THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 45, NO. 39 | MAY 31, 2024
PHOTO BY MARY KATE KRAUSE
Deacon Aaron Waldeck stands before the congregation as they affirm his election to the priesthood with applause.
PHOTO BY MARY KATE KRAUSE
Deacon Aaron Waldeck lies prostrate before the altar while his parents, Tobi and Carolyn, look on.
PHOTO BY MARY KATE KRAUSE
Father Aaron Waldeck concelebrates Mass with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and his brother priests.
Aaron Waldeck ordained as the archdiocese’s newest priest
By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
K
ANSAS CITY, Kan. — According to his family, Aaron Waldeck was “quite young” and “a bit taller than a coffee table” the first time he played Mass as a little boy. “He covered the table, brought in dishes, candles and the family Bible, and we played ‘church,’” said his mother, Carolyn. “He was always the priest. (He would be upset when I would not allow the candles to be lit!). In hindsight, that was a sign,” she added. On May 26, Aaron Waldeck celebrated Mass for the first time as Father Waldeck at his home parish of Sacred Heart in Shawnee, just one day after Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann ordained him to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kansas. That moment was just one of several moments spread out across the ordination weekend that members of the Waldeck family said they were looking forward to, especially because Aaron’s “faith and dedication to the priesthood will make him a father and confessor able to hear the people and make certain they live the Gospel.” “We look forward to the end of one journey and the beginning of another,” said Carolyn. “We want to absorb the entirety of the experience and watch him move forward in his life as he touches the lives of others,” she continued. “If we had to pick one moment, it will be watching him complete his first consecration of bread and wine into the Eucharist.” In his homily, and as he has on several occasions, the archbishop said one of the greatest joys and responsibilities as a bishop is ordaining new priests. In fact, in the week leading up to the ordination, the archbishop said as he visited the barbershop, a convenience store and other places around town, he was asked if he had any major plans for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. “I was able to reply, ‘As a matter of fact, I will ordain a man to the priesthood on Saturday,’” the archbishop said, adding that at first people were silent, as no doubt they expected him to mention barbecue, the lake or a Royals game. “Once they had a chance to absorb what I had said,” he continued, “they smiled and said, ‘Wow!’” Sometimes, the archbishop said, people ask him for his favorite part of being an archbishop. His response, he said, is always the same. “My consistent response is ordaining priests. Why? >> See “NEW” on page 11
PHOTO BY MARY KATE KRAUSE
Father Aaron Waldeck pledges his obedience to the archbishop and his successors as a priest who will be under the care, guidance and direction of the archdiocesan bishop.