Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre celebrated a special liturgy at the Cathedral of the Assumption Aug. 3 for four Archdiocese of Louisville seminarians who formally declared their intentions to serve as priests.
‘This seemingly simple rite carries a profound significance. … There’s a special power in voicing this. It makes it feel more real in a profound way.’
— Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre
Harrison Frey, Tung Ho, Thanh Phan and Amos Stinson declared their intentions during the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders.
Archbishop Fabre told them during his homily that the rite is a “profound milestone” on their journey to the priesthood.
“This seemingly simple rite carries a profound significance. It’s the first time in a liturgical setting that they state their intention” to serve the church as priests, Archbishop Fabre said. “There’s a special power in voicing this. It makes it feel more real in a profound way.”
When something is spoken out loud, especially to someone else, it becomes real, the archbishop noted.
He recalled the first time he told someone he wanted to be a priest; he was a teenager.
“That possibility started taking shape in my life, in my family’s life and I’d like to believe,” in the church’s life, he said.
Traditionally, the rite has been celebrated at the men’s respective seminaries, according to the archdiocese’s Vocation Office. Bringing the rite to the archdiocese gave members of the local church the opportunity to witness and affirm the men’s intentions, the office noted.
During the rite, the archbishop asked the candidates two questions:
- Do you resolve to complete your preparation so that in due time you will be ready to be ordained for the ministry of the Church?
- Do you resolve to prepare yourselves in mind and spirit to give faithful service to Christ the Lord and his body, the Church?
During his homily and before the rite, Archbishop Fabre cautioned the men about the pitfalls of resolving to do something. Individuals tend to think that once they resolve to do something, the power to keep that resolve lies solely within them.
Humans “always waver in some way,” he said.
Like Adam, Noah, Moses and St. Peter, “our resolve can weaken and we can turn away despite what we declare here,” the archbishop said. “Therefore, it’s God’s grace that sustains us in our resolve. It’s not our own strength. … Resolve must be a response to the call Jesus has placed in your heart.”The men will now enter the configuration stage of formation, which “focuses on the candidate’s configuration to Christ, preparing him to act in persona Christi as a pastor of the church,” according to the Vocation Office.
