The eRecord Edition #24 - 27 March 2015

27 March 2015

Your news from across the Archdiocese of Perth

Edition #24

New priests called to bear lasting fruit By Marco Ceccarelli THE ARCHDIOCESE of Perth was once again gifted with the fruits of its seminaries last Friday with the priestly ordination of another four men. C ar mine-John (CJ) Millen, Marlon HenaoPerez, Alexis Vega-Osorio and Noe Navarrete-Apaez stepped out of their formative years in Perth’s St Charles’ and Redemptoris Mater Seminaries and into the priesthood in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Tim Costelloe SDB and attended by more than 900 people. In his homily for the occasion, the Archbishop reminded the candidates that they had been commissioned to “bear fruit that will last” and emphasised that, while this was a moment of both solemnity and joy for them, it must be regarded above all as a gift. “It is simply a gift, freely given and yes, freely received,” Archbishop Costelloe said. “It is God’s grace which has enabled them to hear the Lord speaking to them, it is God’s grace which has given them the strength to respond, and it is God’s grace, and only God’s grace, which will carry them into the future and make of them the priests that the Lord and His Church need them to be,” he added. In light of the ceremony’s second reading, the Archbishop stressed that the 1 | EDITION #24 | 27 MARCH 2015

The newly ordained priests with Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, concelebrants and rectors, following their ordination last Friday, 20 March. PHOTO: JAMIE O’BRIEN

treasure carried by Christians of which St Paul speaks is “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ”. He then directly addressed the four candidates with words of exhortation. “CJ, Noe, Alexis and

His people to carry the treasure, to share it with joy and enthusiasm, and to protect it, you are being called to do so as ordained priests. “You must put your whole lives at the service of the Church and make the unveiling of the face of Christ the

You must put your whole lives at the service of the Church and make Christ the driving force of everything you do. Marlon, from the moment of your baptism the words of St Paul in tonight’s reading have been true for you,” the Archbishop continued. “You hold a treasure which you are called to share with others… amongst all the ways in which the Lord calls

driving force of everything you do,” he said. Family members of the candidates, some of whom had travelled from as far as Mexico and Colombia, proudly witnessed the young men being ordained before participating in their

investiture with the stole and chasuble. Other rites of the ceremony included the Promise of the Elect, the Laying of Hands by the Archbishop and the clergy, the Prayer of Ordination, and the Anointing of Hands using the Oil of Chrism. Concelebrating were Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton, Emeritus Archbishop Barry James Hickey, Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely VG and priests of the Archdiocese of Perth. Before the final blessing, Fr Carmine-John Millen spoke on behalf of the newlyordained priests in order to thank all those who contributed to their priestly formation. Full Text available at

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