Conformed to Christ Crucified

A. M. D. G.

The idea for the first volume of Conformed to Christ Crucified, subtitled Meditations on Priestly Life and Ministry (2010), took shape during the Year for Priests proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. That initial volume brought together reflections on the priesthood I had preached since the Great Jubilee of 2000. Over the next sixteen years, three additional volumes followed—More, Further, and Other Meditations on Priestly Life and Ministry. This fourth and most recent volume appears in the wake of the Jubilee of 2025, dedicated to the theological virtue of hope.

In many respects, these volumes are autobiographical. They arise from my own lived experience of the priesthood and its continual conformity to Christ crucified, marked by sacrifice and deep joy. They also reflect the lives and vocations of the many priests and seminarians with whom I have worked, and for whom I have labored, over nearly three decades at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

May these meditations encourage priests to persevere faithfully in their holy vocation and inspire young men to respond generously to the Lord’s call. May they also move all the faithful to pray for priests—those who bring us Christ through the word they preach, the sacraments they celebrate, and the spiritual fatherhood they exercise among us.

Father Joseph Carola, S.J.
The Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome
January 25, 2026
The Conversion of St. Paul

Titles Available from MTF

Conformed to Christ Crucified, Vol. I

In Conformed to Christ Crucified, Father Carola presents a collection of his homiletic meditations covering various aspects of the life and ministry of the priesthood. Each meditation is composed with a focus on the priest’s sacramental conformity to Christ Crucified, drawing from Sacred Scripture and the spirituality of the Church’s bi-millennial Tradition.

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Conformed to Christ Crucified, Vol. II

Father Carola is respected as a spiritual guide and continues to preach to seminarians, priests, religious, and the lay faithful. In the spirit of his best-selling book, Conformed to Christ Crucified, Father Carola offers a second collection of homiletic meditations pertaining to the priestly life and ministry. Sacred Scripture within the Church’s living Tradition remain their primary inspiration.

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Conformed to Christ Crucified, Vol. III

At the heart of Father Joseph Carola’s priestly ministry is the formation of Catholic clergy. He asserts that one of the most important lessons he can teach students is how to meet Christ in their suffering, and how through that experience, they in turn can help others to bear their cross. In Conformed to Christ Crucified, Volume III, Father Carola’s homilies focus on the theme of suffering and sacrifice, in imitation of Christ.

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Conformed to Christ Crucified, Vol. IV

Father Joseph Carola offers his fourth series of meditations that explores two essential questions: Why priests? and What is the priest for? Conformed to Christ Crucified, Volume IV, will assist priests in deepening their understanding of the gift and mystery of their vocation, while also inspiring the lay faithful to grow in love and reverence for the priesthood of Christ.

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