In Rome, 20 Legionaries of Christ were ordained as priests, beginning a pastoral stage of service to the Church and the world.
This Saturday, April 27th, in Rome, 20 Legionaries were ordained priests at St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica, a ceremony celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-prefect of the Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization. The new priests, who have reached this moment after more than 12 years of formation, are from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, South Korea, Spain, the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela.
Row 1 (from left to right): Abraham Eo, Christopher Daniels, Cristian Ortega, Juan Pablo Castañeda, Gustavo Godínez, Christian Martínez, Jesús Silva, Darren Wallace, Kevin O´Byrne, and Santiago Vázquez.
Row 2 (from left to right): Alexandre Simoes, Gustavo Balestrim, Eduardo Perdomo, Alejandro Mora, Diego Paéz, Jefferson de Souza, Andrew Torrey, Jesús Mora, Sebastian Sánchez, and Rafael Böhm
Father John Connor, LC, General Director of the Legionaries of Christ, affirmed that this is “a moment to thank God for the new priests,” inviting them to “serve, to accompany, to make the kingdom of Christ present in the world.”
For his part, the rector of the International Legionaries of Christ College in Rome, Father Ignacio Sarre, LC, referring to the newly ordained, stated that “During the years of formation, it is very beautiful to witness how the Holy Spirit transforms these young men. And today, in this ceremony, a strong outpouring of the Spirit is clearly seen, which, through the sacrament, configures them with Christ and gives them the certainty that He will continue to act in and through them.”
In his homily, Cardinal Gokim Tagle thanked the families of the newly ordained, as well as their formators, teachers, seminarians, and Legionaries staff for reaching this moment. He also invited the new priests to be friends of Jesus: “He calls all His disciples friends, and particularly, priests. (…) Let us be eager to listen to His words. Let us not be afraid to open our hearts to Him. That is how one becomes a friend of Jesus.” Finally, he emphasized the importance of “remaining as compassionate brothers to others,” encouraging to be a comforting presence because “only then will His priestly ministry of word, sacrament, and shepherding build up the family of God in communion and common mission.”
They concelebrated with Cardinal Gokim Tagle, Bishops Robert Fisher, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit (Michigan), and Brian Farrell, LC. More than 180 priests also concelebrated the Eucharist.
After the ceremony, the newly ordained shared moments with their families and the community at the International Legionaries of Christ College.
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More than a decade of formation to be ordained as priests
The formation path of the Legionaries of Christ before being ordained as priests lasts 12 years, during which they discern whether it is the path God wants for them. They are formed in Humanities, Philosophy, Theology, and undertake apostolic practices in different countries around the world.
By the end of 2023, the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ is stably present in 22 countries. It is organized into 9 territories and 2 delegations. It has 10 headquarters for general or territorial governance, 94 apostolic communities, a philosophical institute, a theological institute, a community of student priests in Rome, a priest residence in Mexico, a humanities center in the United States, 5 novitiates, and 9 vocational centers.
It also has an International Pontifical Seminary in Rome and an Interdiocesan Seminary and Theological Institute in São Paulo, Brazil.
Furthermore, it is stably present in 21 countries. It is organized into 9 territories and 2 delegations. It has 10 headquarters for general governance.
