Thank you for your prayers.

Thank you for your prayers - the Ordination of Fr. Acero and Fr. Spurr was beautiful.

I won't go on at lenght about it, but I wanted to highlight the pictures taken by Paul Tomas during the ordination. As always, Paul did a fantastic job. Enjoy, and thanks again for your prayers.

Please go to this link at Paul Tomas Photography to view the slideshow.

You can also view Paul's pictures of the First Friday Vocations Holy Hour the night before the Ordination HERE.

For more of Paul's liturgical/religious pictures go HERE.

"Touched"

From Vita Mea Blog

By Fr. Dennis Schenkel June 9, 2008

Someone asked me this weekend if there was any particular moment during my ordination mass that grabbed me. The whole thing was so amazingly amazing that it took me a few seconds to go through it all in my head. The bishop was really “on” as he preached his homily just before the ordination rite began, and my own prostration during the Litany of the Saints was just as moving for me as I lay on the floor as it has been at every other ordination I have ever attended for other priests.

There is a point in the ordination rite, just after the bishop imposes his hands and calls down the Holy Spirit upon the ordinand (person being ordained), when every other priest who is present at the mass comes and imposes hands as well, participating in the ministry of the bishop and signifying the intimate sacramental brotherhood of the presbyterate. I was kneeling on the hardwood steps that lead up to the altar, and one by one, each priest came past me and imposed hands on me.

The floor was hard, and the particular angle of my knees was such that the floor seemed to be digging into me. The line of priests was long, and many of the priests, when placing their hands on my head for prayer, added just a little bit of pressure, just a little bit of pushing down, as they prayed. It wasn’t much. It was just a little. But my knees noticed it. After 10 or eleven went by, and there seemed to be many more still to come, I began repeating to myself: “Priesthood is about the cross. Priesthood is about the cross. Priesthood is about the cross.” The last priest in the line had actually grown up down the street from me and my brothers and his dad had been Scoutmaster when I was a kid.

But then it turned out he wasn’t the last priest. All the priests had gone back to their places, but one was still making his way down. He couldn’t move very quickly. Every step involved pushing a metal walker forward, and then taking a step-and-a-half and pushing the walker forward again. I happen to know that diabetes has wrecked this man’s feet and legs, and every step for him is a painful thing. If I thought my knees were sore at that moment, it couldn’t have been anything like the struggle of this priest to work his way down to the front of the altar.

Father John and I know each other well. When I was in high school, he was made pastor of our family’s parish. He is known for being outspoken on issues around social justice and civil rights, and I remember times when his zeal for “full, active and conscious participation” of the people of God in the liturgy resulted in new and creative liturgical practices that my more conservative friends would frown at.

There have even, sometimes, been personality issues and some unresolved slights or offenses. I don’t say this as gossip but to show how very moved I was that this man, this particular priest, struggled from his seat to touch me and pray over me.

He and I are of different generations, and of different ideological perspectives. Yet despite our differences, he was a priest. He had seen many changes in his time. Many of his peers, the ones who graduated from the seminaries of the 60’s and 70’s filled with a fire to bring the Church kicking and screaming into the realities of the modern world, did not remain in ministry. But he did. He did not leave or quit when it got hard. He did not abandon his vows out of frustration or hardship. He toughed it out. He remained faithful in his own way to the Lord and to his vocation.

And on Saturday, he was still toughing it out, making his way across the hardwood floor, ignoring the pain in his feet and legs, bringing the sacred mysteries of the sacraments to a member of the faithful on his knees before God. No one would have blamed him if he had stayed in his seat. Everyone knows how hard it is for him to do what he was doing. He didn’t have to go. But there he was.

He not only touched my head, but my heart as well. Priesthood is about the cross.

Prayer Reqeust

Things will be light around here today and tomorrow. We are blessed in the Diocese of Raleigh to be ordaining two men to the Holy Priesthood on Saturday - Please keep them in your prayers! Tonight we begin the weekend with a Vocations Holy Hour in the Cathedral, Ordination tomorrow, and first Masses on Sunday. Needless to say, I'm a bit busy with work.

Reverend Mr. Romen Acero

Reverend Mr. Michael Spurr

"Bishop Clark ordains seven deacons"

From the Diocese of Rochester Catholic Courier

By Jennifer Burke

ROCHESTER -- Sacred Heart Cathedral was filled with both solemn prayer and joyful laughter May 31 as Bishop Matthew H. Clark ordained seven men to the diaconate.

Making his first public appearance since his May 8 hip-replacement surgery, Bishop Clark ordained Jose Berrios, Bienvenido DeJesus, Michael Donovan, David Hudzinski, Edward Kohlmeier and Alberto Pacete to the permanent diaconate. He also ordained Brian Carpenter a transitional deacon, and plans to ordain him a priest next year after Deacon Carpenter completes studies at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago.

The seven diaconal candidates were presented to the bishop immediately after the Gospel was read. As his name was called, each candidate answered "present" in a strong, clear voice. When all had been accounted for Bishop Clark elected them for ordination.

"Relying on the help of the Lord God and savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these men, our brothers, for the order of the diaconate," he announced.

"Thanks be to God," the congregation responded before affirming the candidates’ election with a lengthy and ringing applause.

"I’d like to thank our candidates for their emphatic exclamation of their presence here today," Bishop Clark said once the applause had died down.

Their presentation to the bishop was not the only time the candidates let their enthusiasm shine through. Several minutes later, after the homily, Bishop Clark asked the candidates several questions so they might publicly affirm their intention to serve in the office of the diaconate.

The candidates answered each of the bishop’s questions with a forceful "I do!" the way young military recruits might respond "Yes, sir!" to a drill sergeant at boot camp. Their response was so enthusiastic that several times it elicited chuckles from Bishop Clark and the rest of the congregation.

Laughter soon gave way to emotion, however, as the seven candidates promised obedience to Bishop Clark and his successors and then prostrated themselves on the cool cathedral floor as the congregation sang a Litany of the Saints. Several newly ordained deacons later told the Catholic Courier they would remember this powerful moment for the rest of their lives.

"I think I made a flood over there," Deacon Pacete said as he recalled the emotional experience.

"You really get the sense that you’ve got all of these saints coming down and with you as you’re lying prostrate on the ground," added Deacon Carpenter, who grew up attending St. Joseph Parish in Penfield and has since served at St. Paul Parish in Webster, St. Mary Parish in Canandaigua and Peace of Christ Parish in Rochester.

Deacon Hudzinski said he sang along with the litany as he prostrated himself, hoping the saints were watching and bestowing their blessings.

By lying prostrate on the floor before the congregation, the new deacons visibly demonstrated their commitment to humility and obedience, added Deacon Berrios, who with his wife, Candy, belongs to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Rochester.

"I was just praying for humility and asking God to make me more humble every day," he said.

Another powerful moment, Deacon Donovan said, came several minutes later, when each candidate stood or knelt before Bishop Clark, who then laid his hands on each man. When the bishop laid his hands on Deacon Kohlmeier and prayed over him, it felt like "God speaking to me," the newly ordained deacon later recalled. Deacon Kohlmeier and his wife, Nancy, belong to the three-church cluster of Church of the Epiphany, Sodus; St. Rose, Sodus Point; and St. Mary of the Lake, Ontario.

The candidates were then vested with their stoles and dalmatics by loved ones and brother deacons before each received a Book of the Gospels from Bishop Clark. The bishop then concluded the ordination part of the Mass by offering a greeting of peace to each new deacon and to the permanent deacons’ wives. Dozens of deacons then approached their new brothers, welcoming them with hugs and broad grins.

Moments later the newly ordained had their first chance to distribute Communion as deacons. This provided another powerful moment for Deacon Carpenter, who also was able to bestow his first blessing upon a young cousin of his who hadn’t yet made his first Communion.

After the Mass, the overall feeling was one of "jubilation," said Deacon Hudzinski, who with his wife, Amy, belongs to Rochester’s St. Boniface Parish. Both Deacon Hudzinski and Deacon Donovan said the ordination experience surpassed their expectations.

"This is actually the fifth ordination that I’ve been to, (but) obviously when you’re going through it yourself, it’s a lot different," said Deacon Donovan, who with his wife, Linda, belongs to Blessed Trinity/St. Patrick parishes in Tioga County.

During the ordination Deacon Pacete, who belongs to the Our Lady of Lourdes/St. Casimir/St. Charles Borromeo cluster in Elmira, found himself reflecting on the unwavering support he received from his wife, Mesina, and from his family and the community at Church of the Annunciation in Rochester, where he previously served as a pastoral associate.

"This is for them," he said.

"It’s very exciting," added Deacon DeJesus, who with his wife, Priscila, attends Rochester’s Our Lady of the Americas Parish. "I’m very proud … to be part of our church in our country."

The ordination was an overwhelming experience, "kind of like (being) in a time warp, with everything going on around you," Deacon Kohlmeier observed. "You're just kind of caught up in the whole thing."

