people."

He said,"We came today to thank the Lord together. After 58 years of his priestly ordination, Fr. Manuel Bader--who had sailed and flew north and west--remained the faithful and loving person of the Church, of Lord Jesus Christ, and of the people he served both in Germany and Jordan. O beloved ones, I personally thank the Lord for the blessing of the priesthood which I received unmerited 28 years ago, during which my priestly slogan was: "For thou will light my candle." (Psalm 28:18)

Fr. Bader also thanked the deacons making the 11th anniversary of their diaconal ordination. He said, "On that day, the Church was full of your noble families who witnessed the ordination of the first permanent deacons in our diocese in centuries. This is an experience for which we thank God today, with hopes that the Church will also prepare a new group of people for serving our parishioners." He also thanked them for their ecclesiastical services and for their testimonies in society.

At the end of his homily, Fr. Bader prayed for His Holiness Pope Francis, the 265th successor of Saint Peter the Apostle, so as to remain a witness to Christ's love in today's divided world. While calling for the attainment of justice and peace, as well as for Deacon Abdullah Dababneh who is scheduled to be ordained priest on Friday, June 30, he pleaded the intercession of Blessed Mary, the Queen of saints and apostles, and for the intercession of Sts. Peter and Paul so that "we can remain strong by the power of the Lord, despite our human weakness."