As the world reacted to the election of Pope Leo XIV, Fr Matthew Timonera OFM Cap was quietly preparing for a momentous milestone of his own – ordination to the priesthood. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Fr Timonera was ordained on Saturday at St Fiacre’s Church in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt, becoming one of the first men to be consecrated to minister under the new pontificate.
Bishop Donald Lippert OFM Cap, made a special trip from Mendi in Papua New Guinea to ordain Fr Timonera in the presence of his family, religious confreres and friends of the Capuchins.
“There’s a great responsibility being placed upon me, but I think that’s not something to be afraid of – it’s something to step up to,” he said.
The ordination came at a time of spiritual renewal for the Church, a topic Bishop Lippert touched upon in his homily.
“Everything that the bishop said in the homily … I think it’s something we need in the Church today,” Fr Timonera reflected.
He acknowledged that the priesthood was not about status or power, but about “exercising a powerful responsibility.”
Borrowing from pop culture, he added, “As Spider-Man says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ To consecrate, to baptise, to bless. To use that responsibly and to use it well.”
Fr Timonera used a chalice given to him by fellow friar and mentor, the late Fr Julian Messina OFM Cap, a significance which was “quite heavy and emotional,” he said.
“But I think through passing something on to me, he showed me an example of fatherhood, which I can also then show to others by using that chalice for the sacraments.
“What I receive from the Lord will be handed over to those who are also seeking something from the Lord.”
As the Church enters a time of change under a new successor of St Peter, Fr Timonera remains hopeful: “Hopefully it’s a change for the better – and one that inspires people to step up to their vocation and do more with what God’s calling them to do.”
FULL STORY
Embracing the priesthood with courage and grace (By Christina Guzman, The Catholic Weekly)