As moving and emotional as the ordination was, Deacon Carpenter expects his ordination to the priesthood next year to be even more powerful. This diaconal ordination fell on the same day as his 10-year reunion for Notre Dame University, which meant many of his friends weren’t at the cathedral May 31.

"I said, ‘Go to the reunion and come next year,’" he said.

It was a great weekend. (Two weekends ago)

Well, I started writing this post a week ago, but a busy schedule has kept me from finishing it. So here it is, long overdue.

Many years ago, after a college seperation from the Church, I found myself in a aprticularly low place. Thankfully God reached into the abyss and brought me back amongst the living. Only one problem: As I turned to those around me to talk about my "conversion", I realized that I didn't really have any close Catholic friends, save one. For that matter many of the people in my life at the time were openly hostile to the Catholic Church and faith in general. As Leon Russell would write and sing, I was like a "Stranger in a Strange Land."

Prayers for solid Catholic fellowship would soon be answered, and Greg Plow would be one of those answers.

Fast forward eight years.

Last weekend was one of great joy as I watched my very good friend, now Fr. Gregory Plow, T.O.R. get ordained to the Priesthood. Fr. Gregory is the first priest I have known from the time of his discernment, all the way through formation, to his Ordination. Over the years I have been to many ordinations, but none of them have had the impact of this one.

It's an incredible thing to watch and pray at a Mass as a man steps forward and is substantially changed into a new person - a priest of Jesus Christ. In much the same way that we often take for granted the awe inspiring reality of transubstantiation, so too I think we frequently lack the profound sense of awe that should be had during an ordination.

I could go on at length, but I will end this post by stating how incredibly proud I am of Fr Gregory. Certainly not because of anything I have done, but because of everything he has done - or rather, because of everything he has allowed Almighty God to do through him and with him. Fr. Gregory's openess to the workings of the Holy Spirit is inspiring and his witness of faith is a gift for everyone that knows him.

May God continue to bless him all the days of his life, and Mary, Mother of the Clergy, keep him in her prayers constantly. It really is a wonder to contemplate all the incredible things our Lord will do in this world, for the souls of His people, through this humble man of God.

"Excommunication decree for attempted ordination of women"

From Catholic World News

Vatican, May. 30, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has announced that any Catholic bishop who attempts the ordination of a woman to the priesthood, and any woman who participates in such a ceremony, is subject to automatic excommunication.

The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published in the May 30 issue of L'Osservatore Romano, takes effect immediately and applies throughout the universal Church. The document was signed by Cardinal William Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato, the prefect and secretary, respectively, of the Congregation.

"Both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incurs excommunication latae sententiae."

The Vatican document declares that "he who attempts to confer Holy Orders on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive Holy Orders, incurs excommunication latae sententiae." A latae sententiae penalty is incurred automatically, and no public decree is necessary. Only the Holy See will have the authority to lift that penalty.

The decree cites #1378 of the Code of Canon Law, which prescribes the penalty of excommunication for anyone who simulates a sacrament. That canon specifically mentions only the simulation of Mass and Confession; the May 30 decree extends the scope of the canon to apply to a simulated ordination ceremony as well.

The Vatican document eliminates any possible ambiguity about the status of women who claim to be Catholic priests, and bishops who may participate in their supposed ordination. Pope John Paul II (bio - news) declared in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (doc) that the Church "has no authority" to ordain women. The Pope added that making an authoritative statement, "to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."

Also this from Catholic News Service:

"Text of Vatican congregation's decree on attempts to ordain women"

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Here is the English text of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's general decree on the attempted ordination of a woman, signed by Cardinal William J. Levada, congregation prefect, and Archbishop Angelo Amata, secretary. It was released by the Vatican May 30.

In order to protect the nature and validity of the sacrament of order, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in virtue of the special faculty given by the supreme authority of the church (cf. Canon 30, Code of Canon Law), in the ordinary session of Dec. 19, 2007, has decreed:

Without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incur an excommunication "latae sententiae" reserved to the Apostolic See.

If, in fact, the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, or the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, is one of Christ's faithful subject to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, that person, without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1443 of the same code, is to be punished with a major excommunication, the remission of which is also reserved to the Apostolic See (cf. Canon 1423, Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).

This decree, once published in L'Osservatore Romano, comes into force immediately.

Incredible Ordination Homily from Archbishop Burke

Priesthood Ordinations: 'Become More and More One With the Heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd'

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke preached the following homily on the occasion of the Mass for the ordination of Fathers Matthew Barnard, Patrick Driscoll, Brian Hecktor, Michael Houser, Eric Kunz, Edward Nemeth, Kevin Schroeder, James Theby, and Noah Waldman, May 24, 2008, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. The scriptural texts on which Archbishop Burke preached were Isaiah 61:1-3 (Reading I); Hebrews 5:1-10 (Reading II); and John 17:6, 14-19 (Gospel).

Ordinands prostrate themselves for the chanting of the Litany of Saints during the Rite of Ordination at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, May 24, 2008. (Photo: Jeff Geerling) To the congregation:
[Beloved brothers and sisters: because these our sons, who are your relatives and friends, are now to be advanced to the Order of Priests, consider carefully the nature of the rank in the Church to which they are about to be raised.]

[It is true that God has made His entire holy people a royal priesthood in Christ. Nevertheless, our great Priest Himself, Jesus Christ, chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in His name, and on behalf of mankind, a priestly office in the Church. For Christ was sent by the Father, and He, in turn, sent the Apostles into the world, so that through them and their successors, the bishops, He might continue to exercise His office of Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd. Indeed, priests are established co-workers of the Order of Bishops, with whom they are joined in the priestly office and with whom they are called to the service of the people of God.]

The Holy Spirit, dwelling in His fullness in our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son made man, is poured forth upon those called to the ordained priesthood, in order that they may act in the person of Christ, head and shepherd of the Father's flock. Through His priests, Christ, head and shepherd of the flock, teaches and sanctifies and guides all men of every time and place. The prophecy regarding the anointed of the Lord, given through the prophet Isaiah, has been fulfilled in Christ who has indeed freed us from the slavery of sin and everlasting death, and has inaugurated "a year of favor from the Lord," which continues without end in His holy Church (Reading I). Christ, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, pours out the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit in the anointing of priests who, by a particular vocation and mission, continue to announce in His person the Gospel of freedom from sin, freedom for everlasting life.

As He was about to enter upon His passion and death, the culmination of His great work of salvation, Christ, our high priest, prayed for the Apostles, those first called to the priestly office. In His prayer, He made clear that His priests share in the mission given to Him by the Father, that He consecrates them for their mission which is indeed His mission, and that, although they belong totally to the Father, He sends them into the world to carry out His mission (Gospel). In the ordination of priests, we witness the truth proclaimed by the sacred author of the Letter to the Hebrews: "Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered; and when He was made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Reading II). In the ordained priest, Christ Himself continues to be our priest always, "according to the order of Melchizedek."

[After mature deliberation, these, our brothers, are now to be ordained to the priesthood in the Order of the Presbyterate so as to serve Christ the Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd, by whose ministry His Body, that is, the Church, is built and grows into the People of God, a holy temple.]

[In being configured to Christ the eternal High Priest and joined to the priesthood of the Bishops, they will be consecrated as true priests of the New Testament, to preach the Gospel, to shepherd God's people, and to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy, especially the Lord's sacrifice.]

Because of the supremely sacred nature of the ministry for which our sons and brothers are about to be consecrated, pray for them daily, so that they may always and in everything conform themselves to the grace conferred upon them in ordination, that they may be holy shepherds of the flock whom God the Father entrusts to their pastoral care. By your love of the Sacred Priesthood, help them to see the sublime truth and beauty of their priestly vocation, and to conform their every thought, their every word and their every action to their priestly identity and mission.

To the candidates:
[Now, dear sons, you are to be raised to the Order of the Priesthood. For your part, you will exercise the sacred duty of teaching in the name of Christ the Teacher. Impart to everyone the Word of God which you have received with joy. Meditating on the law of the Lord, see that you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe, and that you practice what you teach.] By your manner of preaching and teaching, bring souls to Christ who alone frees them from their sins, frees them for the love of God and their neighbor, which is the way to eternal life. Through your person consecrated totally to God, Christ, our great High Priest, will continue to offer Himself for the "eternal salvation of all who obey Him" (Reading II).

By priestly consecration, you will belong totally to Christ the Good Shepherd. Christ Himself consecrates you, so that your priestly heart made be one with His glorious pierced Heart in the outpouring of self in love of the brethren, without boundary or condition. Give your lives for those whom Christ entrusts to your priestly care, and never cease to seek out those who do not know Christ, their Savior, or, having known Him, have wandered from Him. Give yourselves without seeking any consolation or reward, trusting that the Providence of God will, in His God's good time, bring forth the fruit of your labors.

