June 10, 2026 The following is Bishop Terry R. LaValley’s homily from the ordination Mass celebrated May 30 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. It’s so heart-warming, isn’t it, to see such great generosity, enthusiasm and hope in the willingness of these three young men whom the Church calls this day to be ordained priests! The Holy Father said that a secret for the life of the priest is that we must not be frightened by reality, especially these days. It is the Lord of life who calls us to live the joy of the Gospel. May the ministry entrusted to you, dear brothers, convey the peace and joy of those who know that they are safe, even amid life’s dangers. As the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah: “Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Certainly, fear of the unknown and deep sadness was experienced by those two disciples enroute to Emmaus. Michelet, Tyler and Dennis, as you begin your priestly ministry, you will find that the story of salvation is already at work in the many good deeds that are quietly carried out by so many people of goodwill in our parishes. You will soon join them as their priests and fellow travelers. In fact, your parish family will help you to become saints. Brothers, in just a few minutes you will lie prostrate before the Altar of God seeking the intercession of the saints on your behalf. You will note that I have modified somewhat the traditional list of the Litany of Saints. I have included the names of all the patron saints of our parishes in this diocese. When you hear their names, remember your responsibility and priestly privilege to pray and care for those entrusted to your pastoral care and their salvation. For your part, help the faithful to walk together, following Jesus, the Good Shepherd, so that our parishes may become places, gardens of hope-filled, resurrected, Eucharistic life, that rise anew where families, as true companions on faith’s journey, share themselves with others. People are often lacking a place where they can understand that it is better to be together, and that it is possible to just plain get along, as Rodney King once challenged Americans. Facilitating encounters, helping to bring together those who would otherwise never meet, and healing divisions is the challenge of this era. Celebrating the Mass and the Sacrament of Penance are real means of holiness and wholeness. Especially as this local Church continues to meet the challenge of pastoral planning, dear brothers, facilitate unity and be a beacon of hope for our sisters and brothers. Coming together always means planting the Church anew. “Today more than ever, when statistics seem to indicate a divide between people and the Church, keep the door open! Let people in and always be prepared to go out to meet members of your parish family. At a recent priestly ordination Pope Leo XIV told those to be ordained priests: “You are a channel, not a filter…be a reflection of Jesus’ patience and tenderness. You belong to everyone and are for everyone! Let this be the fundamental purpose of your mission: to keep the doorway open and personally direct others through it. As we heard in the Letter to the Hebrews, the high priest is able to deal patiently with the sinner because he himself is beset by weakness. St. Augustine wanted the ordained to realize they were living instruments in God’s hands. (Again – an instrument, a channel, not a filter.) Dennis, Tyler and Michelet, you are to treat your priestly responsibilities as a sacred trust, challenge yourselves to move from self-serving love to self-giving love. We pray that your motivation for priesthood is the desire to help others experience salvation and sanctification. Earn the honorable title “Father” by your continual prayer for and outreach to your parishioners. Be a good listener. It is important to listen first to the life stories of your parishioners in order to know where to begin to join them, accompany them, in their spiritual journey. Engaged in the right way, people often reveal themselves to be open, even inquisitive. So, the Church has to be willing to listen, to treat each person with respect, to exhibit appreciation for each person’s journey, and then, nourished with the Eucharist, food for the journey, to be unafraid to engage them about the way that the truths of our faith speak to their real life experience. In ordination, the priest not only becomes a living instrument of Jesus Christ but also receives a share of the Good Shepherd’s love for his flock. The priest manifests this love of Christ and grows in personal holiness precisely by preaching the Word of God, administering the sacraments and giving pastoral care to God’s holy people. When a man gives himself to Christ in ordination, our Lord pledges to give him all the graces he needs to grow in pastoral charity every day of his life. Dear brothers, it is important to understand the ever-present help of God in living out your vocation, especially since similar graces are given to Christian spouses in the sacrament of matrimony and to women and men consecrated to God through the profession of the evangelical counsels as a consecrated religious. As spiritual father of your flock, you must know and believe, you must give assurance to all that God’s grace is sovereign and always available. That’s our consolation! That’s our hope! There’s our joy! And for that, May God be praised…forever may God be praised!
|
|||||
|
|||||||||
