Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello ordains priests to 33 Legionaries of Christ.
- The ceremony took place at St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica, in Rome, on December 16 at 3:30 p.m.
- Approximately 3,000 people attended to accompany the new priests.
- “You will, therefore, be transformed into Him, and your identification with Christ will reach such a depth that you will become living instruments of His work. Any ministry entrusted to you must always be that of a minister of Christ Jesus, as if your person disappeared before His because He works in you and through you. Do we not say that the priest is alter Christus and acts in persona Christi? This is the path to holiness that you must resume each day in humility, obedience, and charity, so that your ministry and your actions correspond with your being,” said Cardinal Bertello.
Rome, December 16, 2017.– Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governatorate of the State of Vatican City and President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City, ordained priests to 33 Legionaries of Christ at St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica. Over 3,000 people, including family members, friends, seminarians, and formators, attended the ceremony. Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, L.C., General Director of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement, presented the candidates for ordination.
In his homily, Cardinal Bertello said: “At the origin of every vocation there is a Voice that calls, that changes lives: some feel accompanied by the presence of the Lord who invites them from their early years; others, on the other hand, are called to leave behind their nets, a trade, a career, to follow Jesus in adulthood. In any case, it is a call, a vocation.”
Referring to the Sunday liturgy Gaudete, he commented: “Our joy then transforms into gratitude to the Lord because He is the true protagonist of all good things. From Him come the vocation and the grace of perseverance. Our thoughts also go to those who have seen the birth, sustained, and accompanied the response of these ordinands to the Lord’s call: their families; their superiors, their formators.”
Later, addressing the ordinands, he said: “Soon the Spirit of the Lord will descend upon you, will consecrate you with anointing, and will make you sharers, in a special way, of Christ’s priesthood, and you will act in His name. With your ministry, you are called to proclaim to all that God does not abandon man, and in the face of so many evils afflicting society, injustices, and suffering, carry with your life a message of trust and fraternity to the poor, to those who await a word of consolation and need to be defended in their rights and comforted in their pains.”
The rector of the International Legionaries of Christ College in Rome, Father Christopher Brackett, L.C., comments: “Seeing my brothers ordained priests is like God telling men that they should not lose hope, that they are not alone, that His love is great, and that He will always give us shepherds to care for His people. It is beautiful to see the generosity of these men who are ordaining themselves. They have lived and believed, even with their limitations and weaknesses. I am moved to see them arrive at the altar and be transformed by God’s grace into other Christs.”
The rector of the theology community at the General Directorate, Father Ignacio Sarre, L.C., comments: “The ordination is a point of arrival because undoubtedly many years of formation, journey, and effort have led to this moment. That is why it is lived with great joy and gratitude: to God, from whom all good comes; to them, who have been generous; to their families and everyone who has supported them. But also, and above all, it is a starting point. It is the beginning of what they have prepared for. And in that sense, the most important thing is that they maintain from there a continuous and growing attitude of love and dedication, what we call ‘permanent formation.’ I like to repeat that they are not preparing ‘for ordination,’ which is a day and passes quickly, but for a whole life of dedication in the ministry, as Legionaries of Christ.”
Father Eduardo Robles-Gil, L.C., General Director of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement, comments: “For the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi, it is an immense joy to be able to offer the Church 33 new priests, who will collaborate with their priestly ministry to make present in the hearts of people and in society the merciful love of God, which in a week we will contemplate in the mystery of Bethlehem, born out of love for humanity.”
About 150 priests concelebrated at the ordination. Mons. Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong, Secretary for Seminaries of the Holy Congregation for the Clergy, and Mons. Paolino Schiavon, retired auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rome, attended the anointing of the hands and the presentation of the chalice and paten.
Who are the new priests?
The 33 new priests come from 11 countries: Italy (1), Slovakia (1), Brazil (5), Canada (1), El Salvador (2), Venezuela (3), Spain (1), Colombia (1), Mexico (13), Philippines (1), and United States (4). All studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Ateneo Regina Apostolorum. Their period of study and preparation also included pastoral work in education, missions, youth group animation, family pastoral care, and formation of minor seminarians.