Treasure the grace of priestly celibacy which you have received from God, and by which you love and serve Christ with all your being. You belong totally to Christ, in every thought and affection. Your celibate love is a participation in the total and enduring love of Christ, the bridegroom, for His bride, the Church; it flows from the glorious Heart of Jesus pierced for love of all mankind (cf. Sacramentum caritatis, n.24). At the dawn of each day, renew your celibate love of Christ and of your brothers and sisters in Christ. By your celibate love, be a source of strength to all whom you serve, so that their love of one another may be always chaste and holy.

If you are to act in the person of Christ for the Father's flock, if you are to be, in Christ, a true spiritual father, then you must know Christ deeply and love Him ardently. Treasure, above all else, the grace of priestly ordination, which you are about to receive. Do not be deceived by the "fierce wolves," who surely come among us in all forms of attractive disguise, tempting us to betray our union with Christ, our most beloved Brother in the priesthood, and leading us to become of the world, instead of being totally of God for the salvation of the world (cf. Acts 20:28-32). Be uncompromisingly loyal and selfless apostles of Christ, drawing all to His glorious pierced Heart, from which He never ceases to pour out upon the world the grace of the Holy Spirit, the mercy and love of God the Father.

In praying for His Apostles, before entering upon His passion and death, Christ, deeply conscious of how the world would hate them because of Him, prayed that the Father would "keep them from the Evil One" (Gospel). You will suffer in the world because of your loyalty as an apostle of Christ. Trust that the Father will safeguard and strengthen you always, and know that what you suffer in carrying out faithfully your apostolic ministry will bring countless graces to the flock in your care and to the whole Body of Christ. Never give way to doubt and discouragement. By your steadfast obedience to the teaching and discipline of Christ in the Church, you will unite your flock to Him who is the only source of their lasting joy and peace.

[In this way, let what you teach be nourishment for the people of God. Let the holiness of your lives be a delightful fragrance to Christ's faithful, so that by word and example you may build up the house which is God's Church.]

Be always loyal to the Roman Pontiff, who, as successor to Saint Peter, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful" (Lumen gentium, n. 23). Be vigilant against the incursion of those who, in every age, seek to divide, confuse and scatter the flock. Recall that Satan always seeks first to strike the shepherds, in order to scatter the whole flock (cf. Zechariah 13:7). By your daily offering of the Holy Mass, by your daily prayers and devotions, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, and by the regular confession of your sins, fortify yourselves against the wiles of the forces of evil, fortify yourselves to be tireless and true in your care of the flock.

[{Y}ou will exercise in Christ the office of sanctifying. For, by your ministry, the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful will be made perfect, being united to the sacrifice of Christ, which will be offered through your hands in an unbloody way on the altar, in union with the faithful, in the celebration of the {sacred mysteries}. Understand, therefore, what you do, and imitate what you celebrate. As celebrants of the mystery of the Lord's death and resurrection, strive to put to death whatever in your members is sinful, and to walk in newness of life.]

[Remember, when you gather others into the people of God through Baptism, and when you forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the sacrament of Penance; when you comfort the sick with holy oil and celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer prayers of praise and thanks to God throughout the hours of the day, not only for the people of God but for the whole world—remember then that you are taken from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God. Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but to those of Jesus Christ.]

Take care always, therefore, to prepare well the celebration of the sacraments and sacramentals. Your faithfully loving service of the Father's flock is best and most fully expressed by the manner of your celebration of the sacred rites. By the manner of your celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the faithful will understand most fully the truths of the faith, which you hand on to them through your teaching and urge them to practice in their daily living. Regarding your offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice, I recall for you the words of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI: "The priest is above all a servant of others, and he must continually work at being a sign pointing to Christ, a docile instrument in the Lord's hands. This is seen particularly in his humility in leading the liturgical assembly, in obedience to the rite, uniting himself to it in mind and heart, and avoiding anything that might give the impression of an inordinate emphasis on his own personality" (Pope Benedict XVI, Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, "On the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission," February 22, 2007, n. 23). By your attentive study of the liturgical books and by your reverence in carrying out the sacred rites, assist the faithful to recognize more clearly Christ who alone makes them holy.

Pray each day that your hearts may become more and more one with the Heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd. Devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ask our Lord daily to purify your minds of distractions and your hearts of wrong affections, so that your minds may be filled with holy thoughts and your hearts may be aflame with pure and selfless love. By the union of your hearts with the Heart of Jesus, let Christ reign in your lives, so that, through the outpouring of your lives in obedient service, He may draw all hearts to His glorious pierced Heart from which flows unceasingly the grace of salvation. One in heart with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be filled with wonder and love before the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. See in the daily offering of the Holy Mass your priestly identity and your greatest service to God's holy people.

Entrust yourselves to Mary, Mother of Priests, who will draw you always to her Son, in whose person you are consecrated to serve. Our Blessed Mother knows better than any other human being the trials and the difficulties which you will encounter in your priestly ministry, and she, with a mother's love, will never fail to be at your side, to encourage you and to console you in any trial or difficulty. Be, therefore, daily at the side of the Virgin Mary by praying the Holy Rosary. One with her in love of Christ, her Divine Son, ponder, with her, in your heart the great mysteries of our faith, of which you are to be the priestly minister.

As good and holy shepherds, be attentive to guide God's people in the way of justice which leads to lasting peace. Promote the respect for all human life from the moment of inception to the moment of natural death, especially the life of our unborn brothers and sisters, and of our brothers and sisters who are burdened by special needs, illness, or advanced age. Safeguard the integrity of the marital union and of human procreation. Your priestly teaching and guidance will inspire and strengthen all of the faithful in the transformation of the culture of violence and death, in which we live, into a civilization of selfless love and life. Be attentive to those who suffer injustices in our society, especially the immigrant and refugee, and be, for them, the sign of God's all-merciful love. I recall the words of Pope Benedict XVI to the Bishops of our nation, during his recent apostolic journey:

Is it consistent to profess our beliefs in church on Sunday, and then during the week to promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs? Is it consistent for practicing Catholics to ignore or exploit the poor and the marginalized, to promote sexual behavior contrary to Catholic moral teaching, or to adopt positions that contradict the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death? Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted. Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to the transforming power of the Gospel (Pope Benedict XVI, "Washington: National Shrine, Bishops' Address, April 16: 'Rediscover the joy of living a Christ-centered life via the virtues and prayer,' L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, April 23, 2008, p. 3).

Help those in your pastoral care to grow in understanding our solemn responsibility to be good stewards of God's manifold gifts, above all, the gift of human life, and to give faithful witness to the Divine Law in "the public square."

[Finally, dear sons, exercising for your part the office of Christ, head and shepherd, while united with the bishop and subject to him, strive to bring the faithful together into one family, so that you may lead them to God the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit. Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve, and who came to seek out and save what was lost.]

May you so live your priestly vocation and carry out your priestly mission that, when you have reached the fullness of the days of your earthly pilgrimage, Christ, your Brother, will welcome you, His good and faithful apostle, into the everlasting happiness of Heaven. May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America and Star of the New Evangelization; Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church; and Saint Louis of France, Saint Vincent de Paul, and Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, our archdiocesan patrons, intercede for you, that you may be faithful and generous shepherds after the Heart of Christ the Good Shepherd.

The parts of the homily in brackets are taken from"“Chapter II: Ordination of Priests," in Rites of Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons, Second Typical Edition, from The Roman Pontifical as renewed by the Decree of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, published by authority of Pope Paul VI, and further revised at the direction of Pope John Paul II, Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003, pp. 74-76 (n. 123).

"Burke's efforts lead to biggest Catholic ordination class in decades"

From ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
By Tim Townsend

Sunday, May. 18 2008

Once or twice a year, each student at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary will drop by Archbishop Raymond Burke's residence in the Central West End at 4:30 p.m. From
there, they set off down Lindell Avenue and into Forest Park..

"The walks," as the seminarians call them, are opportunities for young men to have heart-to-hearts with a man who regularly meets with the pope, a heady
prospect for a young priest-in-training. The conversations are usually casual, and the seminarians get to see a more personal, human side of Burke — like when he gets a little skittish around off-leash dogs.

Kenrick officials organize the walks using time sheets. When the sheets are
posted, there's a rush to sign on.

"It's like when you throw pellets at the Japanese fish at the Botanical
Gardens," said seminarian Edward Nemeth, 26. "Guys falling over each other to
get their names on the list."

On Saturday, Nemeth and eight of his colleagues at Kenrick will be ordained as
priests in the St. Louis Archdiocese — the largest St. Louis ordination class
in 25 years and one of the largest in the U.S. It's also the same number of
ordinations in St. Louis as the last three years combined.

Since the 1980s, declining interest in the priesthood has been a growing crisis
for the Roman Catholic church in the U.S., a situation that was compounded by
the clergy sex-abuse scandal earlier this decade. One church study suggested
that 80 percent of parents whose sons are considering the priesthood try to
dissuade them, fearing their child is entering a life of loneliness and
unhappiness.

