Spiritual Motherhood for Priests takes off

Since last year I've been thinking of the role spiritual mothers, in the example of Our Lady, play in the lives of Catholic priests. I am thinking in particular of Our Lady of Sorrows for this type of spiritual maternity. In the past I mentioned this idea here and here at the beginning of 2009 (perhaps I should do it more). The call to be a priest's spiritual mother includes a woman's offering herself to God, praying in intercession and reparation for the priest, spending time in Eucharistic Adoration and becoming a point for God's grace to work in the life of a priest. A woman of any age can do this work of intercession; she can be single, married, or widowed. This spiritual work is hidden and contemplative, sacrificial and silent. It is in this special work that the reparation for the sins of priests might happen for as the Holy Father said, "nothing makes the Church, the Body of Christ, suffer more than the sins of her pastors."

My interest has been sparked by two people, Franciscan Cardinal Claudio Hummes and Benedictine Father Mark Kirby, the latter drawing on 

Adoration & Spiritual Maternity.pdf to ask the Divine Majesty to renew priesthood through a special devotion to the Eucharist. But there's been other work done by people such as Catherine Dougherty, Mother Marie des Douleurs and Maria Sieler as well as the countless laity and consecrated men and women of the Church.

In October 2008 Tulsa, OK, Bishop Edward Slattery started a process of formation for women to dedicate their prayer for the needs of the priesthood. I am told that there are some women in the Bridgeport Diocese that there are women who dedicate their lives as a spiritual mother for priests but they are so hidden no one knows them. Something has to be done in the manner in which Bishop Slattery is doing this holy work! 

More recently Jane, living in France, has begun some work and prayer on spiritual maternity for priests. Her blog, Spiritual Mothers of Priests, is a good personal initiative to assist priests (and I presume seminarians) with prayer and sacrifice during this Year of the Priest. Ladies, visit and follow the work of Jane and join other women to this special work for priests.