St. Ambrose

“He made them [priests],” says St. Ambrose, “the vicars of His love.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 42)

St. Bernard

“But how, I ask, does it happen that the saints, who live only for God, resist their ordination through a sense of their unworthiness, and that some run blindly to the priesthood,and rest not until they attain it by lawful or unlawful means? 'Ah, unhappy men, says St. Bernard, to be registered among the priests of God shall be for them the same as to be enrolled on the catalog of the damned.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 40-41)

St. Basil

“Hence, to try the obedience of one of his monks, St. Basil commanded him to ask in public the Order of priesthood. His compliance was regarded as an act of heroic obedience, because by his obedience in asking to be ordained priest he, as it were, declared himself to be a man filled with the spirit of pride.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 40)

St. Francis

“It is known to all, that St. Francis remained a deacon, and refused to ascend to the priesthood, because he learned by revelation, that the soul of a priest should be as pure as the water that was shown to him to a crystal vessel.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 40)

St. Ephrem + St. Mark + St. Ammonius

“To avoid being ordained, St. Ephrem feigned madness. St. Mark cut off his thumb. St. Ammonius cut off his ears and nose, and because the people insisted on his ordination, he threatened to cut out his tongue, and thus they ceased to molest him.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 40)

St. Gregory

“St. Gregory, even after it was made manifest by miracles that God wished him to be a priest, concealed himself under the garb of a merchant, in order to prevent his ordination.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 40)

St. Ambrose

“St. Ambrose, as he himself attests, resisted for a long time before he consented to be ordained.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39-40)

St. Cyprian + St. Fulgentius + St. Athanasius

“In his life of St. Cyprian, Paul the Deacon states that when the saint heard that his bishop intended to ordain him priest, he through humility concealed himself.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39)

“It is related in the life of St. Fulgentius that he too fled away and hid himself.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39)

“St. Athanasius also, as Sozomen relates, took flight in order to escape the priesthood.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39)

St. Gregory Nazianzen

St. Gregory Nazianzen says, “ No one rejoices when he is ordained priest.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39)

St. Epiphanius

“St. Epiphanius writes, that he found no one willing to be ordained a priest.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39)

St. Cyril of Alexandria

“I see,” said St. Cyril of Alexandria, “all the saints frightened at the sacred ministry, as an immerse charge” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 39)

St. Peter Damien

“St. Peter Damien tells that his sister remained several years in Purgatory because she had listened to an evil song with some little pleasure.” (St. John Vianney, Sermons of the Cure Ars, Page: 133)

St. Francis de Sales

“Most of the failures of good people in the discharge of their duty come to pass because they do not keep themselves sufficiently in the Presence of God.” (From Holy Communion to the Blessed Trinity, M.V. Bernadot, O.P. Preface Page: 5)

St. Teresa

“All sins are committed,” says St. Teresa, “because we do not think of God as really present, imagine Him as very far off.” (From Holy Communion to the Blessed Trinity, M.V. Bernadot, O.P. Preface Page: 5)

St. Cyprian

“St. Cyprian said, that all those that had the true spirit of God were, when compelled to take the order of priesthood, seized with fear and trembling, as if they saw an enormous weight placed on their shoulders, by which they were in danger of being crushed to death.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 37)

St. Gregory

St. Gregory cries out: “Purified by the hands of the priest the elect enter the heavenly country, and alas Priests precipitate themselves into the fire of Hell.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 37)

St. Jerome

“For,” says St. Jerome, “ great is the dignity of priests, but also, when they sin, great is their ruin. Let us rejoice at having been raise so high, but let us be afraid of falling.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 37)

St. Ambrose

“How great, then, says St. Ambrose, the disorder to see in the same person the highest dignity and a life of scandal, a divine profession and wicked conduct!” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 36)

St. Augustine

“God, said David, stood in the congregation of the gods. [Psalms 81:1] These gods are, according to St. Augustine, the priests of God.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 36)

St. Clement

“St. Clement, then, had reason to say that priest is, as it were, a God on earth.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 36)