Burke is credited for helping to address such concerns at Kenrick. He is active
in recruiting priests and knows the seminarians — their names, their life
stories, their joys and their fears. He's also a frequent visitor to the
seminary, sometimes dropping by unannounced for lunch with the students.

"He's the center and the core of this whole thing," said the Rev. Michael
Butler, the vocations director for the archdiocese.

The student body at Kenrick-Glennon, which includes the undergraduate Cardinal Glennon College and graduate-level Kenrick Theological Seminary, is 112 students, the largest enrollment in two decades and a 50 percent increase over last year.

Monsignor Ted Wojcicki, Kenrick-Glennon's president, said he hopes to enroll
120 students next year, which would double the size of the seminary population
from a decade ago. Last year, the archdiocese announced plans to expand the
seminary.

The archdiocese officially attributes its recent success with vocations — Latin
for vocare, which means, to call — to a higher power. More men are hearing
God's call to the priesthood, they say. But God has had a hand from Burke, who
decided vocations would be a high priority since he arrived in St. Louis in
2004.

"A bishop's principal responsibility is to provide priests for the people in
his pastoral care," Burke said in an interview last week from Rome.
"Ordinations have to be absolutely right at the top of my priorities."

During a Vatican meeting just months before his death in 2004, Pope John Paul
II told Burke and other Midwest bishops to do more to increase the number of
men training for the priesthood.

"No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a stark
challenge for the church in the United States," the pope told the bishops.

John Paul was not exaggerating. The number of diocesan priests in the U.S. has
declined 22 percent since 1965, according to the Center for Applied Research in
the Apostolate at Georgetown University. In the same period, the number of
graduate level seminarians has fallen 60 percent.

In 2005, the St. Louis Archdiocese estimated that by the end of 2008 it would
have only 230 active diocesan priests, down from 313. The number has decreased,
but not as precipitously as predicted three years ago and stands at 286.

At Kenrick, it's not just Burke's involvement that is cited for the turnaround
in enrollment. The archbishop's conservatism, too, is an appealing aspect to
young seminarians.

"The people who are attracted to the priesthood today tend to be much more
conservative than their peers," said the Rev. Thomas Reese of the Woodstock
Theological Center in Washington. "Even in the 1950s, the people attracted to
seminaries were more conservative than their peers, but not to the degree they
are today."

Seminarians say Burke's conservatism helps him connect with them. The
seminarians openly discuss how they see Burke as a spiritual father and embrace
the traditional atmosphere Burke has championed in the archdiocese and the
seminary.

Burke, for example, is considered one of the most devoted supporters of the old
Latin Mass among U.S. bishops, and last year, Kenrick began celebrating the
traditional liturgy on Fridays. More formal vestments are now required at
morning and evening prayers. Burke said such "little things" help him
"encourage a strong identity among the seminarians, especially with the
celebration of the sacred liturgy."

Noah Waldman, 39, a former architect, was studying with a traditionalist group
of priests a number of years ago. Eventually, he felt called to be a diocesan
priest rather than part of an order. The problem, he thought, was that most
bishops would think he was too conservative.

"I was told there were two bishops in the U.S. who would be interested in me,"
he said.

Burke, at that time the bishop of La Crosse, Wis., took Waldman in. The
architect entered the seminary but decided Wisconsin was not a good fit and
applied to a philosophy program in England. Burke "told me I was making a big
mistake," Waldman recalled.

After the death of Pope John Paul II, Waldman decided the priesthood was indeed
his calling, and Burke, since installed in St. Louis, invited Waldman to
Kenrick. "Because of his support, I was able to make it through," said Waldman,
who will be ordained on Saturday.

Burke, however, plays down the notion that he's the main attraction. "More
traditionalist men have come on their own; it's not that I've gone out to look
for them," he said. "When men say they feel very confident in my leadership, I
tell them that they have to come to the archdiocese of St. Louis because
they're devoted to the archdiocese, not me."

Michael Houser, 26, began considering the priesthood when he was 13. He is the
oldest of 10 children born to parents in Chesterfield who took their children
to Mass every Sunday and prayed the rosary together as a family every night.

The Housers were part of a lay group tied to the conservative Legion of Christ
congregation of priests. Houser attended elementary school at Gateway Academy,
run by the Legion of Christ in Chesterfield, then attended the Legion's
seminary high school in New Hampshire.

Houser decided the life of a diocesan priest fit him best. "It appealed to me a
lot to be able to have a connection to a particular diocese — there's more
stability in diocesan priesthood," Houser said. "When Archbishop Burke came to
St. Louis, I was in my first year (at seminary), and he was a real godsend to
me."

Butler, the head of the archdiocese's vocations office, said he doesn't like to
think of the call to the priesthood in terms of numbers, but the future of the
archdiocese necessitates it. Based on priests' rate of retiring and advancing
age, the archdiocese needs to ordain about 10 to 12 men each year, Butler said.

To reach that goal, Butler said, the archdiocese needs to bring in 20 to 24 men
each year. That's about double the current level. Next year, the seminary
expects a more typical ordination class of five, though with larger entering
classes, the days of five-member ordination ceremonies might be a thing of the
past.

Nemeth remembered when Burke first got to St. Louis, the archbishop promised to
make the seminary the heart of the diocese. Nemeth believes Burke has made good
on that promise, and in doing so, has become "like a father" to the seminarians.

Nemeth said his most difficult moment at Kenrick-Glennon was when he was a
college sophomore during the clergy sexual abuse crisis that emerged in 2002.
"I remember being so angry at priests," Nemeth said. "Anywhere I went I felt
like I was under a microscope with people thinking, 'Is he one of them?'"

Strength, Nemeth said, came from watching Burke deal with controversy in the
succeeding years, an example the archbishop continues to set for future
seminarians.

"He stands for truth when he knows that's not going to be easy," Nemeth said,
"so we know he'll support us when we have to do the same."

"Soon-to-be priests couldn't ignore call"

From Connecticut Post
by Amanda Cuda

When he was a child, Sam Kachuba made a serious decision. Kachuba, now 24, of Stratford, was an altar boy at St. Mark Church in that town. During services, there was one priest who constantly sang off-key. Even as a kid, Kachuba was sort of embarrassed for him. This led to an epiphany.

"I remember thinking 'Wow, I will never be a priest — you have to sing in front of people,'" Kachuba said.

Eventually, Kachuba became more comfortable with the idea of singing in public. He became a cantor and joined the church choir. But he still thought he couldn't join the priesthood, despite numerous hints to the contrary.

His classmates at St. James Elementary School even voted him "Most Likely to Become a Priest."

"I thought they were making fun of me," Kachuba said.

Now that he's an adult, Kachuba's no longer laughing. He's one of two men who will be ordained this week as priests for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. The other new recruit is Ian Jeremiah, 44, a native of Malaysia.

Bishop William E. Lori will ordain both men in a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport. The Archdiocese of Hartford also will ordain a new priest Saturday morning. Collins Anaeche, 28, of Nigeria, will join the priesthood during a ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.

The three men are among nearly 400 expected to be ordained nationwide this year. Though the media has reported for some time that there is a shortage of men looking

to join the priesthood, there's still an interest in this way of life, said the Rev. Peter Lynch, director of vocations for the Diocese of Bridgeport.

"God has not stopped calling," said Lynch, who works out of St. John Fisher Seminary Residence in Stamford. "Men are still being called — they're probably just not hearing it."

Both Jeremiah and Kachuba said they resisted the call at first, though Jeremiah resisted it longer.

He first sensed he was being called when he was a teenager in Ipoh, Malaysia. "I had a friend who was a priest," he said. "I saw what he did, and decided I could do that."

But, while a student at the National University of Malaysia, he questioned his call, and decided to pursue a more traditional career instead. He received a degree in accounting, then, at the age of 25, he came to New York, where he worked as an accountant at the nonprofit organization Daytop Inc.

Jeremiah's new life didn't feel right, so he decided to become a financial analyst. He went to Columbia University and received an MBA, but then decided the world of finance wasn't for him either.

"Everything I was pursuing I thought would make me happy, but I felt something missing," he said.

Acknowledging that "God is persistent," Jeremiah finally gave in to his teenage yearnings to join the priesthood. At age 38, he entered the St. John Fisher Seminary Residence, and began studying at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland. During his training, Jeremiah held positions at several churches in the state, including St. Joseph Parish in Shelton and St. Joseph Parish in Danbury.

Jeremiah said he's looking forward to his new life, and has numerous relatives traveling here from Malaysia for the ordination ceremony. His goals for the future are somewhat simple, he said: "Serve God. Serve his people."

Lynch said a lot of men, like Jeremiah, wait to heed God's call. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the average age of men slated for ordination this year is 36 for diocesan priests and 39 for ordained men in religious orders such as the Jesuits or Dominicans.

