The sublime moments of Saturday, May 17 will never be forgotten by five men as they were ordained priests for the Church of Philadelphia by Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.
It was the same cathedral where generations of previous men, including the Archbishop himself, took part in the memorable ordination rite.
Newly ordained Fathers Robert Bollinger, Peter Nguyen, Przemyslaw Rozestwinski, Edward Town, and Richard Withers shared in the Litany of Saints as hundreds of the faithful chanted prayers seeking the intercession of saintly men and women through history.
The men witnessed dozens of priests laying hands of blessing upon their heads.
They received from the archbishop the sacrament of holy orders, through his prayer and the laying of his hands, by his consecrating their hands with the oil of sacred chrism, and in his embrace as a fellow priest of Philadelphia.
Through these moments the new priests received the grace and mission to go out and devote their whole lives to Christ and his Church.
“Praise God,” said Father Town, who has been assigned to St. Monica Parish in South Philadelphia.
Joining him was a busload of guests, including family and friends from his hometown of Huntingtown, Maryland, to whom he gave holy Communion and later gave personal blessings after the two-hour Mass.
“The best part of today was being able to give holy Communion to my family after celebrating Mass for the first time, and to look into all of their eyes and their faces. To be able to bring the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ to them is why I want to be a priest.”
During his homily at ordination, Archbishop Pérez congratulated the new priests and thanked them “for the gift you’re offering to the world and to the Church, staying mindful of the gift you are receiving,” said.
“A minute ago, you heard applause. The applause is really an affirmation of what God has been doing in your lives. It is the affirmation of the Church you came to at one point saying ‘I want to be a priest.’”
Early in the Mass the priestly candidates were presented to the archbishop by the rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where they studied and were formed for the priesthood. Bishop Keith Chylinski was participating in the ordination for the last time as rector of the seminary before he moves on to a new responsibility: overseeing the Secretariat for Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
“The ceremony really is a great sign of that commission, the great commission that the Lord gives each of us by nature of our baptism,” Bishop Chylinski said.
“You see this very powerful sign as they come forward. You realize the Lord is about to send them out, to send them forth into the Church to preach the good news of the Gospel.”
That realization struck a powerful tone for the families of the new priests.
“It really hit me when he went up to Archbishop Pérez and when he blessed his hands with the oil,” said Kathryn Town of her son Edward. “That hit me very emotionally and also when they laid down and they did all the prayers of the saints.”
Originally from Philadelphia’s Fox Chase section, she had returned to the city from Maryland for the Mass. Both she and her husband David are planning on moving back to Philadelphia so they can be closer to Father Town and witness the effects of his ministry.
“It would be great to see Ed give homilies,” said David. “I think it’s real interesting to see what he has to say and how he develops as a priest. Ed also said he wants to come over on Sundays for dinner.”
While Father Town undoubtedly looks forward to his new life and priestly ministry, Archbishop Pérez reminded the five men that on this day of their ordination, “it’s not about you. It’s not about what you wanted to do. It’s about what the Lord, through the Church, wants you to be,” the archbishop said.
“That’s a challenge on one part, because you and I are called to that sense of detachment. But it’s a consolation, because today, there is no doubt now that the Lord called you to be a priest. It is the call of the Church.”
It’s a calling to ministry that Father Town and his fellow new priests have long desired to begin. As they begin to live as a strong and caring shepherd for others, they will keep in mind that the Lord will always be their shepherd.
“Remember the phrase of today’s responsorial psalm,” Archbishop Pérez said. “It is your strength and your consolation. The Lord is your shepherd. Trust Him.”
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Read our profiles on each of the men ordained and discover their faith journeys that led them to priesthood. See our photo gallery from the May 17 Ordination Mass.
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