Bishop O’Connell takes time to kneel in prayer in front of the tabernacle before Mass. Craig Pittelli photo
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., center, is pictured with the four men he ordained to the priesthood June 2. From left are Father James R. Smith, Father Michael G. DeSaye, Father Christopher J. Dayton and Father Nicholas R. Dolan. Craig Pittelli photo
Deacon Christopher Pinto, who was ordained a transitional deacon May 19. The four men, seated in the sanctuary during Mass, were then presented for ordination by Msgr. Thomas Mullelly, diocesan vicar of clergy and consecrated life and director of vocations. “Most Reverend Father, Holy Mother Church asks you to ordain these, our brothers, to the responsibility of the priesthood,” Msgr. Mullelly said. “Do you know them to be worthy?” Bishop O’Connell asked. Msgr. Mullelly affirmed the men’s worthiness, and Bishop O’Connell accepted them for the Order of the Priesthood to the applause of the crowd – among them, faithful representing the home parishes of the newly ordained, or where they had served as part of their seminary formation. “There’s a beautiful prayer that was prayed about God holding us up and helping us to stand up,” Father Dolan later recalled of the Ordination Rite. “You just felt like falling over and falling apart, but it was a real grace to be held up by God.”
Heart of the Priesthood In his homily, Bishop O’Connell preached on Pope John Paul II, and how
“There’s a beautiful prayer about God holding us up ...”
50 years after the now-saint’s ordination, he referred to the priesthood as a gift and mystery. “The gift of priesthood is given you by God,” he said. “You were chosen for this gift, set apart from all else that you could have been in this world, because God wanted YOU to receive this gift. Believe that with every fiber of your being, with the conviction of your mind, with the beating of your heart, with the depth of your soul.” “Here is the mystery of the priesthood. Why you? Why any of us? The Scriptures say, ‘Before you were born, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart,’” the Bishop continued, quoting from the day’s First Reading, Jeremiah 1:4-9. “Yes, for a gift, for a mystery, for a priesthood that invites us, my brother priests and you, the newest among us: to ‘know what you are doing and to imitate what you handle.’ Let us listen now to the voice of the Church, ‘ever ancient, ever new,’” he concluded, quoting from St. Augustine’s “Confessions.” Again pausing with emotion, Bishop then addressed the four candidates as “dear sons,” asking them to declare their intention to assume the responsibilities of the priesthood. Called by name, each then knelt
before Bishop O’Connell and, placing their hands in his, promised obedience to their shepherd and his successors. The chant of the Litany of Saints filled the Cathedral as the men then lie prostrate in the front of the altar. In their last act as priest candidates, Father Dayton, Father DeSaye, Father Dolan and Father Smith rose and approached the Bishop one by one, kneeling before him. Bishop laid his hands upon their heads – the official act, rooted in Scripture, that indicates the bestowing of the Holy Spirit and ordains the men priests. “What a powerful feeling,” Father Smith later recalled of the moment, and the following minutes as the Diocese’s concelebrating priests approached the men to each lay their See • S4
The Monitor is proud to present this special publication commemorating the Ordination of: Father Christopher J. Dayton Father Michael G. DeSaye Father Nicholas R. Dolan Father James R. Smith May God bless them abundantly as they begin their new priestly ministry. To order additional copies of this booklet, or to subscribe to The Monitor, contact the Business Desk at (609) 403-7131 or Monitor-Marketing@dioceseoftrenton.org. The Monitor, in cooperation with the Diocese’s Department of Multimedia Production, has assembled a comprehensive content package from Ordination 2018. Go to TrentonMonitor.com for: Archive of the live video stream from the Mass Text of Bishop O’Connell’s homily News video featuring interviews with the new priests and their family members Hundreds of photos from the Ordination Mass as well as the new priests’ first Masses
June 14, 2018 • TrentonMonitor.com • Ordinations • S3