St. Gregory of Nyssa

“Of all the things that are esteemed in life,” says St. Gregory of Nyssa, “there is none that should be preferred to the spirit of prayer, because prayer is the universal and efficacious means of performing all that God has regulated for the eternal predestination of His elect.” (Fr. Girardey C.SS.R., Conference Matter for Religious, Page: 77)

St. Augustine

“There is none so wicked as apostate religious. Of them St. Augustine says: 'I have never seen men more perverse and more deeply corrupt than the religious who have become wicked.'” (Fr. Ferreol Girardey, Conference Matter For Religious, Pages: 32)

St. Gregory

“On priests,” says St. Gregory, “it is incumbent to give the final decision, for by the right that they have received from the Lord they now remit, now retain sins.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 36)

St. Ambrose

“According to St. Ambrose, a priest, in absolving a sinner, performs the very office of the Holy Ghost in the sanctification of souls.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 36)

St. Augustine

“St. Augustine says, that to sanctity a sinner is a greater work than to create Heaven and Earth.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 35)

St. Augustine

“Saint Augustine said in his own day: 'The origin of all heresy is the bad interpretation of the good Bible, and the rash and bold utterance therefore.'” (Bishop John Cuthbert, Lex Levitarum, Page: 129)

St. Chrysostom

“When,” says St. Chrysostom, “you have seen a priest offering sacrifice, consider that the hand of Christ is invisibly extended.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 34)

St. Cyprian

“According to St. Cyprian, a priest at the altar performs the office of Christ.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 34)

St. Laurence Justinaian

“Let the priest,” says St. Laurence Justinaian, “approach the altar as another Christ.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 34)

St. Charles Borromeo

“In the Council of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo called priests the representatives of the person of God on earth.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 34)

St. Augustine

“You hold the place of Christ,” says St. Augustine to them, “ you are therefore His lieutenants.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 34)

St. Jerome

“As the Word of God created Heaven and earth, so, says St. Jerome, the words of the priest create Jesus Christ. 'At a sign from God there came forth from nothing both the sublime vault of Heavens and the vast extent of the earth, but not less great is the power that manifests itself in the mysterious words of the priest.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 33)

St. Augustine

“And St. Augustine has written, 'O venerable sanctity of the hands! O happy function of the priest! He that created (if I may say so) gave me the power to create Him, and He that created me without me is Himself created by me!” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 33)

St. Bernardine of Sienna

“The power of the priest,” says St. Bernardine of Sienna, “is the power of the divine person. For the transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 33)

St. Bernard

“Hence priests are called the parents of Jesus Christ. Such is the title that St. Bernard gives them, for they are the active cause by which He is made to exist really in the consecrated Host.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 32)

St. John Chrysostom

“St. John Chrysostom says: The salvation of souls is far greater than fasts or vigils or the austerities of hermits; it is great than to give most generous alms to the poor.” (Saint John Eudes, The Priest His Dignity and Duties, Page 140)

St. John Chrysostom

“He who is content with saving himself and neglects the salvation of others,” says St. John Chrysostom, “cannot secure his own salvation.” (Saint John Eudes, The Priest His Dignity and Duties, Page 130)

St. Augustine

“O wonderful dignity of the priests,” cries out St. Augustine, “in their hands as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 32)

St Bernardine of Sienna

St Bernardine of Sienna: “Holy Virgin, excuse me, for I speak not against thee: the Lord has raised the priesthood above thee.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 32)

St. Francis of Assisi

“St. Francis of Assisi used to say, 'if I saw an angel and a priest I would bend my knee first to the priest and then to the angel.'” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 31)

St. Francis de Sales

“After having given the order of priesthood to a holy ecclesiastic, St. Francis de Sales perceived, that in going out he stopped at the door as if to give precedence to another. Being asked by the saint why he stopped, he answered that God favored him with the visible presence of his angel guardian, who before he had received priesthood always remained at his right and preceded him, but after wards walked on his left and refused to go before him. It was in a holy contest with the angel that he stopped at the door.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 31)

St. Peter Damian

“Although,” says St. Peter Damian, “angels may be present, they yet wait for the priest to exercise his power, but no one of them has the power of the keys of binding and of loosening.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 31)

