Dear brothers and sisters, it is fitting to give immense gratitude to Almighty God for these three men who have diligently and intentionally prepared themselves through the formation process to offer themselves for the very mission of Christ and His Gospel in central and northern Alabama. It is the result of listening intently to God’s Word, the very Gospel that we proclaim, taking hold of their hearts and configuring them into living witnesses of Christ.  

I also thank their parents and families for the gift of your sons, your brothers, to the life and ministry of this local Church. As a result, today, your sons will also become fathers, providing for, nurturing, and protecting the Body of Christ.  

Now after mature deliberation and prayer, these men will be ordained to the sacred priesthood in the Order of the Presbyterate to serve Christ as teacher, priest and shepherd. The priesthood is a noble endeavor instituted by Christ to care for those entrusted to him.  

As I have indicated in previous ordinations, certainty in our deliberations and prayer is derived in part from the testimony provided by the seminary formation faculty as well as their interactions with those they have served over the past few years – both as seminarian and as deacon. These testimonies assure us that here is a true vocation – a calling from Christ. It also verifies that the candidate has the appropriate foundation as a “man of God.” In the four dimensions of evaluation, spiritual, human, intellectual, and psychological, they have indeed been found prepared, ready to face the joys and challenges that accompany the exercise of priestly ministry.  Today we can assert, “They are indeed ready!” I have also recalled in the past, and it is a part of my own reflection on the readiness of candidates as well as myself by reflecting on additional points of evaluation: Are they wounded enough and broken enough to give vibrant witness to the woundedness of Christ in their midst? That is to say, can they identify with the imperfections and wounds present in the Body of Christ because, like Christ, they have been bruised and wounded in life itself. In addition, just as Christ’s body is broken, and as we break the Body of Christ just prior to communion, so do our bodies need to be broken to understand our own helplessness and the mercy that we require from the Divine Physician. In that way, those whom we serve can be ministered to in persona Christi, in a convincing and compelling way not for ourselves but for those who need to see in us the very presence of Christ. 

As teachers, my brothers, you will share in the very proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. The Word of God is both powerful and dynamic in the life of a priest. Through the faithful recitation of the Divine Office, we come to love the Psalms – the prayer of the entire Church praising God in moments of elation and imploring God to lift us up once again when we have fallen down or experience doubt. For that reason, the Book of the Gospels, the Word of Life, is in your hands as heralds of the Gospel: “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” As you know, diaconal ministry, which does not end with this ordination, should be evident in your lives as the Word of God transforms you by overwhelming you beyond any expectation. Through it, we become a new people living in amazing ways, the Word of God living in us and through us.

As sanctifiers, you will offer sacrifice for yourself and the people you serve. Through the Mass, the one sacrifice of Christ made present for the salvation and redemption of the world, we will witness one of the most dramatic events to ever occur in our world. Christ is made truly present for us. As we consecrate and consume His Body and His Blood, our own lives become transformed to become more and more like His. With the passing of each day, each year, I am increasingly in awe of this ineffable gift that God gives to the world through the Church so we can know, with certainty, that Christ “is with us until the end of the age.” And whenever I eat His Body and drink His Blood, I will have true life within me leading me to eternity. Indeed, the sacraments we have – it is Christ Who is anointing and healing the sick person; it is Christ, through our words, Who forgives our sins in the sacrament of Penance.

In addition, as shepherd, you are to love those you serve. The haunting question of Jesus to Peter after the resurrection is a stark reminder: “Do you love Me?” We should hear that question whispered to us in our prayer every day. Those in love always need to hear an answer to that question – over and over – just ask any married couple. Once is never enough. Christ wants to hear your answer, again and again, to the foundational question: Do you love Me? And we need to give it, again and again. Through it, we respond to those entrusted to our care. As co-workers in the vineyard and cooperators in the priestly ministry of your bishop, the Kingdom of God becomes evident among us – a Kingdom of grace and light, of truth and life, justice, love and peace. Together, we make our pilgrim journey back to the Father as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Finally, see in those you serve the Bride of Christ. Afterall, you are three bridegrooms filled with the joy of any bridegroom. Guard her jealously. This Bride is as radiant as the brides who walk down the aisle for their marriage. She will love you with all her heart, but as you may know, she can be a demanding and unrelenting Bride. At times she will seem harsh and unbending to your will. At other times, she will console you in ways you have never imagined. Indeed, she will give her life for you, and demand that you give your life for her. Yes, it is a relationship that is for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. For that reason, you must love her every single day and never give up on her. For that reason, we labor in the Lord’s vineyard together in fraternal and priestly collaboration. In years to come, you will look back and see that she is even more radiant than the day of your ordination. My brothers, you are embarking on a journey that is full of hope and full of inexpressible joy. 

So, today, may we entrust the lives and priestly ministries of your sons, our brothers Deacons John, John Paul, and Andrew, to the maternal care of Mary, our Blessed Mother; St. Joseph, her spouse; the evangelical ministry of St. Paul; the priestly witness of St. John Vianney, our diocesan patrons; and your illustrious patrons, to accompany you on this phenomenal priestly journey of faith. May God bless you!