Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Connect

Priest anniversaries and June ordinations

By

In the “whatever” society in which we live we are reminded of the value and importance of commitment by our priests who are celebrating anniversaries of their commitment to faithful service to Christ and his Church.  At their ordination each promised to consecrate himself to God for the salvation of all. Their ministries are seldom celebrated in the media but their faithfulness and devotion to Christ and His Church is recognized and admired by the thousands of people whose lives they touch through sacramental service, preaching and  pastoral ministry.

We honor them and ask God’s continued blessing on their ministries.

These faithful witnesses to the Gospel will soon be joined by two young men whom I will ordain to the service of Christ and his Church at the cathedral on June 1. They are Deacon Jorge Ivan Ascencio Micheli who will serve as parochial vicar at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Frisco, and Deacon Charles Mwaniki Githinji who will serve as parochial vicar at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dallas.

Deacon Githinji is a native of Kenya where he grew up. A visit to friends in Dallas was responsible for his decision to serve in the Diocese of Dallas. Deacon Micheli, a native of Puerto Rico, grew up in Puerto Rico and began his seminary training there. After a 2008 visit to Dallas he applied and was accepted as a serminarian for the diocese. Both men completed their theological studies at St. Mary Seminary in Houston and will be ordained for the Diocese of Dallas. We pray that they be blessed with long and fruitful ministries.

Nothing gives greater joy to a bishop than ordaining priests to share his labors in Jesus’ vineyard. I give thanks to God for the large number of seminarians preparing for ordination for our diocese at St. Mary, Holy Trinity and Redemptoris Mater seminaries.

Please pray for your priests and for their lives of faithful service and for the ordinands who will join them June 1.

What sort of man is being ordained to the priesthood this year?

By

On July 16 it will be my privilege to ordain three men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dallas, they are: Deacons Alan Paul McDonald, Arthur Okwuchukwu Unachukwu and James Hideo Yamauchi. Please keep them in your prayers.

Our three ordinands are among 480 men being ordained to the priesthood in the United States in 2011. A survey of 329 of them by CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) at Georgetown University was prepared for the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the USCCB. The survey gives us an idea of what sort men are being ordained to the priesthood this year.

Here are some of the high points of the survey:

• The average age is 34, slightly higher than in 2010.
• Most had lived in their diocese for about 15 years before entering the seminary.
• The majority are Caucasian/White (69), ten percent are Asian/Pacific Islander and 15 percent are Hispanic/Latino
• One third of the respondents are foreign-born with the largest number coming from Columbia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland and Vietnam.
• Most are cradle Catholics but eight percent entered the Church later in life.
• The majority come from large families. Over half have two or more siblings and one fourth have five or more.
• Sixty percent completed college before entering the seminary and 17 percent had graduate degrees.
• About half (47%) attended Catholic elementary school. Thirty-nine percent attended Catholic High School or College, a number considerably higher than the national average of all adult Catholics which is 7 percent.
• Ninety-four percent held full- time jobs prior to entering the seminary. Less than 10 percent served in the military.
• Most (70%) prayed the Rosary and 65% participated in Eucharistic Adoration before entering the seminary.
• Most reported that they first considered a priestly vocation at 16. Two thirds (66%) were encouraged to enter the seminary by a priest and 71 percent were encouraged by a friend, a parent, grandparent, other relative or parishioner.
• Almost half were discouraged from entering the seminary by a friend, classmate, parent or family member.
• Only a few indicate that TV, radio, billboards or other vocational advertising was instrumental in their decision. One fourth says they were influenced by a website.
• Forty-two percent participated in a “Come and See” type weekend before entering the seminary.
• “Fishers of Men”, a DVD published by the USCCB had been viewed by 83 percent.

It is obvious that more mature men are entering the seminary having attended college and/or worked before making their decision even though their first call came as a teenager. Catholic education is an important factor.

Suport and encouragement by their family was particularly significant in their decisions.

Have you encouraged a potential priestly vocation in your family?