St. Gregory Nazianzen

“The sacerdotal dignity also surpasses the dignity of the angels, who likewise show their veneration for the priesthood, says St. Gregory Nazianzen.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 31)

St. Boleslans

“The holy king St. Boleslans had so great a veneration for priests, that he would not dare to sit in their presence.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 30)

St. Martin

“Being invited to the table of Emperor Maximus, St. Martin, in taking a draught, first paid a mark of respect to his chaplain, and then to the emperor.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 30)

Pope St. Marcellinus

“It is a mark of a good prince,” says Pope St. Marcellinus, “to honor the priests of God.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 30)

St. John Chrysostom

“Princes, says St. John Chrysostom, “have the power of binding, but they bind only bodies, while priest binds the souls.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 29)

St. Clement

“Hence St. Clement, as much as the soul is more noble than the body, as much is the priesthood more excellent than royalty.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 29)

St. Ambrose

“According to St. Ambrose, the dignity of the priest as far exceeds that of kings, as the value of gold surpasses that of lead.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 29)

St. Bernard

“Sacerdotal dignity transcends,” says St. Bernard, “all the dignities of kings, of emperors, and of angels.”(St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 29)

St. Ambrose

“Thus the sacerdotal dignity is the most noble of all the dignities in this world. 'Nothing,' says St. Ambrose, 'is more excellent in this world.'”(St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 29)

St. John Chrysostom

“The Son,” says St. John Chrysostom, “has put into the hands of the priests all judgment. For having been as it were transported into Heaven, they have received this divine prerogative. If a king gave to a mortal the power to release from prison all prisoners, all would pronounce such a one happy, but priests have received from God a far greater power, since the soul is more noble than the body.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 29)

St. Prosper

“They are,” says St. Prosper, the glory and the immovable columns of the Church. They are the doors of the eternal city. Through them all reach Christ. They are the vigilant guardians to whom the Lord has confided the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. They are the stewards of the King's house, to assign to each according to His good please His place in the hierarchy.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 28)

St. Ignatius Martyr

“Consider the priests,” says St. Ignatius, Martyr, “as the dispensers of divine graces and the associates of God.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 28)

St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom: “The Sovereign Master of the universe only follows the servant by confirming in Heaven all that the latter decides upon earth.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 28)

St. Peter Damian

“The sentence of the priest precedes, and God subscribes to it, writes St. Peter Damian.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 28)

St. Maximus of Turin

“Such is, says St. Maximus of Turin, this judiciary power ascribed to Peter that its decision carries with it the decision of God.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 27)

St. Laurence Justinian

“Oh, how every great is their power,” says St. Laurence Justinian, speaking of priests. “A word falls from their lips and the body of Christ is there substantially formed from the matter of bread, and the Incarnate Word descended from Heaven, is found really present on the table of the altar! Never did divine goodness give such power to angels. The angels abide by the order of God, but the priests take him in their hands, distribute him to the faithful, and partake of him as food for themselves.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 27)

St. Ephrem

“The priest according to St. Ephrem, treats familiarly with God.”(St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 25)

St. John Chrysostom

“Besides, the priest is an ambassador of the whole world, to intercede with God and to obtain graces for all creatures.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 25)

St. Cyril of Alexandria

“Divine,” says St. Cyril of Alexandria, “are the offices confided to priests.”(St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 24)

St. Mary of Oignies

“Through respect for the sacerdotal dignity St. Mary of Oignies used to kiss the ground on which a priest had walked.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 24)

St. Ephrem

"St. Ephrem says that the gift of the sacerdotal dignity surpasses all understanding." (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 24)

St. Denis

"St. Denis calls the priest a divine man. Hence he has called the priesthood a divine dignity." (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 24)

St. John Chrysostom

“That though its functions are performed on earth, the priesthood should be numbered among the things of Heaven.” (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 24)

St. Ephrem

"The priesthood is an astounding miracle, great, immense, and infinite." (St. Alphonsus, Dignity and Duty of Priests, Page: 23)