But there are indications that the tide is turning. Lynch said he's now hearing from boys who are still in high school and are interested in pursuing the priesthood. "A lot of the youth now are really getting into their faith," he said.

Count Kachuba among that group. Despite his initial reservations, Kachuba was thinking more seriously about a religious vocation by the time he was a student at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull. Eventually, he realized it was his destiny to become a priest.

"The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like God was really calling me," he said.

He entered St. John Fisher after graduating high school. He went on to graduate magna cum laude from Fordham University in 2004, then obtained his bachelor of sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

While training, Kachuba served at several local parishes, including St. Ann Parish in Bridgeport and St. Pius X Parish in Fairfield.

In addition to his religious studies, Kachuba has also long been interested in music. He's played the violin for years, and even joined an Irish band at St. John Fisher.

Once he becomes a priest, Kachuba said, he expects that he'll be asked to work with youth because of his age. However, he said he'll serve in whatever way the diocese asks. "There's so many ways that God is needed in people's lives," he said.

Both Kachuba and Jeremiah will learn today which parishes they're assigned to, and Lynch said they would be assets wherever they go.

Lynch said he knows Kachuba particularly well, as he was a chaplain at St. Joseph when Kachuba was a student there. However, he's been impressed with both men.

"These two men are awesome," he said.

"Nine men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of St. Louis"

From St. Louis Review Online
by Barbara Watkins

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke will ordain nine men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Louis at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 24, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue in the Central West End.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders will be conferred after the reading of the Gospel of the Mass. An announcement of the new priests’ assignments will be in an upcoming issue of the Review.

The soon-to-be-ordained priests will be Fathers Matthew Barnard, Patrick Driscoll, Brian Hecktor, Michael Houser, Eric Kunz, Edward Nemeth, Kevin Schroeder, James Theby and Noah Waldman.

All have earned master of divinity degrees and master of arts in theology degrees from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. For the past year, all have served as transitional deacons, which carries the title "Rev. Mr."

This is the largest number of men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of St. Louis since nine men were ordained in 1987. In addition, another five Kenrick-Glennon seminarians are being ordained in coming weeks for other dioceses.

Following ordination there will be more than 100 men enrolled at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, more than half of them studying to be priests for the St. Louis Archdiocese.

Four men were recently ordained as transitional deacons for the archdiocese.

FR. MATTHEW BARNARD

Rev. Mr. Barnard, 29, is the son of Bill and Debbie Barnard of Oxford, Ind. His home parish is Little Flower in Richmond Heights.

An Indiana native, he attended Oxford Elementary School and Benton Central Junior/Senior High School in Oxford. After attending St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., and Greenville College in Greenville, Ill., he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University.

He served his supervised ministry at Loyola Academy in St. Louis, Assumption Parish in Mattese and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Ferguson. His transitional deacon assignment was at Holy Trinity Parish in St. Ann.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at Little Flower Parish, 1264 Arch Terrace in Richmond Heights. Concelebrants will include Msgr. John Leykam and Fathers Lawrence Herzog, Theodore Rothrock and Christopher Weldon. Father Rothrock will be the homilist. A reception will be held following the Mass at Little Flower School.

Rev. Mr. Barnard said he first discerned a call to the priesthood as an altar boy, a call that continued through his school years. In his sophomore year at college, he decided to "give it a try" and spent two years at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

"After that I left for a time, spending two years away from the seminary for further discernment. I graduated from St. Louis University and taught at St. Vincent High School in Perryville. During my time in Perryville, I decided to return to the seminary, as I finally realized what God was calling me to do and be.

"In spring of 2007 I transferred to the Archdiocese of St. Louis and was ordained to the transitional diaconate on Nov. 3. Since then I have been assigned at Holy Trinity Parish in St. Ann. Serving the people there has been a great joy, as well as a beneficial training ground for priestly ministry. As priesthood ordination approaches, I am very excited and continually affirmed in my vocation. I am grateful to God for the many gifts he has given me, most especially the gift of serving Him and His Church as a priest," Father Barnard said.

FR. PATRICK DRISCOLL

Rev. Mr. Driscoll, 48, is the son of James Driscoll and the late Loretto Driscoll and the stepson of Margaret Driscoll. His parents reside in Carlsbad, Calif. His home parish is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

A California native, he is a graduate of elementary school and Santa Barbara High School there. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in public relations from the School of Journalism at San Jose State University, both in California. He attended St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif.

He served his supervised ministry at St. Peter Parish in Kirkwood and St. Angela Merici Parish in Florissant. His transitional deacon assignment was at St. Mark Parish in Affton.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at the Shrine of St. Joseph, 11th and Biddle streets in Downtown St. Louis. Concelebrants will include Fathers William Pegnam, Robert McDermott and Thomas McDermott, OP. Father Thomas McDermott will be the homilist. A reception will follow the Mass.

Discussing his vocation, Rev. Mr. Driscoll said, "The Franciscan Friars at the Mission of Santa Barbara and the Jesuit Fathers at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, along with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, were very positive influences. I received my first Holy Communion in 1967. It was a time, I would learn later, of great upheaval. But the Friars and Jesuits assigned to my parishes were men of great faith, and the Liturgy was always celebrated with much beauty and solemnity. This made a lasting impression upon me when I was a young altar boy and this I believe was the sowing of my vocation.

"Archbishop Burke has also been a tremendously positive influence upon me by his example of courage, compassion and holiness," Father Driscoll said.

FR. BRIAN HECKTOR

Rev. Mr. Hecktor, 32, is the son of Paul and Suzanne Hecktor of Marthasville. His home parish is St. Ignatius Loyola in Concord Hill, where his father serves as permanent deacon.

He attended St. Ignatius Loyola School and Washington High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in German language and culture from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. He minored in business administration and worked two years in the business consulting industry with Accenture prior to attending the seminary.

He served his supervised ministry at St. Mark Parish in Affton and St. Gianna Parish in St. Charles County and his transitional diaconate assignment at Ascension Parish in Chesterfield.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at St. Ignatius Loyola Church, 701 Mill Road in Concord Hill. The homilist will be Msgr. Patrick Hambrough. A reception will be held in the parish hall following Mass.

Rev. Mr. Hecktor said he began thinking about the priesthood at about age 10 but didn’t take it seriously until his mid-20s. "After several years in the seminary, I came to discover the joy of committing yourself to doing God’s will, whatever that might be."

He was influenced in his vocation by the late Father John Morse, who had been pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola, his parents and his siblings, all of whom prayed for him and encouraged him.

"One of the things I’ve learned in the seminary is that our faith is infinitely deep. I look forward to exploring these amazing depths as a priest and helping others to find fulfillment in their own exploration," Rev. Mr. Hecktor said.

FR. MICIHAEL HOUSER

Rev. Mr. Houser, 26, is the son of Dr. Michael and Shirley Houser of Chesterfield. His home parish is Ascension in Chesterfield.

He attended Gateway Academy in Hazelwood (now located in Chesterfield) and Immaculate Conception Apostolic School in Center Harbor, N.H. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and classics at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. He also studied abroad in Gaming, Austria and Oxford, England.

He served his supervised ministry at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis and Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Bissell Hills and his transitional diaconate assignment at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish in Oakville.

He will celebrate two Masses of Thanksgiving on Sunday, May 25. He will celebrate Mass (in the extraordinary, or Tridentine Latin, form) at 10 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Oratory, 2653 Ohio Ave. in South St. Louis, and at 3 p.m. at Ascension Church, 230 Santa Maria Drive in Chesterfield.

The homilist at the 10 a.m. Mass will be Father Michael Monshau, OP, and the homilist at the 3 p.m. Mass will be Msgr. Joseph Pins. A reception will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Ascension Parish.

Rev. Mr. Houser said, "My parents were the first to influence my vocation by the devoted way in which they lived their Catholic faith in their everyday life. I learned from them the importance of daily prayer, and came to desire a personal friendship with Jesus and Mary."

His discernment continued through high school and college before he made the decision to come to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

"Throughout my years at Kenrick, I have been blessed by my interaction with the seminary faculty, who have helped me to develop my gifts in many different ways. I have also always been inspired and encouraged by the example of Archbishop Burke and by the personal concern he has shown for me and all the seminarians. Through my interaction with dedicated priests, especially in my year at the Cathedral Basilica, I grew ever more confident that God was calling me to serve his people in the priesthood.

"I recognize how, in my own life, priests have served as bridges for me to encounter Jesus Christ in the sacraments. I pray that I will be able to be such a bridge, and always lead people to a closer encounter and friendship with Jesus Christ, who offers us the fulfillment of all our deepest desires," he said.

FR. ERIC KUNZ

Rev. Mr. Kunz, 27, is the son of Beverly Kunz-Straatmann of Union. His home parish is Immaculate Conception in Union.

He attended Immaculate Conception School in Union and Our Lady of Lourdes School and St. Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University.

