-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Cardinal Joseph Tobin ordained 10 new priests during an hours long ceremony inside the Cathedral Basilica of Sacred Heart in Newark, the room filled with cheers.
The men, who will be dispersed to churches throughout the Archdiocese of Newark, range from locals born in Bergen County to men who have found their way to the Garden State from as far as way as Guam or Colombia.
The annual ceremony, which this year fell on Father's Day, was held on the first weekend when local churches within the state's largest Catholic archdiocese were given the green light to celebrate Sunday Mass at limited capacity, as restrictions set in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 are slowly lifted.
"Someone observed recently that the future is not what it used to be," Tobin told the small group of churchgoers on Sunday. "Together with the whole society over the last months, every sector of our church has had to respond to unforeseen challenges — even as restrictions begin to ease. And we thank God that today, this weekend for the first time, our people in limited numbers can gather."
The new priests were ordained in a small ceremony that was also livestreamed on YouTube by hundreds of viewers from across the globe, in what has become a new norm for religious gatherings. In 2019, when Tobin ordained six priests into service, a large crowd filled the pews of the Newark cathedral.
“This is an uplifting moment for the archdiocese," Father Eugenio de la Rama, director of the archdiocese's priestly vocations, said in a statement. "In the face of civil unrest and uncertainty surrounding the global health pandemic, the ministerial priesthood is an opportunity to be a strong tower of hope that can pave the way for Jesus to heal and unite. It’s heartwarming to see these young men want to become priests.”
“This is an uplifting moment for the archdiocese," Father Eugenio de la Rama, director of the archdiocese's priestly vocations, said in a statement. "In the face of civil unrest and uncertainty surrounding the global health pandemic, the ministerial priesthood is an opportunity to be a strong tower of hope that can pave the way for Jesus to heal and unite. It’s heartwarming to see these young men want to become priests.”
The newly ordained priests range from 26 to 61 years old, and each traversed a unique path toward priesthood, according to biographies in The Catholic Advocate. The new priests are: Diego Arce Aricapa, Kamil Jacek Belling, John Paul Ginty, Drazen Hosi, Edmond Philip Ilg, Jae H. Joo, Anthony Joseph Palombo, Preston Daniel Peredo Perez, Darren Matthew Santo Tomas and Nicholas Charles Sertich.
The youngest of the class, Sertich, 26, was born in Englewood. His home parish is in Cliffside Park. After studying at Seton Hall, he continued his spiritual journey in Rome, before returning to Bergen County.
Santo Tomas, 32, whose parish is in Bergenfield, was born in Guam, where at 19 he worked at a restaurant. In 2018, he joined the Redemptoris Mater Seminary before relocating to Kearny. Peredo Perez, 32 and born in California, was also raised in Guam, before entering the seminary in 2006.
Born in Brooklyn, Palombo, 34, said he has wanted to become a priest since he was a child. However, his faith was shaken when his father, a firefighter, died on Sept. 11. Palombo credits a trip to Israel with restoring his faith. The challenges continued after he entered the seminary, when his mother succumbed to cancer in 2013. "Only in the church have I found a relevant answer to my sufferings, and I want to minister to those who are suffering,” Palombo told The Catholic Advocate
A Bronx native, Ginty, 55, is a former nuclear engineer with the United States Navy as well as an auditor, a financial analyst and a Rutgers Law School graduate. His home parish is in Ridgewood.
Ilg, 61, is also a New York native and a former chemical engineer. He shifted to the priesthood after the death of his wife in 2011, following his son's footsteps.
A chunk of the priests in this year's class are foreign-born. Joo, 28, whose home parish is in Saddle Brook, hails from South Korea. Hosi, 44, was born in Croatia. Belling, 37, with a home parish in Linden, is originally from Poland. Arce Aricapa, 38, was born in Colombia, and his parish is in Jersey City.
"We welcome all of you to the ordination of our 10 brothers to the priesthood," Tobin said to those following virtually. "We welcome especially all the members of their families that cannot join with us today physically because of the restraints from COVID-19."
The ordination of these new priests — four more than last year — comes at a time when the Catholic Church is struggling with a priest shortage that has left many New Jersey churches without a full-time pastor. The archdioceses of Newark and New York have about half as many diocesan priests as they did during the heyday of the 1960s and 1970s.
These are challenging times. How are today's priests going to meet these new challenges of the pandemic and civil unrest in the US?
ReplyDeleteThe tearing down of statues of Jesus and Mary is mainly targeted at the Catholic Church cuz our church is filled with stained glass windows and statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints.
Dear Anonymous at 12:50 pm,
DeleteWith what I've been reading about all the things happening in the U.S., I think it's more important than ever to evangelize. So many young people feel disillusioned. Many Black youth were misled into believing that they are victims and oppressed for hundreds of years due to slavery. White youth, on the other hand, feel guilty over something they do not need to feel guilty over. There is a lot of animosity. The devil has been very busy at work. First, the corona virus which has shut down our churches. And now the protests, which led to looting, rioting, destruction, and violence.
How can these challenges be met. That is a good question. As Christians, it is important to know who we are. We are not victims, and we do not need to feel guilty over the sins of our ancestors. We will be held accountable for our own sins on judgment day. Also, we are the children of God. We are the sons and daughters of a king. Although we may not act like a child of God many times because we are sinners, we are His children. He chose us (Ephesians 1:4).
Tim Rohr has deleted my post that contradicted this statement:
ReplyDelete"Chancery give public media prominence to two individuals from Guam who deserted Guam to serve as priests elsewhere? They had a choice to go to a seminary in California and thereafter return to Guam to serve our people. Instead they chose to go to an NCW seminary and serve somewhere else."
First of all, let me introduce myself: I am one of the last 12 Seminarians from the former RM Seminary of Guam. We did not desert Guam --- Guam was our mission and home. In 2017m we were told to meet with the "Office of Vocations" director and liason to the NCW who would give us "options" on how to continue formation post-Redemptoris Mater.
The truth was: there were no options. They proposed to us a deal they couldn't shake on, saying it would cost too much money that they didn't have. To the theologians, they said the proposal was for those who were beginning the Seminary. To those in Philosophy, he said the opposite --- the proposal was meant for those finishing the Seminary.
They told both groups of seminarians the proposal was for the other --- when neither were offered anything at the table. This is the truth. It needs to be said. No more "one-sided" truth.
We did not desert Guam. The Church, under the INTENSE PRESSURE from CCOG and the Jungle, succumbed and kicked us out. We were not a fake seminary, as over 10 ordinations within the first 3 years have shown.
Again, my people of Guam, we did not abandon you. We were rejected and exiled with no option of remaining. Although, of course, those in charge will say an option was discussed....but it was all a puff of smoke.
Dear Anonymous at 1:50 am,
DeleteThank you for coming forward. I will also put your comment in a separate post.
These seminarians were touted in parishes as being ready for the priest ordination by June 2017. If Apuron had been able to continue that’s exactly what would have happened. But my question is: if these Guam seminarians were ready by June 2017 for Guam ordination, why did it take three additional years at a “real” seminary?
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 3:34 pm,
DeleteIt depends on their new bishop. And Guam RMS was a "real" seminary.