Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez gazed Saturday morning, May 16 upon the faces of eight men who were committing their lives to God and the Catholic Church of Philadelphia through the priesthood, along with more than 1,200 family, friends, and other faithful who filled the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul to near capacity.
He couldn’t help but share his joy after the greeting that began the ordination Mass.
“This is what hope looks like,” he told the congregation before ordaining a group of priests that brings much hope to the local Church. They are the largest class of new diocesan priests for Philadelphia in nearly a quarter of a century.
The class includes the following, along with their first parish assignments as parochial vicars:
– Father Charles H. Cappelli, St. Andrew Parish, Newtown;
– Father Thomas G. Cipolla, St. Stanislaus Parish, Lansdale;
– Father Declan J. Cole, St. Agnes Parish, West Chester;
– Father Alexander B. Cross, St. Joseph Parish, Downingtown;
– Father Michael J. Gokie, St. Agatha/St. James Parish and St. Francis de Sales Parish, Philadelphia;
– Father Dominic W. Mirenda, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Doylestown;
– Father Jude U. Opara, St. Christopher Parish, Philadelphia;
– Father Griffen T. Schlaepfer, St. Ephrem Parish, Bensalem.
A nearly 20-minute procession including the new priests, the Archbishop and more than 200 other clergy members began the three-hour Mass. It was spoken or sung in five languages — American Sign Language, English, Igbo, Latin and Spanish — embodying in the present both the heritage of the past and the diversity of the future of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The eight men joined their loved ones in listening to the Word of God in the readings, including a passage from the Gospel of John confirming the source of their priestly calling.
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you,” Jesus Christ told His disciples (Jn. 15:16).
That appointment for Philadelphia’s eight new priests immediately followed the Gospel, as Father Christopher Redcay presented the eight men and asked that they be ordained.
“Relying on the help of the Lord God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these, our brothers, for the order of the priesthood,” Archbishop Pérez said to a cacophony of applause.
“Don’t get too used to that applause,” he added. “That applause is actually very profound, because it actually doesn’t have anything to do with you. It has to do with the fact that the Church has called you.”
He told the men they should remember this day for the rest of their lives, not only in moments of gratitude but moments of challenge, “of the cross.”
Through ordination the men are configured to Christ Himself, to Christ the high priest “who offers His life,” Archbishop Pérez said.
As they began what all hoped was many decades of ministry ahead, the Archbishop said they would not walk this unknown path alone.
He reminded them of every priest walking alongside them, taking the journey they have. He reminded them of the faculty and staff at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary who molded them for this day and all that will follow.
He further reminded them of their parents and siblings who have supported them and will continue to do so as they serve the Church.
Father Cole’s sister, Niamh, said her brother “has had, and continues to have, a huge impact on my life, and I can only hope that many others are lucky enough to experience the same kindness, wisdom, and faith that he has shared with me. I pray that he never forgets the joy and peace he felt on the day of his ordination.”
“We pray for Charlie, that he is happy and fulfilled with his path,” said Father Cappelli’s dad, Carl. “We pray that God give him strength to lead, the strength to open people’s hearts, minds, and souls.”
The dramatic elements of the Rite of Ordination unfolded as the congregation invoked the Holy Spirit.
The eight candidates all laid prostrate before the altar in a symbolic laying down of their lives for the Gospel as the congregation sang the Litany of the Saints.
The Archbishop laid his hands on their heads, followed by lines of veteran priests doing the same in a solemn half-hour rite of prayerful brotherhood.
A prayer of consecration followed, along with a change of stoles from that of a deacon, worn over one shoulder, to a priestly stole worn around both.
The Archbishop anointed their hands with sacred oil and gave them the chalice and paten used during the Eucharistic Prayer. They then received the fraternal sign of peace: a warm embrace from all 200 clergy present.
Morning had already become afternoon as the new priests concelebrated the Eucharist Prayer with Archbishop Pérez, uttering for the first time the words of consecration that they will offer countless times throughout their priestly lives. They offered the Body of Christ to the faithful, including their families, for the first time as priests.
The Mass culminated with the sending forth of eight new priests to serve God’s people throughout Philadelphia’s five-county area, marked by the congregation’s roaring cheers that would make a Philadelphia sports team jealous.
As Archbishop Pérez said to conclude the three-hour Mass, “You are now a priest for Jesus Christ for the Church and for the world.
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