He served his supervised ministry at St. Alban Roe Parish in Wildwood and Queen of All Saints Parish in Oakville. His transitional diaconate assignment was at St. John the Baptist Parish in South St. Louis.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at Immaculate Conception Church, 100 N. Washington Ave. in Union. Father Joseph Havrilka will be the homilist. A reception will be held at the parish following Mass.

Discussing his vocation, Rev. Mr. Kunz said, "I believe that when a person is called to the sacred priesthood, he is called from the beginning of his life. Some of us are blessed to hear that call earlier than others. I heard the Lord calling me at a very early age when I was in grade school at Immaculate Conception." He continued to hear that call throughout his school years.

"I have had many great priestly examples along the way. From all of them, I have learned that for a priest to be a good priest, he must be a holy priest. It does not matter so much if he is a great preacher or a great money manager or a great intellectual. Those are important to a degree, but most importantly of all is that he is a holy priest, a real and true friend of Jesus Christ. That will make him a good priest and that is what I hope to be," Rev. Mr. Kunz said.

FR. EDWARD NEMETH

Rev. Mr. Nemeth, 26, is the son of Diane Nemeth of St. Louis Hills and the late Edward J. Nemeth. His home parish is St. Gabriel the Archangel in St. Louis Hills.

He attended Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Bellefontaine Neighbors, CBC High School in Clayton (now located in Town and Country) and Russell High School in Ashland, Ky. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University.

He served his supervised ministry at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, St. Sabina Parish in Florissant and St. Mary’s High School in South St. Louis. As a transitional deacon he served at St. Joseph Parish in Imperial and as chaplain at S-F Boy Scout Ranch.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 25, at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church, 6303 Nottingham Ave. in St. Louis Hills. Father C. Eugene Morris will be the homilist. A reception will be held in the school gym after Mass.

Rev. Mr. Nemeth said, "I consider it a great honor to be called by God to serve as one of His priests. As His representative to the Church and the people’s representative to God, I am struck with the awesomeness of this responsibility, and I pray to be worthy of this calling.

"I look forward to being the vessel for the dispensation of God’s graces through the sacraments, especially in Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. I am thankful for all the priests and faithful who have influenced me along the way to the priesthood, especially those in the parishes in which I served and in the seminary."

FR. KEVIN SCHROEDER

Rev. Mr. Schroeder 26, is the son of Stephen and Victoria Schroeder of St. Peters. His home parish is St. Cletus in St. Charles.

After being home-schooled, he attended St. Thomas Preparatory High School Seminary in Hannibal, Mo. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University.

He served his supervised ministry at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Parish in Florissant and his transitional diaconate assignment at St. Joseph Parish in Cottleville.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at St. Cletus Church, 2705 Zumbehl Road in St. Charles. Father Brian Fischer will be the homilist. A reception will be held at the parish after Mass.

Rev. Mr. Schroeder reflected on his discernment to the priesthood, crediting first his parents for their example of faith and generosity, as well as many priests.

"My time in seminary has been very fruitful and I have learned so much since I began 11 years ago. I know that prayer is indispensable, both for personal holiness and effective ministry as a priest. My time as a deacon in Cottleville has shown me the great love the people of God have for their priests and the high expectations they have for their personal holiness.

"As a priest, I look forward to serving God’s people and investing myself in their spiritual care. I can’t wait to be assigned to a parish and dive into the many opportunities to offer Mass, hear confessions, celebrate the sacraments, promote vocations, etc. I hope to share the many blessings God has given to me, and I desire to lead people closer to Christ, who is calling us to be his friends and co-workers in the work of saving souls," he said.

FR. JAMES THEBY

Rev. Mr. Theby, 29, is the son of Stephen and Susan Theby of Chesterfield. His home parish in Incarnate Word in Chesterfield.

He attended the parish elementary school and DeSmet Jesuit High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University.

He served his supervised ministry at St. Norbert Parish in Florissant and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Oakville and served his transitional diaconate assignment at St. Francis of Assisi.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at Incarnate Word Parish, 13426 Olive Blvd. in Chesterfield. Father Edward Rice will be the homilist. A reception will be held at the parish following Mass.

Discussing his vocation to the priesthood, Rev. Mr. Theby said, "Since I was in high school at DeSmet and got involved in Life Teen at Incarnate Word, I felt called to service in the Church. The examples of many holy priests, the encouragement of family and friends, and prayerful discernment before the Blessed Sacrament led me to choose this vocation as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

"I am looking forward to serving God as a priest, especially in preaching the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments. It will truly be a privilege to serve people and to be there with them at the most important times in their lives," he said.

FR. NOAH WALDMAN

Rev. Mr. Waldman, 39, is the son of Nancy Waldman of West Des Moines, Iowa, and the late Barry Waldman. His home parish is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

He attended Rydal Elementary School in Meadowbrook, Pa., and Abington High School in Abington, Pa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture at Princeton University in New Jersey and a master’s degree in architecture at Notre Dame University in Indiana.

He served his supervised ministry at St. Ferdinand Parish in Florissant and St. Peter Parish in Kirkwood and was a transitional deacon at St. Clement of Rome Parish in Des Peres.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at St. Clement of Rome Church, 1510 Bopp Road in Des Peres. Concelebrants will include Msgr. James Pieper, Msgr. Robert McCarthy, Father John Johnson and Father John Hunthausen, SJ. Father Johnson will be the homilist. A reception will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the church hall.

Rev. Mr. Waldman described his faith journey to the priesthood as "atypical," because he was raised in a Jewish home and has attended three Catholic seminaries.

"By my ordination, I will have spent nearly 10 years in seminary. My seminary years have been rewarding, but in many ways very difficult, but I cherish all the difficulties I have encountered, since they have made me a more faithful and humble man, one who is much more reliant on the Lord."

He continued, "As you might imagine, my Jewish mother was not exactly thrilled to have her only son become a Catholic priest. However, she has seen the happiness I have experienced in my vocation thus far; and she has also experienced my own increase in love and appreciation for her. And because of these, she and the rest of my family have grown in understanding and appreciating my vocation. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

He spoke with fondness of his diaconate service, saying, "I have cherished this time at St. Clement of Rome, and despite the great joy of my ordination day, it will be marked by some sadness, since it will also signify the end of my assignment there. Many of the members of the parish community have been dealt great sufferings — sickness and tragedy — over the years, and I have seen with my own eyes how these men and women have responded with great faith.

Also the pastor, Msgr. Pieper, has shown me by example how to be a good and holy pastor."

"El Paso diocese will ordain 15 deacons"

From El Paso Times
By María Cortés González / El Paso Times
05/09/2008

Juan Manuel Alvarez will be ordained a deacon May 31. (Courtesy of Juan Manuel Alvarez)For the first time in more than 25 years, the El Paso Catholic Diocese will be ordaining 15 deacons -- fulfilling a role in the Catholic church that dates back to the Bible.
The men, who come from a variety of backgrounds including education, engineering and law, will be ordained at a Mass on May 31 at St. Raphael Catholic Church on the East Side. Bishop Armando X. Ochoa will lead the 10 a.m. service.

The Rev. John Stowe, spokesman for the diocese, said the new deacons would be a "great blessing" to the parishes they will serve.

"They will assist with sacramental, charitable and catechetical ministries, depending on the needs of their particular parish," he said. "Deacons are able to baptize, witness weddings and conduct funeral rites, which will be a great help for many of their pastors."

Leaders in the diocese are proud of the training the deacons received. The 15 were carefully selected from a pool of about 100 applicants.

"They have gone through a thorough formation program of four years, and their wives have been part of that program as well," Stowe said.

He added, "Because it has been many years since we had an ordination to the permanent diaconate, there was a great deal of interest when the formation began four years ago. Many men are not aware of how much time the preparation takes or how much service they are expected to give; still, there were a good number of applicants for the program."

The diaconate program consisted of four years of preparation --
one year of pastoral training and three years of academic studies including moral theology, the history of the church, liturgy and the sacraments and the Old and New Testaments.
Sister Marie Vianney Bilgrien, of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, said the deacons are not necessarily being seen as the answer to the priest shortage in the Catholic church.

Instead, she said, the new deacons are bringing back an ancient tradition.

"It's actually found in Acts (of the Apostles), Chapter 6, where

Carlos E. Rubio, pictured with Norma Lujan, will be ordained a deacon and serve at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. (Times file photo.)people began to grumble that people weren't being taken care of. And so the apostles picked seven men to feed the hungry and take care of the widows," said Bilgrien, coordinator of pastoral studies at Tepeyac Institute.
The deacons will be the "eyes and ears" of the bishop and help take care of the needs of people, she said.

Juan Manuel Alvarez, who will be ordained and serves at St. Pius X Catholic Church, said he was tentative when he first entered the program four years ago.

"When I started, it was like, 'Let's see how it goes and living day by day,' " he said.

