Two Men to be Ordained to the Priesthood

From this week's Catholic Telegraph, bios of the two men to be ordained on Saturday.

ARCHDIOCESE — God calls men to the priesthood at different times in their lives. Some begin discerning the call while still in their teens. Others embark on different careers before they begin priestly formation.

This year two men are being ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. One heard God’s call early and entered college seminary straight out of high school. The other spent a year in medical school before following his true vocation.

They will be ordained by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr May 20, 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.

Deacon Robert Muhlenkamp

Growing up the third of six boys in a Catholic family on a dairy farm in Coldwater, Deacon Robert Muhlenkamp thought he would someday be married with a family of his own.

"All through high school I always looked up to my parents, my aunts and uncles, so I thought the best way to serve God is to raise a family and bring them up in the faith and teach them to love God," he said. "It wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I started thinking about the priesthood."

Deacon Timothy Ralston

Timothy Ralston was a ninth-grade Mass server at St. George Parish in Georgetown when the pastor at the time, Father Earl Metz, first suggested that he should think about becoming a priest.

A religious formation teacher at the parish made a similar suggestion, but the high school student didn't embrace the idea.

"I don’t remember really saying much in response to it," Deacon Ralston said. "It was something that I decided I didn’t want for myself, and I definitely didn’t want to talk about it with anybody.

“I basically said, ‘If you want me to do this, Lord, I’ll do it but only because you want me to do it. I don’t want it for myself. I want you to give me something else.’

Read the rest here.

Baby Priests

Fr. V at Adam's Ale posts on the ordinations in the Diocese of Cleveland over the past weekend, including his newly ordained cousin's first run through of the Institution Narrative.

Yep, that first time, when you realize that the words you are saying are not your words, but His. And by 'His,' I mean 'HIS!' You know Him, Lord and Savior, Creator of the Universe, Son of Mary, Son of God, True God and True Man; yep, that's the one.

Now, for the first time, I say these words aloud for all to hear and He is Present. chills doesn't describe.

Our Ordinands (along with three brothers from the Diocese of Toledo with whom they've spent the last five years of formation with) are currently on their pre-ordination canonical retreat, in silence, in prayer, ready to accept such a wonderous and awesome responsibility. Please pray for them.

As added stress, they were informed of their assignments at the beginning of their retreat. But b/c of the silence necessitated by the environs, the assignments have not yet been made public. That's a stressor. You are all excited about it, and then have to shut it for five days! I would explode.

I'm sure the news will come out shortly, so also pray for the assignments and pastors of these new priests. What a grace filled and joyous time.

Deacon Ordination today

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West joyfully celebrate the ordination of three men to the transitional diaconate: Timothy Ralston of St. Michael's in Georgetown and Robert Muhlenkamp of Holy Trinity in Coldwater for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Matthew Rader for the Diocese of Toledo; Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr will preside at the 11:00 Rite of Ordination at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral.

Please keep these men, and Deacon Kevin Kahmann of the Diocese of Covington, in your prayers over their last year of study and formation for the priesthood.

A different approach,

same conclusion:

A Sociologist on Women's Ordination from Inside Catholic

For if women were to be ordained, they would soon -- within 50 years, I'd guess -- become overwhelmingly predominant in the priesthood. Female priests would outnumber male priests by ten or 20 to one, if not more. Catholicism would be perceived, and correctly so, not just as a "feminine" religion but as a female religion. Males would pretty much abandon it.

Ordinations!

This weekend is always a special weekend. Three 'baby priests' will be floating around the diocese causing astir and being the celebrity, at least for the weekend!

Pray for Jason Bedel, Ryan Ruiz, and Ed Pratt in their last 24 hours as 'mere' deacons!

Three Prepare for Priestly Ordination

This week's Catholic Telegraph, local paper for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, features the annual 'intro' on the men being ordained to the priesthood. This year's candidates are: Deacons Jason Bedel, Ryan Ruiz, and Edward Pratt. As mentioned earlier, all three are fourth degree Knights of Columbus, highlighting the great work that the Knights do to promote vocations and the Culture of Life.

Of a particular joy in my situation is the ordination of Ryan Ruiz, as he's the first ordinand in the last four years to be in his twenties, and therefore also younger than me! I greatly look forward to passing on the 'Baby Priest Trophy' to Fr. Ruiz in a week's time, good riddance!

All three of these men are holy, prayerful, and committed to serving Our Lord as priests well into the future. Please pray for them as the embark on their pre-ordination retreat today through Wednesday.

(Inquiring minds want to know, how did Brad Watkins beat me to this story?!?!? He's in North Carolina, after all!)

Rite of Ordination of a Deacon

Considering we had ten men ordained as deacons this past weekend, I found the Rite of Ordination of a Deacon online. This whole interweb thing is great, eh?

