Bishop Olmsted to ordain three new priests June 6

By Andrew Junker | May 21, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

Years of education, discernment and prayer will culminate this weekend at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, where Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will ordain three men to the priesthood.

Q&A: Getting to know the diocese's three newest priests

Deacons Robert Bolding, Thielo Ramirez and William Schmid will join the Diocese of Phoenix’s presbyterate when they receive the sacrament of holy orders 10 a.m., June 6, at the cathedral, 6351 N. 27th Ave. in Phoenix.

“Each of these men possesses the necessary gifts for ordained ministry. They have taken their years of formation very seriously and as a result have much to offer the Church,” said Fr. Don Kline, vocations director for the diocese.

“They are men of prayer who understand the life that Our Lord has called them to live. They are far from perfect but they are well aware of their shortcomings, weaknesses, and flaws,” he said.

The three soon-to-be ordained men agree. They have all spent their time in the seminary — and the years that preceded seminary — discerning God’s will for them.

Deacon Ramirez said he felt God’s call to the priesthood at an early age, and his family’s friendships with priests and religious served to strengthen that calling.

Deacons Bolding and Schmid both share an early supporter of their vocations in Bishop James S. Wall. They credit him with seeing the potential of their calling and fostering it over the years.

“They’ve just always been really supportive and always let me know how excited they were for my preparing for priesthood,” Deacon Bolding said of Bishop Wall and Fr. John Ehrich, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. “If I ever needed anything they were always very supportive.”

Deacon Bolding described his seminary experiences at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, as opportunities for reflection and personal growth.

“You learn your faith, and have these people whose job is to help you become a better person,” he said. “We go and pray and study, basically, and build fraternity.”

That kind of preparation will help them transition to parish life, Fr. Kline said, where prayer is paramount.

“They seek to keep Christ at the center of all they do,” he said. “They will serve as pastors of souls and share God’s love in generous ways.”

Deacon Bolding will begin his priestly ministry at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. Deacon Ramirez will serve St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale. Deacon Schmid will be parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish in Chandler, and will also serve as chaplain to Seton Catholic High School.

And though their new assignments will differ greatly from the lives they’ve known, Deacon Ramirez feels a sense of calm.

“Over the years of discernment and seminary, I gave my vocation to the Lord and that’s ultimately where I found peace,” he said.

That kind of peacefulness will serve the new priests well, said Fr. Kline, who offered a list of simple advice to them.

“Be faithful to the Lord by being faithful to your promises,” he said. “Be faithful to the magisterium. Serve the people. Be a pastor of souls. Lead people to Christ.”