Now he is ready to serve God by living by what Matthew said in the gospel -- to help the sick and feed the poor.

"I feel strong and I'm ready to serve God and am confident in all that I have learned," he said. "It's a great opportunity to share my faith with all people and share that responsibility that we have as Christians. We need to love one another like Jesus loves us."

Carlos E. Rubio, another deacon who serves in the Our Lady of the Valley parish, said he is ready to see his responsibilities increase. Before he entered the program, he was already heavily involved in the church in various programs, including the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

"This is a calling for me, and I feel that I have a certain responsibility to the church, which is good," he said. "We do better when we have a complete commitment to do something."

Deacon Jim Szostek, who was ordained in 1978, said it will be a balancing act for the new deacons to serve God, as well as to be husbands, fathers and professionals.

And he is the first to acknowledge he has no idea how many hours he spends at St. Pius versus his home or his business, Jolly Jim's at Bassett Center.

"It is just part of my lifestyle. I do all of those things -- being a family breadwinner, husband and vocation ministry -- all at the same time."

But he is as firm in his enjoyment of that busy life style as he is of his faith.

"It just gives true meaning to life -- and I feel that the community is like my second family," he said.

"Three seminarians to be ordained transitional deacons"

From The Catholic Key

By Marty Denzer

KANSAS CITY - Three seminarians will be ordained "transitional deacons," on May 17, one year before their ordinations to the priesthood.
Christian Malewski, 29, decided he wanted to become a priest because "I truly felt that this was what God was calling me to.

"There was much initial resistance on my part," he wrote in an e-mail from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, where he is in his third year of Theology studies. Prayer brought a sense of clarity and the feeling that there was a genuine need in the Church for more priests and the priesthood would be a great way to be of help to others, he wrote.

A member of St. James Parish in St. Joseph, Malewski received a bachelor's of history from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., and studied pre-Theology at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Mo. He chose Kenrick-Glennon for his Theology studies because of its reputation for solid priestly formation. It is also fairly close to home, which is important to him.

Malewski hopes to eventually "become just a simple parish priest". He is interested in fostering holiness within families and parishes provide unique opportunities to interact closely with families, he wrote.

For Duc Nguyen, 39, the story of his call to the priesthood goes back to his family's escape from Vietnam.

"I remember those who helped us on the boats," he wrote in an e-mail from Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., where he is in his third year.

"I don't know whether they were priests or seminarians, but definitely they were leaders in the faith and they were very heroic. I remember they used to organize us to pray the rosary on the boats and afterwards in the refugee camps. We would get up and pray the rosary together and sign hymns to the Blessed Mother together as we were escaping Vietnam."

After they arrived in the United States, Nguyen remembered that the priests who had come over from Vietnam were like Moses for them, caring for the Vietnamese people when they arrived - their material needs, but especially their spiritual needs. For Nguyen, that was most important. "I saw them as real leaders of God's people, and from there true happiness came. I remember when I was small we had a lot of tradition of priests, and thinking of them as I was growing up were probably the happiest moments of my life."

Nguyen hopes and dreams of offering his life to help others have the joy of seeing God face to face in heaven.

Angelo Bartulica, 34, is the fourth of five children born to Croatian immigrants Nicholas and Bozica Bartulica. A member of St. James parish in St. Joseph, Bartulica at first hoped to pursue a career in federal law enforcement. But God was calling me to the priesthood, he wrote in an e-mail from Mundelein Seminary near Chicago where he is in his fourth year of Theology.

He attended Conception Seminary College for pre-Theology, and then chose Mundelein Seminary. When he entered seminary, he wrote, the choice was between Mundelein and St. Meinrad in Indiana for Theology. St. Meinrad is a Benedictine-run seminary, so Bartulica chose Mundelein, which is run by the Archdiocese of Chicago, in order to broaden his formational experience.

Bartulica hopes that as "a deacon and eventually as a priest, I may effectively spread the Gospel message and lead people to a more intimate relationship with Christ through his church. My dream is that there be an end to the divisions between Christian denominations and that one day all the people in the world will embrace the Catholic faith."

The three seminarians will be ordained transitional deacons at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in St. Joseph on May 17.

Pope John Paul II inspires local man to "go for it"

From The Sault Star - Ontario, CA

If Vince Fiore had any doubts that he was being called to the priesthood, they ended when he saw Pope John Paul at World Youth Day in 2002.

The Sault Ste. Marie man attended a papal mass at Downsview Park, in Toronto’s north end. An estimated 800,000 people were there, but the St. Mary’s College graduate felt the Holy Father directed his homily straight at his heart.

“Do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the cross,” he said.

That’s all Fiore needed to hear.

“I thought, ‘All right, no more hesitating. I’m going to go for it,’” he said.

“Now here I am.”

Jean-Louis Plouffe, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, will ordain Fiore on Friday at St. Gregory’s Catholic church.

Fiore, 35, is the first Sault man to be ordained in more than a decade.

“It is my way of saying, ‘I love you, Jesus. I am totally yours,’” said Fiore.

“Becoming a priest is an expression of my love for the one who spared nothing by laying down his own life for love of me.”

His interest in religious life is long-standing. The oldest child of Agostino and Linda Fiore remembers ‘playing mass’ in his room as a youngster.

By the time he was a teenager, Fiore considered “the more popular expectation” of getting a job, marrying and starting a family.

He studied business at Lake Superior State University and University of Windsor for three years, thinking he’d become an entrepreneur and open his own business. But his choice of study wasn’t for him.

Fiore returned to Sault Ste. Marie and worked at Algoma Steel for about four years. By his mid-20s, he started to “ask the deeper questions in life.” Fiore returned to University of Windsor and graduated with a philosophy degree.

He worked as a support services worker with the Children’s Aid Society in Windsor before deciding to enter St. Peter’s Seminary in London in 2003 to see if the priesthood was, in fact, for him.

“I needed to be with people who could help me understand if this call is a genuine or authentic call,” said Fiore.

His “strong inclination” that he would become a priest was confirmed after a pastoral internship at Our Lady of Hope parish in Sudbury, starting in 2005.

“I wanted to really get my feet wet, immerse myself in the experience with the people of God,” said Fiore.

His responsibilities included starting a parish youth group, preaching and giving communion to the sick in hospital.

The practical experience was rewarding for Fiore. Feedback from parishioners encouraged him that he finally had found his right vocation.

“I was affirmed in that by the people . . . that I would do well as a priest,” he said. “I felt comfortable in that context. It was something that fit.”

He expects 200 family and friends and as many as 60 priests from the diocese to attend his ordination at his home parish. Fiore will celebrate his first mass Saturday at 5 p.m.

Plouffe has yet to decide where Fiore will be posted, but it’s likely he will assist another pastor who has a parish.

“It’s good to be ordained, but then the priesthood has to grow on you,” said Plouffe.

Fiore is ready to go wherever he’s needed. He’s fluent in Italian and knows enough French “to get by.”

“I’m looking forward to being that expression of God’s love to his people, being that friend, that warm embrace,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to growing and maturing into the vocation.

“I’m looking forward ultimately to be a shepherd of God’s people and to ultimately lead souls to God the father — with his help, of course.”

His ordinaton comes at a challenging time for the Catholic church.

Parishes throughout the country are being closed because of a lack of priests, slumping attendance and tightened finances.

When the Pope made his first visit to the United States earlier this month, he apologized to victims of sexual abuse by priests.

Fiore isn’t deterred.

“To me, to be a priest in these days is actually an exciting concept,” he said.

Fiore wants to use his role as a priest to encourage other men to seriously consider a religious vocation.

“If it’s a call, we have to think of the one who is calling,” he said. “There’s an inherent dignity in this call. That merits some degree of attention on our part.”

With his ordination just days away, Fiore acknowledges he’s “in a very good space,” nearly 30 years after he first used a towel as a vestment as he pretended to act out a priest’s actions during mass.

“I feel like I’m going to be ordained into what I was born to do,” he said.

“Nothing in the world I found could be more fulfilling than that.”

Fiore is one of five men from St. Peter’s Seminary who will be ordained. He is the only one from Northern Ontario.

Jack Goldie was the last Sault man to be ordained. The retired Algoma Steel electrician became a priest in 1995. He has since retired.

Trevor Scarfone, ordained in 1994, is serving in Sturgeon Falls and Garden Village.

"The Meaning of Priest"

From Vatican Radio

(26 Apr 08 - RV)As Pope Benedict prepares to ordain 29 men to the priesthood for the diocese of Rome, we take a look at what it takes to be a priest, according to the Holy Father:

It has become a yearly tradition, this ceremony where Pope Benedict XVI, in his role as Bishop of Rome, bestows the sacrament of Holy Orders on a group of men from his own Diocese.