Among the new priests is Father John Klein from the United States, who studied music production at Middle Tennessee State University and is the composer of the music albums Love is Brave and Fearless. Also among them is Father Lonardo Pérez-Castilla from Venezuela, who studied four years of Economics at the Andrés Bello Catholic University before entering the Legion of Christ.
Father Miguel Subirachs from Spain comments: “Since I was young, I had the desire to be a missionary. I was especially drawn to when volunteers or missionaries came to school and shared their experiences. I had the great illusion of doing something for others. Jesus’ call “come and follow me” has resonated for centuries and continues to resonate in the lives of many young people. It is a call to live fully, to live closer to Him, and to be conformed to Him. Being a priest is not a natural matter; it is supernatural. You don’t need to seek to understand it perfectly because it is a matter of Love.”
Father Stefano Panizzolo, Italian, entered the Legion of Christ after earning a degree in Architecture in Venice. Father Michael Baggot from the United States was agnostic and was baptized, confirmed, and received his First Communion in the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil of 2003.
Father Antonio Lemos, from Brazil, studied Law for four years at the Federal University of Paraná. Father Manuel Cervantes, Mexican, was a collaborator of Regnum Christi for a year in Padua, Italy, before entering the Legion of Christ.
Father Luis Lorenzo, L.C., is the first Legionary priest from the Philippines.
The stories of the new priests can be read on the website of the priestly ordinations.
The Legionaries of Christ
The Legion of Christ is a religious congregation of the Catholic Church formed by priests and candidates for the priesthood, founded in 1941. It is part of the Regnum Christi family. It is present in 21 countries. As of December 31, 2016, it has 4 bishops, 961 priests, and 617 religious in formation and novices. Its spirit is Christocentric, contemplative, and evangelizing. It seeks to foster evangelical and missionary creativity among the laity so that they participate as living members of the Church. It professes a deep love for the Pope, Vicar of Christ, and for bishops, with whom it collaborates in the pastoral action of the local Church. Its motto, “Thy Kingdom Come,” expresses the desire for Christ to reign in the hearts of men, families, and society. To achieve this, it collaborates with other members of the Church and with good-willed persons to make this Kingdom a reality, seeking to do everything for the Kingdom of Christ to the Glory of God.
*List of the new priests and their place of origin at the end of this statement
Photos of the ordinations (can be used with credit to ©LC Photoservice): https://flic.kr/s/aHsmbHxNXz
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International press room: www.legionariesdecristo-dg.org
Full text of Cardinal Bertello’s homily (original in Italian, unofficial translation into Spanish, English, and Portuguese).
Names and places of origin of the 33 Legionaries of Christ ordained priests on December 16, 2017, in Rome.
Italy
- Stefano Panizzolo, L.C.
Slovakia
- Štefan Kavecký, L.C.
Brazil
- Antônio Lemos, L.C.
- Luis Fernando Costa, L.C.
- Thomas Silveira, L.C.
- Anderson de Oliveira, L.C.
- Wagner Campopiano, L.C.
Colombia
- Daniel Hinestroza, L.C.
Philippines
- Luis Lorenzo, L.C.
Venezuela
- Luis Gustavo D’Suze, L.C.
- Leonardo Pérez-Castilla, L.C.
- Andrés Orellana, L.C.
El Salvador
- Julio Reyes, L.C.
- Edwin Pereira, L.C.
Mexico
- Emmanuel Montiel, L.C.
- Alfredo Ibarra, L.C.
- José Manuel Reyes, L.C.
- Miguel Guerra, L.C.
- Manuel Cervantes, L.C.
- Israel Mézquita, L.C.
- Marcos Salazar, L.C.
- Rodrigo Martínez Murillo, L.C.
- Rigoberto Cano, L.C.
- Nicolás Núñez, L.C.
- Ignacio León, L.C.
- Sadrac Hernández, L.C.
United States
- John Klein, L.C.
- David Spillane, L.C.
- Andrew Tarleton, L.C.
- Michael Baggot, L.C.
Canada
- Adam Zettel, L.C.
Spain
- Miguel Subirachs, L.C.
