The priest is not simply a “caretaker of sacred things” but is one who “gathers, protects, nurtures and gives life”, Melbourne Archbishop Peter A Comensoli said at the ordination to the priesthood of three men on Saturday. Source: Melbourne Catholic.
Archbishop Comensoli ordained Joshua McDermid, Tuong Nguyen and Ian Vergel at St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne.
It was a deeply moving occasion, with the ordinands’ families, friends and the wider Catholic community gathered to participate in the celebration.
“The Holy Spirit of God drives out into mission those who receive him,” Archbishop Comensoli said in his homily.
“Upon receiving the Holy Spirit at the Annunciation, Mary was driven out into the hill country of Judea, to bring the good news of her pregnancy to Elizabeth. After his baptism in the Jordan, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tested for his mission of salvation. At Pentecost, the Spirit drove the disciples out of that upper room they had been hiding in to proclaim Christ through the streets and among the people.
“Today, the same Holy Spirit will be given to these three men, who are to be anointed, to drive them out onto our streets and among our people.
“As St Paul said at the end of his life, and as a prisoner in the Lord, ‘I implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation’. He noted it needed to be a life marked by charity, selflessness, gentleness, patience, perseverance and a reconciling peace.
‘This is the work of the Holy Spirit we are calling upon today to come among us and onto these men in a priestly form.”
Archbishop Comensoli drew upon the image of the Good Shepherd to remind the new priests of the nature of their “distinctive priestly calling”.
“The Good Shepherd does not stand apart but enters into the messiness of the flock: he knows their names, their needs, their lives. A true shepherd gives his life so that the sheep may live.”
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Driven out into mission: three new priests ordained in Melbourne (Melbourne Catholic)
