Ordination
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May 18, 2023This weekend, our Church was given the honor to once again host our Diocese’s Ordination to the Priesthood. Seven deacons were ordained to the Priesthood. I want to take this opportunity to share some things about this important Sacrament in the Church, as indicated in the USCCB website.
Ordination is the sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a deacon, priest, or bishop and enabled to minister in Christ's name and that of the Church. The ordination ceremony includes various rituals, rich in meaning and history, but the essential rite of the sacrament is the laying on of hands and prayer of consecration. By this ritual, the ordaining bishop and the other priests invoke the Holy Spirit to come down upon the one to be ordained, giving him a sacred character and setting him apart for the designated ministry.
Other special elements in the rite include prostration, anointing of hands, and giving of the chalice and paten. The ordinand lies prostrate to symbolize his unworthiness for the office to be assumed and his dependence upon God and the prayers of the Christian community. The anointing of the hands signifies that the hands of the newly ordained priest are being prepared for the sacred duties, e.g., offering the bread and the wine, anointing the sick and blessing people. The bishop says as he anoints the hands: “The Father anointed our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. May Jesus preserve you to sanctify the Christian people and to offer sacrifice to God.” Finally, the ordaining bishop hands the ordinand a chalice and paten to highlight the importance of celebrating the Eucharist in the life of the priest and its meaning, as seen in the words which are spoken by the bishop: “Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing, and imitate the mystery you celebrate; model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”
How does one prepare for ordination to the priesthood? A man has to engage in a challenging program of priestly formation which lasts from five to thirteen years, depending upon his background and the seminary he attends. Seminaries address four types of formation: human, spiritual, academic (intellectual) and pastoral.
In addition to the academic course work, seminarians participate in a full schedule of spiritual activities, e.g., daily mass, Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer), and spiritual direction and retreats. At each level of seminary training, the seminarian prepares for future pastoral ministry in various settings, such as schools, religious education programs, hospitals, prisons and parishes. All of the formation takes into consideration the human person; human growth and development is fostered by community living, workshops and other programs. The formation of future priests includes practical learning, too, for example, preaching, presiding at Mass and pastoral counseling.
While this may sound so rigorous, the process is incomparably filled with joy and grace. Let us pray that many more men may generously respond to the call of the Sacred Orders.