As I imagine that married couples remember their wedding day when they attend a wedding; so does attending an ordination bring back memories of my own ordination.

A few things stick out in my mind of the day I became a cleric for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

First, I was the only one of the seven ordained that day (an eighth joined us later that year) who wore an off-white alb. I had several people ask if we were all seminarians since my alb was different. My quip back was "Oh, yeah, we are, it's just that I am a little off color!" The looks turned even stranger after that.

Secondly, I was going back to preach at the parish where I interned during seminary for the weekend. A few weeks earlier, Fr. Tim (my pastor) asked me if I wanted to jump in with both feet; as there was a baptism of twins at the 4:30 Mass that same day. Hey, that's pretty cool, I'm a twin so why not also baptize a set of twins for my first baptisms?!? That was great fun, and a real honor. The next weekend began the onslaught of family functions as I think I got one of my nieces, but I can't remember which one, Elizabeth, maybe?

It is great to see the guys so happy and excited the morning before the ordination; 'bouncing off walls' seems to be the most apt description. Please keep them in your prayers, as well as the three men being ordained in less than three weeks now.

Deacon Ordinations

Today, at St. Peter in Chains, ten men will be ordained as Transitional Deacons for service to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Toledo.

I recently was asked the question as to if all priests were first ordained deacons, to which I gave a strong affirmative!

Why?

First, the Diaconate is about service. The deacon assists the priest (or bishop) at Mass, proclaiming the Gospel and preparing the gifts at the altar are his primary duties. He also leads the Prayers of the Faithful (Intercessions). All of these roles show that he is to be a man in and among the people; bringing the needs of the faithful with him to the altar and placing their concerns and prayers along with the gifts that the priest can offer them to the Father in the Eucharistic Prayer.

Finally, what's the difference between a Transitional Deacon and a Permanent Deacon? In form and function, not much. They serve in the same roles liturgically, so the faithful will notice much difference between them.

However, in the Archdiocese, there are some practical differences. First among them, transitional deacons automatically have faculties to preach, which permanent deacons must do a bit more schooling to be granted. Also, transitional deacons are permitted to wear clerical attire, whereas permanent deacons are not.

Other than that, much else is the same.

Remember, pray for priests, seminarians, and those ten who will be ordained this day; as well as the three who will be ordained priests in May.

Sacerdotal Tepidity and Ministerial Malaise

Fr. John Trigilio, author of John Paul for Dummies, has posted on his blog a great article warning priests of getting lazy, of neglecting their spiritual life and focuses solely on 'Priest as CEO' model of parish leadership. It is a worthwhile read for priests and seminarians, as well as laity for understanding a good and healthy model of priesthood in the Church today:

One of the most immanent yet diabolically latent threats to the priesthood is not the recent clergy sex scandals nor the alleged vocation crisis. The real, critical and urgent danger to many priests, whether young, old or middle-aged, is business. The current paradigm many parishes and dioceses use is a corporate business model in which the priest (or deacon; pastor or parochial vicar) defines his identity in what he does and not in what he is. Doing things, i.e., performing tasks, becomes the primary directive after ordination and it is the measure by which priests are evaluated by their superiors, their peers, their parishioners and even by themselves.

Grateful for Gifts Received

I was honored to be asked by Archbishop Pilarczyk to submit an article for his Grateful Believers series in the Catholic Telegraph. My submission appears in this week's CT and can be found over at the Seminarian Blog:

You learn very quickly as a priest that your life is one of gratitude; after all, your way of life is supported by the generosity of others. However, you also begin to realize that the call to be a priest is not only one that you do not deserve, but is also one that has been freely given by God, so that you, as a priest, may serve Him more completely.


As a side note, there are also two great articles on Priest Chaplains in the Army. A retired Army friend of mine is always quick to point out that the only chaplains who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor were Catholic Priests, as they gave their life for their men and women. We've had a number of priests from the Archdiocese who have served as Chaplains, and they certainly come back changed and invigorated by their time with America's service men and women.

For a list of the four Catholic Chaplains who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, see here.

God Bless to all of our military chaplains, as well as to all of our soldiers!

I can only imagine

what would happen if pastors and dioceses put as much effort into calling forth candidates for the priesthood and religious life.

Rocco reports on the ordination of 60 men to the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of LA. While I am sure it was certainly a joyous and faith filled event, I can't help but wonder if they put even half the energy into candidates for the priesthood what might happen.

Pastors were invited to identify and recommend deacon candidates, "all of whom were actively involved in their parishes," said Father Quihuis.

Why not do the same for candidates for the priesthood? Every year?

