The Archdiocese of Washington welcomes nine new priests during Ordination Mass
Jun 21, 2015
Local
By
Zoey Maraist
On the morning of June 20, nine men dedicated their lives to serving Christ as priests during the Ordination Mass celebrated by Cardinal Donald Wuerl at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The new priests of the Archdiocese of Washington are Father Alec Scott, Father Angel Gabriel Fermín, Father Conrad Murphy, Father Daniele Rebeggiani, Father Martino Choi, Father Matthew Fish, Father Rob Maro, Father Santiago Martín and Father William Wadsworth.
In his homily, Cardinal Wuerl said the new priests are called to be “the face of God’s mercy, the perennial reflection of God’s love, to a world facing so many questions, dilemmas and challenges that ultimately find answers only in God,” he said in the homily.
The sacrament of Holy Orders appropriately takes places during a celebration of the Eucharist, said the cardinal, for it was at the Last Supper that Jesus Christ instituted the priesthood. Both the readings from Jeremiah and 1 Timothy instructed the new priests to persevere, knowing that God will be with them through it all.
In his homily, Cardinal Wuerl reminded the men that they were being ordained at a time where Catholic and religious identity is increasingly being questioned by the prevalent culture, the subject of his recent pastoral letter. “Our Catholic identity, even when challenged, should remain for us a source of conviction and pride,” he said. In addition to being a light in the darkened world, he called for the men to “always be generous to the needs of God’s people...be a blessing to the people entrusted to your care.” He especially instructed them to love the Church as Christ loves his Bride.
Then, one by one, the candidates for ordination were called up to Cardinal Wuerl, placed their hands in his and promised obedience to him and all his successors. To unite both the Church in heaven and on earth, the congregation then sang the litany of the saints and angels, praying for their intercession on behalf of the men, who were lying prostrate on the ground to symbolize Christ's words “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord,” noted the cardinal.
Then in an act of apostolic origin, Cardinal Wuerl laid hands on each candidate’s head, the essential act of ordination, as a sign that the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them and each is configured to Christ as head of his Church. The more than 100 concelebrating priests from the archdiocese also laid hands on the heads of the new priests. After a fellow priest of their choosing vested the new priests with a stole and a chasuble, the cardinal anointed them with oil, as the prophet Samuel anointed King David in the Old Testament. Family members of the new priests, primarily their parents, then brought the gifts up to the altar. With the cardinal’s blessing, the men offered their first priestly blessing, saying and gesturing in unison: “In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” to the joyful applause of the congregation.
After the Ordination Mass, the new priests processed out of the upper church to the crypt level of the basilica to bless their waiting friends and family members. The sound of chatter and the loud music of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary Choir, voices joined by drums, a recorder, violin and other instruments, filled the space. Like many of the parents, Deacon Chang Choi, the father of newly ordained Father Martino Choi, was surrounded by well-wishers waiting to shake his hand. His own ordination to the diaconate took place 11 years ago. “I’m excited and so happy that finally he got to this point,” he said of his son.
Friends from the new priests’ parishes also came to receive their blessing, like Luis and Lourdes Rivera, who came to see Father Santiago Martín, whom they know from St. Thomas More Parish in Washington. Luis said that Father Santiago has been a good friend to him in the 10 years he has been in the area. “He’s been sincere, saying his troubles, temptations,” said Luis Rivera, who is grateful that through it all Father Santiago stayed true to his vocation. “God is faithful,” he said.
The Riveras also know Father Angel Gabriel Fermín and Father Daniele Rebeggiani through their involvement in the Neocatechumenal Way, a Catholic movement dedicated to family faith formation, which they have been a part of for over 25 years. “The happiness of me and my husband is doing the will of God—not our will,” said Lourdes Rivera. The couple has 14 children, seven boys and seven girls, some of whom they hope will be called to the priesthood or religious life. “I wish in my heart one day that God takes one of my children. I say, ‘God, these are your children, not my children,’” she said.