Ordained by pope, new priest offers first Mass

On May 11, Brian C. List of Amsterdam was ordained to the priesthood.

What made the day extra special was the person who ordained him and the site where it occurred: He was ordained at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome by Pope John Paul II.

"Only one day a year, on Good Shepherd Sunday in Rome, does the Holy Father do ordinations," he told The Evangelist.

Opportunity seized

Father List and other seminarians from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity enjoyed the honor of a papal ordination because their order has a seminary and parish in Rome.

"When we heard that the ordination was scheduled for May 11, I looked at the calendar and realized that that was Mother's Day in the U.S.," he said. "I immediately thought of my own mother and then I thought of the Blessed Mother. In addition, this is the Year of the Rosary, and all of that is very symbolic to me."

Eighteen members of Father List's family made the trip to Rome, including his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.

Time off

Now back at his parent's home in Amsterdam for the summer, Father List is just beginning to discover what it means to be a priest.

"Traditionally, after ordination, members of our order are given a few months before we receive an assignment," he explained, to spend with family members and celebrate "thanksgiving Masses."

He has already made plans to baptize a newborn niece and celebrate the wedding Mass of a close friend.

"I'm the youngest of nine children, so there's been a lot of celebrating around here for the past month," he said. "My brothers and sisters are coming home [from around the country] day by day."

Vocation call

On June 22, he celebrated his first Mass at St. Mary's Church in Amsterdam. That's where he attended grade school, and received the sacraments of Baptism, First Eucharist and Confirmation. His parents are still parishioners.

Although he was an altar boy at St. Mary's, he didn't want to be a priest, particularly during his college years, when he thought he wanted to get married and raise a family. A chance meeting with Rev. John Corapi, a nationally known preacher, at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, helped changed his mind.

"After college graduation, I was working as a teacher, and praying a lot regarding my life and what God wanted me to do," he recalled. "When I heard Father Corapi speak, I just decided that he was the priest I wanted to talk to about a possible vocation. He gave me very good advice and some referrals. I used the next year as one of discernment, praying and looking at different communities."

Choosing an order

When he made his decision to enter the seminary, he chose Father Corapi's order for several reasons, the most important one being the work it does throughout the world.

"Even though we are missionaries, we do other work, wherever it is needed, like prison ministry, preaching ministry and teaching, both around the world and here in the U.S.," Father List said. "In the missionary field, we use what are called 'ecclesial teams,' groups of Catholics composed of one missionary priest, a permanent deacon, some religious sisters and volunteer lay people. They go into an area and either establish a parish or work in one already there.

"It was the diversity of the work of the order that attracted me. Doing that work and being part of this community is what I realized I wanted."

(As part of his discernment year, Brian List worked in missionary parishes in Belize and Guatemala. Along with one other priest, he served in more than 30 missions scattered throughout the area. He also taught English, religion and mathematics to high school students. He said that the missionary work "greatly influenced" his decision to become a priest.)

(6/26/03) [[In-content Ad]]