Introduction

This lecture was given at the Catholic University of America on May 16, 2023 as part of the Thomistic Institute symposium titled "Toward a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood." For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website at www.thomisticinstitute.org. About the speaker: Bishop William Byrne has served as the bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts since 2020. He studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, completing his licentiate in sacred theology from Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas(Angelicum) and was ordained on June 25, 1994 by Cardinal James A. Hickey.