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Two men join ranks of priesthood after years of discernment, preparation
By Mary Moore
The Catholic Sun
Amid the joyful tears of family, friends and spiritual leaders, two men advanced to the order of the priesthood in a spirit-filled and tradition-rich ceremony that lasted two hours.
Fr. John Greb and Fr. John Lankeit were ordained into priestly ministry June 3 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
A packed cathedral witnessed the process by which transitional deacons Greb and Lankeit took Holy Orders. During the bilingual ceremony the two men received the Laying on of Hands in which the bishop and other priests throughout the diocese invoked the Holy Spirit to give sacred character to the ordained.
“The whole experience of the ordination and blessings was overwhelming. It moved by so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to take it in,” said Fr. Lankeit.
During a moment of quiet reflection following the ceremony and several hours of blessing individuals, he shed “tears of the greatest joy I have ever felt.”
In a particularly moving part of the sacramental ceremony, the two men lay prostrate while the Litany of the Saints was sung, symbolizing their dependence on God and the prayers of the community of the Church on earth and the saints in heaven.
“It was an incredible day of grace. It was joyful to have so many friends from here and other places, people I hadn’t seen for years. It was a day of being awe stricken. It’s almost surreal,” said Fr. Greb.
“Priesthood is always ahead of you, something you are preparing for, and then finally it is here and you think, did this really happen?” His long road toward the priesthood began eight years ago at the age of 35.
Also part of the ceremony was the investiture with the stole and chasuble, the garments that distinguish a priest and his office. The anointing of the newly ordained’s hands by the bishop and the handing over of the bread and wine were two of the steps of the ordination ceremony emphasizing the role of priest as servant who must die to himself in order to carry out his role as shepherd.
This theme of service and sacrifice were central to Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s homily, which took the form of a father imparting wisdom to his sons as they began a great journey.
Drawing upon the image of the Good Shepherd in the Gospel reading, Bishop Olmsted reminded the two men to “always keep your eyes on the Good Shepherd who came not to be served, but to serve.”
He added that each priest must resist any temptation to act like the “hired man” of John’s Gospel who leaves the sheep when the wolf comes, whether it is the “wolf of half-truths and deceptions, or hardship and temptation.” He assured them of times when their words would not be popular, but as the words of Christ they remain the “truth that sets us free.”
“Be both shepherd and lamb leading your flock to green pastures and be ready to lay down your life for them,” the bishop advised, adding that while Christ was shepherd He was also the lamb of sacrifice when the time came.
Whoever answers God’s call to be a priest also answers His call to be a victim, the bishop said. Through all, he reminded them to remain grounded in daily silent prayer with Jesus and to meditate on the Law of the Lord.
“The faithful expect only one thing of priests,” he said. “They ask that we be experts in the spiritual life.”
For St. Helen parishioner Rita Martin, the ordination ceremony of Fathers Lankeit and Greb was her first, and she was moved to tears throughout.
“It was so spiritual. The heavens opened up and you could just feel God’s power and His strength,” she said.
Present also in the brimming cathedral were clergy, deacons, religious and seminarians from the Phoenix Diocese as well as from other parts of the country.
Sr. Mary JoAnna, a Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration, said the ordination ceremony for Fathers Lankeit and Greb was inspirational for everyone who witnessed it.
“To see the power of the priesthood through an ordination is a great manifestation of the Lord’s continued love for man,” she said. “And it was also a revelation to each of the faithful of their own vocation to follow God with more totality and conformity.”
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