Ambria Hammel/CATHOLIC SUN

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted presents the chalice to Fr. Matt Henry during a June 5 ordination Mass as Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

Bishop Olmsted's words to
the three newly ordained priests

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained three men to the priesthood June 5, 2010. He used the lengthy instruction of the ordination rite, but added the following personal words:

From this day forward, the faithful of the Church will call you “Father.” They will do this because God Himself is giving you the grace today to share in His fatherhood, and to love others in His name. As a true spiritual Father, then, listen with compassion to all whom you serve; welcome the stranger as a son or daughter in Christ; lift up and defend the rights of the unborn child, the elderly who are forgotten, and the immigrant whose human dignity is overlooked. 

People will say to you, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned;” and after a sincere confession, you will absolve their sins in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is humbling experience for us priests since we remain sinners ourselves in constant need of God’s mercy. Yet, as St. John Vianney, our patron, reminds us, God works in wondrous ways through this sacrament. His people discover a peace that the world cannot give, and are restored to loving communion with the “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:1f).”

Following the example of Christ the Good Shepherd, seek out the “lost sheep.” Remember there is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over 99 who have no need for repentance. Do not let indifference, criticism or rejection stop your efforts. After all, what loving father of a family ever gives up on any of his children?

My brothers, on this day of your ordination, recall those words that newly ordained St. John Neumann wrote home to his family in Eastern Europe after celebrating his first Baptism: “If the child I baptized today dies in the grace of this Sacrament, then my journey to America has been repaid a million times, even though I do nothing for the rest of my life.” For the rest of his life, however, Father Neumann and later Bishop Neumann, cooperating with the grace of God, would accomplish many more wondrous things. Throughout it all, that same deep gratitude for being a spiritual father to God’s people never diminished in his heart. I pray that your priestly hearts will be like his.

A good father provides nourishing food for his children. As a priest, you will provide the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation.  May you never lose a sense of wonder and awe as you say in the Communion Rite of Mass, “This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His supper.

A love for Christ in the Eucharist naturally leads to a love for Christ in the poor and forgotten. This has been true in every age and I pray it will be true in each of your priestly lives. One of the titles given to the Successor of Peter is “Pater Pauperis”, “Father of the Poor.” The title is more than empty words; it points to a responsibility and a mission. In union with our Holy Father Pope Benedict, gladly embrace this mission from the Lord, and you will be a happy priest, whom the people will be proud to call “Father.”