Posted on December 22, 2019 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!
Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
It is with great joy that I announce that Bro. Brent and Bro. Henry have been approved for ordination to the Diaconate and have been called to Holy Orders. They will be ordained on March 19 at Old St. Mary’s by Bishop Mario Avilés, C.O. They will be tested by fire by being put to work immediately, as Holy Week is only two weeks later!
Many of you may remember Bishop Mario from when he was Fr. Mario and assisting us in the formation of the Oratory. He was appointed Titular Bishop of Cataquas and Auxiliary Bishop of Brownsville, Texas, by Pope Francis in December 2017. This will be his first ordination, and he is excited to be joining us for this important day. March 19 will also be the third anniversary of the foundation of the Cincinnati Oratory. This ordination will be a momentous day, so please mark the date down now. Archbishop Schnurr will ordain them to the priesthood in 2021 at a date yet to be determined.
The ordination of a man to Holy Orders is a grave responsibility of the Church and those given charge over candidates. As was in the bulletin several months ago, I do remind all that it is of obligation on all to bring forward anything that should be taken into consideration before ordination. It is also of obligation to pray for those who are to be ordained. Thank you for taking these obligations seriously and assisting us in giving the Church the best men for the priesthood.
With any major Liturgical Season, there is always a lot going on behind the scenes that we may not all always appreciate. For every significant Mass, every event, every Feast Day, many people pull together to help make what happens possible. This is done by keeping the Church clean (we can always use more cleaners!!), polishing, choir practices, server practices, social planning, retreat planning, parking planning, decorating, flowers, basic maintenance, vestment laundering and mending, teaching, fundraising, and so many other things. I thank each person who helped in any way during this Advent Season and in preparation for Christmas. Things do not just happen or come together. I ask everyone to offer a prayer for everyone who helped make all of this possible. Maybe you would also consider giving of your time in some way to help us continue the mission of our two parishes? Thank you to everyone who contributes, and I offer this encouragement to those who may be considering it!
As we prepare for the commemoration of the birth of the Lord in time this coming Wednesday, please be sure to consult the Christmas schedule on the subsequent pages. Amid all the activities, the busy-ness of preparation, and noise in the world, please be sure to take a few moments of quiet to help yourselves prepare. The coming of God into time, and adopting our human nature, was a momentous event that changed human history as we know. May the noise not hide this fact from us!
Have a blessed week ahead!
