The short, simple and heartening letter of Edward Tagliaferro entitled 'Appreciating priests' (The Sunday Times, October 18), made good reading.

In its introduction, Mr Tagliaferro describes priests as "teachers, guides, educators, consolers, models and ministers of the Holy Sacraments". The latter differing roles give us, priests, a chance to reflect deeply if we are really interiorising these characteristics in our personal and ministerial lives.

In reading Mr Tagliaferro's appreciation of priests, I came to realise that, maybe, it is high time for the Church to start speaking and practising what I would term as the sensus sacerdotalis.

This is the doctrinal truth of the priestly ministry as recognised and experienced by the body of consecrated ministers. We all know we do not become priests solely on the day of our ordination. On that day the gift is objectively and sacramentally bestowed on us from God's throne of mercy.

Mainly, it is through the exercise and reflection of our priestly ministry that we become priests. By sharing our strengths and weaknesses within the context of peer mentorship, we priests have an excellent opportunity to see our ministry growing and flourishing.

The sensus sacerdotalis is effectively clearly elucidated and translated into what Pope John Paul II termed as "priestly fraternities". In such fraternities, "the presbyterate thus appears as a true family, as a fraternity whose ties do not arise from flesh and blood but from the grace of holy orders... This fraternity takes special care of the young priests, maintains a kind and fraternal dialogue with those of the middle and older age groups, and with those who for whatever reasons are facing difficulties, as for those priests who have given up this way of life or are not following it at this time, this brotherhood does not forget them but follows them all the more with fraternal solicitude." (Patores Dabo Vobis, 225).

I encourage my brethren priests to trustingly become part of such fraternities, confident that the Lord will help them mature in their lifelong commitment to serve Him, in his Church, through the one and eternal priesthood of his Son Jesus Christ.