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Historic Ordination: Bishop Ordains Four New Priests, One Transitional Deacon

On Saturday morning, May 22, 2010, the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost, the Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton, Bishop of Belleville, ordained four transitional deacons, Rev. Mr. Abraham Olobo Adejoh, Rev. Mr. Dale Allen Maxfield, Rev. Mr. Joseph Okoth Oganda, and Rev. Mr. Sean Michael Palas to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. He also ordained Mr. Anthony Ogutu Onyango to the Diaconate. Bishop Braxton formally called the ordinandi to Holy Orders in the Sancta Trinitas Unus Deus chapel at his residence earlier in the month. Bishop Stanley Schlarman, Bishop Emeritus of Dodge City, Kan., a large number of priests and deacons from the Diocese, as well as many priests visiting from other dioceses and representatives of seminary communities also participated in the Ordination. The Solemn Liturgy of Ordination offers priests the opportunity to renew their own identities as “priests forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5, 6-7)

The ordination was historic because it was the largest number of men ordained in nearly twenty years. The Bishop began the Solemn Liturgy of Ordination by praying, by name, for the nine priests and two permanent deacons from our Diocese who have died since Pentecost last year. He ended the ceremony by asking the great crowd that filled the Cathedral to express appreciation for the faithful ministry of the deacons and priests who filled the sanctuary. They received an enthusiastic ovation. The Bishop announced that four of the Ordination altar servers were applying to the seminary. Immediately before Bishop Braxton gave his Pontifical Blessing, the Very Rev. John McEvilly, Vicar General, informed the assembly that the Bishop had just celebrated the fortieth anniversary of his own ordination to the priesthood on May 13, 2010 and the fifteenth anniversary of his ordination to the episcopacy on May 17, 2010 and that he would mark his fifth anniversary as Bishop of Belleville on June 22, 2010. The congregation warmly applauded him.

The central moment of the prayer-filled liturgy of Ordination was the moment when the Bishop silently imposed hands on the heads of each of the five candidates and proclaimed the Prayer of Ordination, first for the deacon and then for the priests. This basic Rite of Ordination is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Just prior to this sacred moment, the five men lay prostrate on the floor of the Cathedral sanctuary while the entire congregation prayed for them in the Litany of the Saints. This is one of the most powerful moments in the Ordination Rite.

Bishop Braxton began his homily, addressed directly to the ordinandi sitting in a corona in front of him, by making his own the words of St. Paul to the Christians living in Ephesus, “I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4: 1-3) He continued with the words of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) The Bishop told them that he is sending them into a world torn by wars and rumors of wars, a world in which God is eclipsed by materialism and philosophical relativism, a world in which human life is swept from the womb with sanctions of law, a world in which marriage and family life, the cornerstone of human society, is rapidly being redefined by the courts, and a world in which the Catholic Church in the United States is facing the greatest challenge in its history in the wake of the tragedy of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and internal tensions resulting in the “decline of common meaning.”

The Bishop told the candidates for ordination that, “In a few moments when I silently place my hands on your heads, I will breathe on you and say to you ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ (John 20:22) It is this Holy Spirit who will enable you to proclaim with courage and confidence the kerygma preached by St. Peter on the first Pentecost, ‘Know this for certain, God has made both Messiah and Lord, this Jesus who was crucified.’” (Acts 2:36) He urged them to be faithful to the teachings of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican. “The authentic interpretation of the Council is a hermeneutic of integral development and continuity. Do not be seduced by those who suggest a hermeneutic of rupture and radical discontinuity with the Church’s history, tradition, and patrimony. The goal of post-Vatican II theology is not to totally reject pre-Vatican II theology but to enlarge, enliven, and expand it at its deepest level by a richer appreciation of biblical and patristic sources.”

He encouraged them to ponder the words of St. Ambrose of Milan, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (340-397 A.D.) “Take a firm hold of the rudder of faith so that the severe storms of this world cannot disturb you. The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles. It therefore remains unmoved.” He admonished them not to be lone rangers. “You cannot make it by yourself. Stay close to the community of faith. Cultivate authentic friendships. However, always remember the sagacity of Sirach: ‘Make true friends. Let your acquaintances be many, but a true friend is one in a thousand.’” (Ecclesiasticus, 6:5) Finally, he challenged them to never abandon the foundations of their life and ministry. “If you abandon daily prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to the Mass, spiritual direction, spiritual reading, regular confession, an annual retreat, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and fidelity to the magisterium of bishops and the Holy Father, you will not, in the long run, have the inner peace and strength needed to remain “firm against the assaults of the raging sea.” Bishop Braxton concluded telling these men whom he called “my sons, soon to be my brothers” that “my door and my heart will always be open to you, any time, any day.”

The ordination took place on a beautiful sunny day on which the Cathedral grounds were surrounded with magnificent, fragrant roses, thanks to the generous, talented, daily care of Mr. James Bassler. The interior Cathedral was filled with the beauty of so many of the Christian faithful, as well as splendid music, and timeless rituals going back to apostolic times. Many people commented that they had never been to an ordination before and that they had no idea that the ordination ceremony was so complex and so rich in symbolism and beauty. One gracious lady exiting the Cathedral told the Bishop, “I’m a Baptist. And I have simply never seen anything like it. The ordination was one of the most impressive church services I have ever attended. Everyone should have been here. I’ll never forget it.”

Bishop Braxton expressed deep gratitude to all who worked so closely with him to make the historic ordination a day of genuine prayer for the entire Diocese, a day to remember. “Those who should be thanked are too numerous to name. However, outstanding among them are: Mrs. Sue Huett, Mr. Richard Thompson, Father David Darin, Father John Myler, VF, Mrs. Patricia Warner, Sister Theresa Markus, SSND, Father Von Deeke and Mrs. Linda Kreher. The Catholic Church in southern Illinois is profoundly appreciative of the extraordinary contributions of everyone who made Ordination Day a powerful Pentecost experience for us all.”