The Miracle of the Priesthood: An Ordination Story
The beauty of an Ordination Mass and the call to the priesthood
On the Vigil of Pentecost this year, I had the great blessing and privilege of attending my diocese's priestly ordination Mass. This year, the bishop ordained three men to the priesthood: Roarke (Rory), Cuong, and Daniel. My family and I have had the immense pleasure of becoming very good friends with the latter two men over the past three years, so this ordination Mass was especially significant to us.
The beautiful ordination Mass began with a procession into the church, consisting of altar server seminarians leading, then the deacons about to be ordained priests, then dozens and dozens of priests from throughout the diocese and from the ordinands’ seminaries, and then finally the bishop and two retired bishops. The organist played a very triumphant, wedding-march sounding piece as they processed in, which was especially fitting for this day. These men were about to become wedded to Christ’s Church, and this organ piece served as a beautiful reminder of this mystical marriage.
The Kyrie and Gloria were both chanted in Gregorian Chant modes, led by the cantor. The readings pertained to the priesthood, including the great promise: “Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech” (Heb 7:17 DRB). A beautiful Alleluia followed, and the Gospel was read. After the Gospel, the vocations director presented each of the ordinands to the bishop, who asked if they were found worthy. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the bishop began his beautiful homily addressed to the men about to be ordained, reminding them of their humanness and the sacredness of the office of the priesthood.
After the homily, the bishop asked the ordinands to “resolve to discharge unfailingly” the office of the priesthood. He then asked each man to promise respect and obedience to him and his successors. When they each answered, “I do,” the bishop responded, “May God Who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.”
After this, the three men lay prostrate before the altar as the Litany of Saints was chanted.
Specific mention was made of saints who have special ties to the priesthood, including numerous popes and other saints who were priests. In this way, the Church implores the intercession of all the saints in Heaven for the men about to be ordained priests.
The bishop then laid his hands on each of the three men’s heads, a tradition that has been carried on since the time of the Apostles (see Act 6:6). While the cantor chanted the Veni, Creator Spiritus, all the priests present filed across the sanctuary and laid their hands on each of the three ordinands’ heads in succession.
Countless prayers and years of discernment had led to this moment for these three men. Through trial and hardship, and even across oceans for two of them, they persevered by the grace of God. Now they knelt before His altar, where they will serve as His priests for the rest of their lives through the laying on of the bishop’s hands.
After another prayer recited by the bishop, the newly-ordained priests replaced their deacon stoles with the vestments of a priest as the cantor led a responsorial Psalm.
The bishop then anointed the three priests’ hands with chrism, consecrating them to be able to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord.
Once the priests had cleaned their hands from the chrism, they each knelt in succession before the bishop, who handed them a chalice and paten, with the words, “Receive the oblation of the holy people to be offered to God. Understand what you will do, imitate what you will celebrate, and form your life to the mystery of the Lord’s Cross.”
The bishop then embraced the newly-ordained priests, offering them the sign of peace, followed by all the priests in attendance. The Mass continued with the Offertory, with the new priests taking their places in the sanctuary behind the bishop as concelebrants. In the Canon, the bishop allowed each of them to read part of the beautiful prayer, and they spoke the words of the Consecration along with him for the first time. The new priests administered Holy Communion to the faithful. Family members, friends, strangers, parishioners, religious sisters and brothers, young people, old people – they filled the cathedral and even stood in the vestibule to attend this great Mass.
When the Mass had ended, the cantor and all the faithful joyfully sang, “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” as the newly-ordained priests processed out of the church behind the long line of priests. Their faces shone with an infectious joy, a joy only heavenly blessings can give.
The next day, Pentecost Sunday, these three priests each offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the very first time. During the Consecration, time seemed to stand still. For the first time in their lives, they pronounced the words of Christ, through which bread and wine become transubstantiated into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ Himself.
Emotion in their voices, they said the sacred words slowly and solemnly before raising the Holy Eucharist in their hands for the faithful to adore. As a server rang the bells, each priest gazed at Our Lord in his hands, marveling at the mystery that just occurred. Their lives are now completely given to Him; they have chosen to leave all behind in order to become fishers of men. Through them, God will convert sinners, soften hardened hearts, bring more souls into His sheepfold, change lives forever, and most importantly, change bread and wine into His Body and Blood.
I have been asked to also share my experiences being friends with seminarians. As St. Paul wrote, “[E]very high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Heb 5:1). Being able to see these seminarians progress on the paths of their vocations to the priesthood has beautifully demonstrated the truth of St. Paul’s words. God chooses ordinary men and calls them to something extraordinary. Though they come from different backgrounds and countries, God has called each of them to serve Him as His priests in this diocese. When the bishop laid his hands on their heads, an indelible character was imprinted on their souls, making them “priest[s] for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 109:4).
To receive the sacraments at the hands of these priests, whom I have known since they were laymen, is indescribably amazing. They are true blessings to the Church, and I am honoured to know them as well as I do.
May God bless these priests in their vocations every day of their lives through His Mother’s Immaculate Heart, and may we the faithful never cease to pray for our priests.
What a blessing -- and the photos are beautiful!