June 4, 2025 It felt like a tight rope walk. As I laid out the pages of this edition, I tried hard to balance two topics – the ordination of our three new deacons and the Jubilee Mass honoring priests reaching milestone years of service. Both are joyous occasions that deserve to be celebrated and lauded, but I felt like I was balancing opposite ends of the spectrum – men beginning their journeys as clergy and men who are experienced, longtime priests and pastors. Men who have been ordained for seven days and men who have been ordained for 70 years. As I scrolled through digital versions of the pages and prepared them for press, it occurred to me that it wasn’t a balancing act of opposites at all; it’s the story of a single journey lived out in different ways by 13 different men. In these pages, you’ll find the timeline of priesthood. You’ll find those still in formation, new to the ranks of the clergy who will continue studying and discerning as they move toward, God willing, ordination to the priesthood. You’ll find men in the various stages of their priesthoods – from active ministry to retirement, 25 years of priesthood to 70 years of priesthood. Some spent their entire ministries in parish life. Some taught in schools, colleges and seminaries. Some spent time studying or serving in other parts of the country or world. It’s a good look at the scope and magnitude of what these 13 men agreed to when they said “yes” to God’s call to serve Him and us, His Church. I’m grateful to them for their sacrifices, dedication and willingness to follow God’s call. We at the NCC would like to congratulate our three new deacons and our 10 jubilarians. And I ask you, the readers of the NCC, to join me in praying for these men in the coming weeks. They walk their own tight ropes. |
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