Six priests ordained at Boston cathedral

[Miss-Delectable]

Six priests ordained at Boston cathedral - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

Bucking a trend toward the declining number of men entering the Catholic clergy, six were ordained as priests today in Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

In a stirring homily, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley urged the group to spread their faith to "those who have strayed."

"The task of preaching is to spread the light of the world,'' said O'Malley, outlining the official duties of the priesthood.

O'Malley told the men there will be challenges, but urged them to take their responsibility to serve their Lord to a higher level.

"There are many struggles in the priest's life, difficulties that come from life itself, difficulties that arise from our own broken humanity,'' he said. But "the priest's life swims in grace. He is friends to all that is holy."

Hundreds filled the cathedral for the two-hour ordination ceremony. A choir sang a song in Vietnamese, and an entire section of the church was reserved for scores of people from the deaf community who came to see the Rev. Shawn P. Carey ordained as the nation's 11th deaf priest.

"This is a miracle,'' Carey said through a sign language expert. "It's been a long journey for me as a deaf seminarian and a deaf man. And becoming a priest -- I never thought it would come this fast."
One by one, the priests were called by name, and each affirmed his commitment to serve. At the end of the ceremony, the men filed, heads bowed and hands clasped in prayer, before the cardinal, who placed both of his hands on their heads in silent prayer. Clergymen attending the ordination repeated the gesture, laying their hands on the heads of the new priests.

The Rev. Sean M. Maher, a new priest, said he will heed the cardinal's message about the call to preach.

"It's a wonderful day when you know you are being brought into something bigger than yourself,'' he said. "It's going to take me a lifetime to delve into how wonderful it is and how joyful it is.''

The other seminarians ordained yesterday were the Rev. Israel J. Rodriguez; the Rev. Frank D. Camp; the Rev. David W. Gunter; and the Rev. Huy H. Nguyen.

 

[Miss-Delectable]

Deaf man completes journey to priesthood

Deaf man completes journey to priesthood - The Boston Globe

Between greeting guests and offering his first blessings as a priest, the Rev. Shawn P. Carey took a moment yesterday to soak it all in.

"It's a miracle," said Carey, who was ordained with five other men at Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

He is one of only 11 deaf men in the nation to be ordained a priest, and he could hardly contain his joy.

"It's been a long journey for me as a deaf seminarian and a deaf man," he said through a sign-language interpreter. "And becoming a priest - I never thought it would come this fast."

Carey, who attended high schools in Northampton and Springfield, was drawn to the priesthood as a teenager and attended seminary after he graduated from Providence College. "It was overwhelming," he said of his struggles. "But it was overwhelmingly joyous."

Hundreds came to celebrate as Carey and a diverse mix of seminarians were ordained in a two-hour ceremony. A choir sang in Vietnamese, and part of the church was reserved for scores of people from the deaf community who came to celebrate with Carey.

In a stirring homily, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley highlighted the mix of the group - a deaf man, a Vietnamese refugee, a widower, a Spaniard, an Irish immigrant, and a man in his second career.

"A century ago in this cathedral, there would have been 50 men, but those huge ordination processes did not begin to reflect the diversity of . . . today's class," O'Malley said. "This is a microcosm of the church today."

O'Malley urged the men to spread their faith to "those who have strayed."

"The task of preaching is to spread the light of the world," said O'Malley, who outlined for the men the official duties and tasks of the priesthood.

One by one, the men affirmed their commitment to serve. At the end of the ceremony, they kneeled, heads bowed and hands clasped in prayer, before the cardinal, who placed his hands on their heads in silent prayer.

The Rev. Sean M. Maher, one of the new priests, said he will heed the cardinal's message about the call to preach. Maher said he had considered the priesthood as a child, adding that he came to this path because "the hand of God was in it all."

A native of Ireland, he came to the United States on scholarship for a master's degree in 2002, he said. While at Fairfield University in Connecticut, Maher said he decided to go to the seminary.

"It's a wonderful day when you know you are being brought into something bigger than yourself," he said. "It's going to take me a lifetime to delve into how wonderful it is."

The other seminarians ordained were Israel J. Rodriguez, a native of Spain; Frank D. Camp, a widower from Pennsylvania; David W. Gunter, who attended school in Wellesley; and Huy H. Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee who grew up in Dorchester.

 

[Dixie]

I think due to the media reporting on abuses at Catholic schools by priests many are ashamed and are leaving the priesthood or are leaving the church altogether. I do know of a deacon at our church that was raised Catholic and he didn't convert to Protestant church until after he was married. He says our church is a lot more open than any Catholic church he ever went to, but he wishes that our church would do more community outreach like his old Catholic church did such as a food bank and a clothes closet for the poor.