The group counts 29 deacons, students at Rome’s Major seminary in St John Lateran, on the south side of the Tiber, but not all of them are Italians. Among them, there is also a Haitian, three young South Americans, from Chile Colombia and Paraguay, a French man, a deacon from Kerala India and a deacon from Baghdad in Iraq. Underscoring the universality of the Church of Rome.

On Sunday they will prostrate themselves before Pope Benedict XVI above the tomb of St Peter’s and promise to dedicate their lives to serving the people of God, his Church and the Gospel. They will promise their loyalty to fellow priests and obedience to their Bishop, the Pope.

The annual celebration of this sacrament has become a focal point for many young seminarians worldwide. Because it is on this occasion, that Pope Benedict XVI returns to one of the recurring themes of his Pontificate to date. What it means to be a priest. Just a few examples.

In celebrating the Chrism mass this Holy Thursday Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the mission to Priesthood. Putting it quite simply he said; “Two functions, define the essence of the ministerial priesthood: "to stand in God’s presence and serve Him”. During that homily Pope Benedict also indicated some necessary qualities in candidates, he said “the priest must be an upright person, vigilant, fearless and prepared to sustain even offences for the Lord”.

In his recent trip to the United States, he also frequently returned to the issue of the Priesthood, in particular to priestly formation and vocations. In the National Shrine in Washington he told US bishops that filling seminaries cannot take precedence over the quality of candidates. On th eplane on the way to the US capital he had told journalists “it is more important to have good priests than many priests”.

He also told young Americans gathered in the Yankee Stadium, to open their hearts to the Lord's call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life,"

But for many Pope Benedict’s most moving and encouraging message for those young men in seminaries across the world today was delivered on the green meadow of St Josephs Seminary Yonkers, New York.

“The People of God look to you to be holy priests, on a daily journey of conversion, inspiring in others the desire to enter more deeply into the ecclesial life of believers. I urge you to deepen your friendship with Jesus the Good Shepherd. Talk heart to heart with him. Reject any temptation to ostentation, careerism, or conceit. Strive for a pattern of life truly marked by charity, chastity and humility, in imitation of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, of whom you are to become living icons”.

AUDIO FILE: News report from Vatican Radio about the "Meaning of Priest" - Click HERE.

Pope Benedict XVI - Homily at Ordination Mass for 29 Priests at St. Peter's

From Vatican Radio

(27 Apr 08 - RV) On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI presided over the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Orders for 29 young men. Below we publsh a provisional Vatican Radio translation of the Homily, delivered by the Holy Father:

Brothers and sisters,

Today in a very special way the words in Isaiah chapter 9 “You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing” are realised for us. In fact, the joy of celebrating the Eucharist on the Lord ’s Day, is united with the exultance of Easter time on this the sixth Sunday of Easter, and above all by the feast of celebrating the ordination of these news priests. Together with you I wish to warmly greet these 29 deacons who will shortly be ordained presbyteries. I express my gratitude to all who have contributed to their journey of preparation and I invite you all to give thanks to the Lord for this gift of these new pastors to the Church. Let us give them our support through our intense prayer during this celebration, in a spirit of fervent praise of the Father who has called them, the Son who has drawn them to Him, and the Spirit who has formed them. Usually the ordination of new priests takes place on the fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, which is also world day of prayer for vocations, but this year it was not possible because I was preparing for my journey to the United States of America. The icon of the Good Shepherd, more than ever, is one which highlights the role of ministers to the priesthood within the Christian community. But even the Bible passages which are offered to us for reflection by the Liturgy today illuminate the mission of the priest.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles narrates the mission of Philipp of Samaria. I wish to draw our attention to the phrase which closes the first part of the text: “There was great joy in that city”. This expression does not communicate a theological concept, or idea, but refers to an event; something has changed in the life of these people: in that city of Samaria, during the period of persecution of the Church of Jerusalem, something has taken place that has caused “great joy”. So what has happened? The sacred author narrates that, in order to flee the persecution that had broken out against all those who had converted to Christianity, all of the disciples, with the exception of the Apostles, abandon the holy city and fled into the surrounding areas. From this painful event, a new impulse to spread the Gospel is mysteriously and providentially born. Among those who had fled, was also Philipp, one of the seven deacons of the community, a deacon like you, my dear ordinates, even if in a different way, because during the unrepeatable season of the birth of the Church, the Apostles and deacons were gifted with an extraordinary power by the Holy Spirit both in preaching and in action. Now it is that the people of the city of Samaria, welcome the unanimously Philipp’s’ call and thanks to their adhesion to the Gospel, he was able to heal many sick. In that city of Samaria, traditionally despised and almost excommunicated by the Jews, the call of Christ’s Gospel resounds, opening the hearts of all those who listen to a great joy. That is why – ask St Luke writes – there was great joy in that city.

My dear friends, this is also your mission: bring the Gospel to all; so that all may experience the joy of Christ and that there may be great Joy in every city. What could be more beautiful than this? What could be greater, what could create greater enthusiasm, than cooperating to spread the Word of Life, to communicate the living water of the Holy Spirit? Announce and witness this joy: this is the very heart of your mission, my dear deacons who will soon be priests. The apostle Paul calls the ministers of the Gospel “servants of joy”. In his second letter he writes to the Christians of Corinth: “Not that we lord it over your faith; rather, we work together for your joy, for you stand firm in the faith”. These are words destined for every priest. In order to be collaborators in the joy of others, in a world that is often sad and negative, the fire of the Gospel must burn brightly within each of you, the joy of the Lord must live in you. Only then will you be messengers of this joy, only then will you bring it to all, especially those who are sad and disillusioned.

Let us return to the first reading, which offers us another element for meditation. It speaks of a prayer gathering which takes place in the Samarian city evangelised by the deacon Philipp. The Apostles Peter and John, two pillars of the Church who had come from Jerusalem to visit the new community and confirm it in its faith, preside over the meeting. Thanks to the imposition of their hands, the Holy Spirit came down on all those baptised. In this episode we see an early reference to the rite of “Confirmation”, the second sacrament of Christian initiation. For us too, gathered here today, the reference to the imposition of the hands is of great significance. It is in fact the central gesture of the rite of Holy Orders, through which I will confer upon you priestly dignity. This sign is inseparable form prayer, which is constituted by a prolonged silence. Without saying a word the consecrating Bishop, followed by the other priests who are present, poses his hands on the heads of the ordinantes, thus expressing our invocation that God infuse them with the Holy Spirit, making them participants in Christ’s priestly ministry. It is a matter of seconds, the shortest of times, but filled with an extraordinarily intense spirituality.

My dear Ordinants, in the future, you must frequently return to this moment, to this gesture which while not magic is rich in mystery, because this is the origin of your new mission. In that silent prayer two freedoms meet: the freedom of God, through the Holy Spirit and the freedom of man. The imposition of the hands expresses the specific nature of this meeting: the Church, represented by the Bishop who stands tall with his hands outstretched, who prays that the Holy Spirit consecrate the candidate; the deacon, who kneels, receiving the imposition of the hands and who entrusts himself to the mediation. The union of these gestures is important, but the invisible movement of the Spirit which it expresses is infinitely more important; a movement that is perfectly evoked by sacred silence, which embraces all, internally and externally.

We find this mysterious Trinitarian movement, which guides the Holy Sprit and the Son to dwell in the disciples, in today’s Gospel passage. Here it is Christ himself who promises to pray to the Father to send the Spirit, described here as ‘another Advocate’ down upon his followers. The first Advocate is in fact the Son made flesh, who came to defend man from the antonomastical accuser, who is Satan. In the moment in which Christ, his mission fulfilled, returns to the Lord, they send the Spirit, as Defender and consolator, so that he may always remain with the faithful, living within them. Thus, through the workings of the Son and the Holy Spirit, an intimate relationship of reciprocity is created between the Father and his disciples: Christ says “that I am in my Father, and you are in me and I in you”. All of this depends however on one condition that Christ makes at the very beginning: “If you love me”. Without love for Christ, which lies in the observance of his commandments, the faithful excludes himself from the Trinitarian movement and begins to fall back on himself, losing all capacity to receive or communicate God.

“If You Love me”. My dear friends these words were pronounced by Christ during the last supper at the moment when he instituted both the Eucharist and Priesthood. While addressed to the Apostles, in a certain way they are also addressed to all their successors and to priests, who are the closest collaborators of the Apostles successors. We hear them again today as an invitation to live our vocation to the Church more coherently: You, my dear ordinantes, hear them with particular emotion, because today Christ makes you participants in his priesthood. Gather them to you with faith and love! Allow them to press upon your heart, to accompany you along your lifelong journey. Do not forget them; do not loose them along the way! Read them over and over, mediate on them often and above all pray over them. This is how you will remain faithful to Christ’s Love and you will become aware with renewed joy how His Divine Words “will walk beside you and grow within you”.

"Dearest, here is my wish in this day so important for you. May the hope rooted in faith always and increasingly be yours! May you bear witness and be wise and generous givers, sweet and strong, respectful and confident.”