Tuesday 16 September 2008

By staff and seminarians of Corpus Christi College

Ten days ago, on 6 September, four men were ordained for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. For the seminary community, Ordination day is very special because men with whom we have lived for years are consecrated for service as priests. The prayerful ordination ceremony is profoundly significant for us and we are very proud of our brothers. Let us share with you some of our feelings.

****

On a brilliant sunny September morning four men entered St Patrick’s Cathedral at the start of their lives as priests in the service of God and His people in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

With an expectant atmosphere, the Cathedral offered a joyful welcome to all who had come from nearby parishes and distant countries for this festive and long-awaited day. Colourful Asian clothing added to the occasion as traditional Vietnamese and Indian dress showed that the 2008 ordination to the priesthood ceremony in Melbourne was truly a multicultural event in this multicultural city.

An ‘endless’ procession of concelebrating priests preceded the ordinands, seminary staff, auxiliary bishops, and Archbishop Hart. Arriving at the bishop’s chair, after incensing the altar, the Archbishop said: "Surrounded by brother priests, I welcome Binh Le, Thang Vu, Dispin John and Anh Nguyen to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Melbourne." The Archbishop then warmly welcomed the families and friends of the new priests, some of whom had travelled from India, Vietnam and Canada to be with them on this sacred day.

Heralding the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Ordination Rite, Bhavani (Ida) Thivaranjah, a parishioner of St Francis Parish, Mill Park, read from the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me … to bring good news." Rev Binh Le’s niece, Hannah, read the second reading in the Vietnamese language from St Paul’s letter to the Romans and the Gospel was proclaimed by the deacon, Rev Jake Mudge, a class mate of the new priests, who himself will be ordained priest in Bendigo on 26 September 2008.

Then came the time for which everyone had been waiting. Deacon Jake’s voice echoed in the Cathedral as he said: "Let those to be ordained priests please come forward." As each name was called, Thang, Binh, Dispin and Anh bowed before the Archbishop, who inquired of the seminary rector, Father Tony Ireland, as to their worthiness to receive the gift of the priesthood. Upon hearing the testimony of the rector, Archbishop Hart declared:

"We rely on the help of the Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, and we choose these men our brothers, for priesthood in the presbyteral order."

These words were greeted with deafening and sustained applause as the overflowing congregation expressed its approval and joy.

Echoing the feeling of those present, the Archbishop began his homily by declaring: "We welcome with profound joy our brothers … who have committed themselves to accepting Christ’s invitation to follow Him."

The Archbishop continued his instruction on the ministerial priesthood saying: "By the imposition of hands, I will confer on these young men the dignity of the priesthood." Speaking directly to Binh, Thang, Dispin and Anh, he called them "to look on this moment of mystery and transformation as the origin of their new mission".

After the Archbishop’s words, the ordinands stated their intentions to undertake the priestly office and they renewed their promise of obedience to Archbishop Hart and his successors.

The ordinands then prostrated themselves on the sanctuary floor as the congregation, led by Cantor John Caddy, implored the intercession of the saints for the men to be ordained. Seminarian Francis Denton said afterwards that the singing of the Litany of the Saints "touched him deeply". Fellow second-year seminarian Tao Pham, from the Diocese of Sale, commented that seeing his friends lying on the ground was deeply moving.

Then the Archbishop stood and, one by one, Thang, Binh, Dispin and Anh knelt before him as he placed his hands upon their heads while silently praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit for each one of them. Each of the concelebrating priests then came to lay hands on the new priests. Later, Fr Thang Vu said that he found this a poignant time as the priests "young and old, sick and frail" came to pray over him. Sixth-year seminarian, Thanh Tran, commented he felt that this was a sacred and moving point in the ceremony as the tradition of the priesthood was being handed on.

After the Archbishop prayed the prayer of consecration, the new priests stood, and four priest friends vested them in new chasubles as the smiles grew on the faces of all who witnessed the sight.

Senior seminarians Richard Rosse and Jim McKay were acolytes for the ordination. Both Richard and Jim found the anointing of the hands of the new priests with the sacred Chrism a deeply significant part of the rite. Richard admitted that "my eyes became blurry and welled up as I saw this happening".

Fr Vincent Le, our senior formator, recalled that the presentation of the chalice and paten to the newly ordained was the memorable part of Saturday’s ordination for him.

The sign of peace from the Archbishop, auxiliary bishops and concelebrating priests, was emotion charged as the new priests were welcomed into the presbyterium.

At the preparation of the gifts, the new priests then gathered around the altar with the Archbishop and the bishops. Anthony Lindblom, a first-year seminarian from the Archdiocese of Adelaide, remarked that this was so special, "I could not take my eyes off them as they concelebrated Mass for the first time".

After Holy Communion, Fr Thang Vu made us all proud when he expressed the thanks of the new priests in a generous and genuine way.

All the staff and seminarians of Corpus Christi College found the 2008 Ordination to the Priesthood an inspiring ‘moment of mystery’. We were deeply touched by the support of so many friends, families and parishioners.

[Photos: Peter Casamento, www.casamentophotography.com.au]