Ordination to the Priesthood

Appearing in this week’s edition of the Catholic Telegraph:

As I mentioned in my last article, the Ordination of Priests is a unique and special event in the life of a diocese. As a priest, and now as Vocation Director, it is an even more unique event as men that I have worked with are presented before the Archbishop to take a unique role of service and leadership in the Church. While the entire ceremony is of special value, I want to focus on three sections of the Ordination Mass: the calling of the candidates, the Litany of Saints, and the Laying on of Hands.

Before a candidate is ordained, he is called forward by the deacon and presented to the Archbishop by the rector of the seminary. At priesthood ordination, he sits in the sanctuary of the Cathedral before this call. The better version of this actually happens at the Ordination of Deacons, where the candidates sit with their families up to this section, which immediately follows the Proclamation of the Gospel. By doing so, the Church shows that formation for the priesthood begins long before a candidate even enters the seminary. He is shaped by the experiences he had growing up in a loving Christian family, where God was already molding this candidate. By sitting with his family, the candidate also says thanks for the gifts that he has received from them. He is still a part of that family, but now he will be part of much larger family as well.

After the candidate is called forward and questioned by the ordaining bishop; this larger family comes to the forefront during the Litany of the Saints. The men being ordained submit themselves and lay prostrate before the altar of God in a profound sign of humility. Before they lay down, they are just other men; when they rise, they are priests. They have left their own ambitions at the foot of the altar and have taken on the mantle of Christ. If they were doing this on their own, it would be impossible. But as we hear these many saints, men and women who have gone before us and earned the Crown of Victory, we realize that there are many paths to holiness. We realize that many before us have walked this road, and they are still present to be a guide and model for us today. Whenever I talk to someone immediately after their first time attending an Ordination Mass, this is nearly always the most profound aspect of their experience. It helps us all to realize that we are never alone. The saints are present here as our guides and teachers.

A further sign of the connection that a new priest has in the community comes with the Laying on of Hands. This is the ancient symbol used to confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders, as is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. In the Ordination of Priests, it is not just the ordaining bishop who lays his hands on the newly formed priests, all the priests present also confer this sign to their new brothers. As I stood watching my brother priests conferring this wonderful sign on our new brothers, I was struck by how each priest passes on a unique gift, a unique aspect of the priesthood to the newly ordained: a gift of healing, a gift of preaching, a gift for administration, one for compassion, etc. Priests are not homogenized, ‘one size fits all’ units, each priest has his own way of showing Christ’s presence in the world.

Looking back on the three men just ordained, and looking forward to many more in the coming years, I truly feel that the Mass of Ordination of Priests is something that every Catholic should experience at least once in their life. In the life of a diocese, this Mass is a unique sign of hope in the future, a sign of the vitality of the local church, and most of all a ceremony that is rife with joy, as we send three new priests into the vineyards of the Lord.

For more information on the priesthood and seminary, please visit Vocation Office Webpage.

A study in contrasts

Always a great weekend, when we celebrate Ordinations and three new priests unleashed on the Archdiocese. As always, the Rite of Ordination is an uplifting and joyous event for all who attend. (It should be on every Catholic's 100 things to do before I die list.)

I was honored that I was the first to Impose Hands after Archbishop, and to welcome the new priests to our order. All three really seemed to enjoy the day imensely. (Remembering back three years from tomorrow, I think my feet barely touched the ground all weekend!)

Sunday morning was Fr. McCarthy's Mass of Thanksgiving at the 8:30 at the Cathedral, and smells and bells was the order for the day. Everything was very traditional, as was expected from this new Father, even down to his vestments. He managed to make it through his first solo run (well, with a little back-up) without sending anyone to the hospital. (One definition of a good liturgy, and something not every priest can claim about his first Mass.)

The afternoon brought a short jaunt over to St. Joseph's for a much different celebration in Fr. Rey Taylor's Mass of Thanksgiving. The Spirit was making His presence felt a week early, as there were many 'Amen's thrown out from the congregation. The whole event was a good testimony to the African American Catholic Community, and one that was long overdue. My hope is that it is not another 33 years before St. Joe's welcomes a native son home to celebrate the Eucharist for the first time as a priest. (That's much too long in any parish, not just St. Joe's!)

(One last 'First Mass' to go for me, with Fr. Ron Haft next weekend at St. Antoninus, his internship parish.)

All in all, a lovely weekend, but the grind hit this morning as I finished up the paperwork and sent the files for these three out of my office. It was a good feeling to pass them along to Priest Personal and Priestly Formation offices. Congrats to St. Max, St. Charles Borromeo and St. Peter in welcoming them to their first assignments. It is a unique and special thing to help a 'Baby Priest' to transition from Seminarian to Pastor, be kind to them; but challenge them to grow into the priest that Jesus needs them to be.