If you’ve never attended a Mass for the ordination of a priest, this coming Saturday, June 27, is your chance. Deacons Mateusz Puzanowski and Vincent “Jay” Zizza will be ordained to the priesthood at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. It will be a great day for them, for their family and friends, and for our Diocese.
On arriving at the Cathedral on Saturday, you’ll sense the joyous excitement in the air. Choral preludes, bright floral arrangements, the flicker of candles and the fragrance of incense while family, friends and parishioners will greet you. The hustle and bustle of preparations will be well underway. With eager anticipation, everyone and everything awaits the grand procession that begins the celebration. So much will take place in this liturgy. Here are some highlights.
The Litany of the Saints
The Litany of the Saints expresses the unity of the entire Church—both on Earth and in Heaven—joining together to pray for the men to be ordained. United in prayer, death cannot separate the baptized. The saints are already in God’s presence; their prayers are uniquely powerful. The litany invokes special patrons of the candidates, our diocese, and the universal Church. We call on this “cloud of witnesses” to support the new priests as they begin their ministry.
We cannot trust or depend on our own efforts. What we do in this liturgy relies wholly on the Lord and generous help from heaven. We sing, and in the singing and the repetition of the refrain “Pray for us!” we implore the aid of the holy women and men of the Church. We beg the Lord’s merciful kindness and divine assistance.
Each deacon lays prostrate as a profound sign of humility, his unworthiness for this holy office, and his total surrender to God. As he rests on the floor, there are echoes of the creation of Adam. God will lift this man up from the dust refashioning him, recreating him, making him a “New Man.” We glimpse the Paschal Mystery, dying and rising. These men will be conformed to Christ.
The Laying on of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination
The Laying on of Hands is an ancient biblical gesture and is performed by the bishop in complete silence. It signifies the invocation and actual conferral of the Holy Spirit, as well as the transmission of ministerial authority. After the bishop lays hands on the candidate, all priests present do the same. This gesture is fraternal and marks the newly ordained priest’s incorporation into the presbyterate, the local college of priests.
Following the imposition of hands, the bishop prays the Prayer of Ordination. This prayer expresses in words the profound meaning of the gestures we’ve observed. It legally and spiritually binds the priest to his specific role within the three-tiered hierarchy of Holy Orders (bishop, priest, and deacon). Listen carefully to the words. God is called upon to provide “co-workers” to the bishops, mirroring how he provided helpers to Moses and Aaron in the Old Testament. The prayer confers an indelible spiritual character allowing the priest to act in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). Consecrated in truth, each man becomes a sharer in Christ’s saving mission.
The Anointing with Sacred Chrism
Sacred Chrism is a blend of olive oil and fragrant balsam. The fragrance represents the “aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15), symbolizing that the priest’s ministry must radiate holiness. The bishop applies the Sacred Chrism to the palms of the hands of the newly ordained priest, altering the purpose of his hands from ordinary secular life to sacred, divine service.
The anointing consecrates, seals, and empowers the priest’s hands for sacramental ministry. In a sense, through the anointing, the priest’s hands are claimed by God for service. The priest’s hands belong to God and must dutifully defer to and serve God’s plan and purpose to consecrate, absolve, bless, heal, restore, and sanctify.
By ancient custom, following the anointing, the priest’s hands are bound or wiped with a white linen cloth to absorb the excess sacred oil. This cloth, called a maniturgium, is preserved and presented to the priest’s mother at his first Mass. She in turn is buried holding the cloth so that when she stands before God, she will be recognized as a mother who gave her son to the Church for the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Please pray for Deacon Mateusz and Deacon Jay! Pray that they be open, credible, and incredibly compassionate shepherds. Pray that they will persevere and remain faithful servants. Pray that the joy of the priesthood will ever increase in them. Pray that in mercy and love they will lead many people to Christ and the Church through the Eucharist and the sacraments. Pray that more men, like them, will give themselves wholeheartedly to Christ in service of the Church. Pray that they will always look back on their ordination day with joy and gratitude. What a wonderful day it will be! O Lord, Make them Holy Priests and Stewards of your Great Mysteries!
For men considering the Call to the Priesthood, please see https://catholicpriest.com/
